Awards

Titled Professor - 2021

James A. Caplin, M.D. Professorship

Titled Professor - 2015 - 2020

John and Esther Reese Professorship

About Kurt Bretthauer

Kurt Bretthauer is a Professor of Operations and Decision Technologies at the Kelley School of Business in Bloomington. He received his B.S. from Purdue University in 1984, then came to IU to earn his MBA and Ph.D. in 1986 and 1990, respectively. Before returning to IU as a faculty member in 1999, Bretthauer held a faculty position at Texas A&M University.

At IU, Bretthauer served as the Chairperson of Doctoral Programs at Kelley from 2006 to 2012. He has also been the Associate and Senior Editor of "Decision Sciences" as well as the Associate Editor of "Naval Research Logistics". His research interests are Service Operations Management, Healthcare Services, and Supply Chain Management. Bretthauer has worked with hospitals in California and South Bend, Indiana. Kelley doctoral students assisted with his research in South Bend, which addressed the issue of government-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios, as well as the ongoing nursing shortage problem. Their data informed a decision sciences model with recommendations that allowed nurses to work a greater number of desirable shifts to increase job satisfaction and retention.

Bretthauer has earned a number of honors in recognition of his outstanding work. These have included two Outstanding Editor Awards from "Decision Sciences" and three best paper awards. He was the Kimball Faculty Fellow from 2003 to 2013 and was named a W. Michael & William D. Wells Life Sciences Faculty Fellow in 2013.