Sarah Bonzo

Sarah Bonzo attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and received her BS and MS in Industrial and Operations Engineering. While in her master’s program, Dr. Bonzo developed scheduling optimization models of an operating room at a local hospital which sparked her interest in healthcare. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in Industrial and Operations Engineering where she focused on the intersection of communication, systems architecture, and patient safety in healthcare. Dr. Bonzo performed graduate research at the University Michigan Health System and Rochester General (now Rochester Regional) Health System. Dr. Bonzo joined Rochester General full time after completing her Ph.D. 

Before joining SUNY Oswego in 2013, Dr. Bonzo worked in several areas of Rochester General Health System from Lean-Sigma Specialist to Director of the Transformation Management Office (TMO). As Director of the TMO, she developed strategies for organizational process improvement and project management with a focus on optimization of the enterprise electronic health record. 

Outside of teaching and being program coordinator for the MBA in Health Services Administration program, Dr. Bonzo continues to coach and consult on lean thinking, experimentation, and socio-technical systems in healthcare. Clients include Montefiore Health System and Rauland-Borg. 

Research 

Dr. Bonzo's research includes work on agile operations, quality improvement, team communication, and strengths-based leadership. She is interested in the use and development of network analysis and design structure matrices to examine the technical complexity of processes. On the human side of the sociotechnical system, Dr. Bonzo is interested in the role of personnel development, human factors, mindfulness, and pattern-based learning. 

Publications 

Bonzo, S.M. Liker, J.K. and Grams, K. (2018) "Organic versus mechanistic approaches to system-wide improvement: Reducing delays to critical care," IIE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering. 

Friedman, B., Bonzo, S.M., Ketcham, G. (2017) “Evaluating Online Instructor Satisfaction and Motivation using the Core Characteristics Job Design Model,” BRC Journal of Advances in Education. 

Bonzo, S. M., & Liker, J. K. (2016). The Impact of Cross-Unit Coordination and Process Improvement Efforts in Anatomic Pathology: A Systems Perspective. Quality Management in Healthcare, 25(3), 141-148. Bonzo, S.M., McLain, D., Avnet, M.S. (2016) “Process Modeling in the Operating Room: A Socio-Technical Systems Perspective,” Systems Engineering. DOI: 10.1002/sys.21343 

McLain, D. and Bonzo, S.M. (2014). “Modeling Perioperative Services as Sociotechnical Systems: Complexity and Surgical Delays,” 4th International Engineering Systems Symposium. 

Ballard*, S.M., and Kuhl, M.E. (2006). “The Use of simulation to Determine Maximum Capacity in the Surgical Suite Operating Room,” Winter Simulation Conference. 

Conferences 

• Bonzo, S., Benner, T. (2019). 'Culture and Values' and Quality: Association between Glassdoor Employee Reviews and CMS Quality Measures in New York Hospitals, presented at the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Scientific Symposium, Orlando, FL. 
• Bonzo, S. Benner, T. (2019). Can the Magic Ratio in Employee Reviews Predict Hospitals with Better Patient Outcomes?, presented at the World Appreciative Inquiry Conference, Nice, France. 
• Bonzo, S. (2018). The Impact of Patient Flow on CMS Star Ratings, presented at the Business Research Consortium, Niagara Falls, NY. 
• Bonzo, S. (2017). Reducing ED to ICU Transfer Time: The Role of Leadership and Kata, presented at the Society of Health Systems Annual Conference, Orlando, FL. 
• Bonzo, S. (2016). Modeling Sociotechnical Systems: Capturing and Evaluating Information Flow, presented at the Society of Health Systems Annual Conference, Houston, TX. 
• Bonzo, S. (2015). Use of Multiple-Domain Matrices for Socio-Technical System Modeling in the Operating Room, presented at the Institute of Industrial Engineers Research Conference, Nashville, TN. 
• McLain, D, and Bonzo, S. (2014). Modeling Perioperative Services as Sociotechnical Systems: Complexity and Surgical Delays, presented in the CESUN International Engineering Systems Symposium, Hoboken, NJ. 
• Bonzo, S. (2013). Electronic Medical Records: Post-Implementation Process Improvement, presented in the IIE Lean and Six Sigma Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA. 
• Bonzo, S. (2010). Managing the Non-Linear Value Stream, presented in the Institute of Industrial Engineers Annual Conference, Cancun MX. Bonzo, S. (2010). Developing a Culture of Continuous Improvement: Growing Leaders at Rochester General Health System presented in the WCBF Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare Summit, New Orleans, LA. 

Awards and honors 

Open SUNY Ambassador 2015 

National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow (2007-2010)