Summer interns Shakil Rafi and Riley Aud may attend Arkansas universities in different counties, and their hometowns are in different countries, but for these two students, the common denominator is a keen interest in math.
Shakil Rafi is a Ph.D. candidate in applied mathematics at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and will graduate in 2024. He hopes to eventually work as a data scientist for a company and use the tools of mathematics and computer science to understand human health better.
Shakil is interning in our health economics department. He is working to create a Markov model which predicts, with a certain probability, a chain of events likely to occur in certain healthcare situations, depending on the members’ prior history. This includes helping predict birth outcomes for pregnant members so we can improve interventions for those at higher risk, such as those with substance use disorders, to better address maternal health.
He is from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and is the son of Shahnaz Parveen and Kamal Ahmed.
Riley Aud is working toward a mathematics and computer information degree from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
She is working in the Value Payment Strategy division, where she is creating a manual for the value-based program that encompasses the various programs implemented by Arkansas Blue Cross. Riley is still choosing between a career focused on mathematics or computers, but said she is sure of one thing: “In whichever path I take, my internship at Arkansas Blue Cross will help me achieve my goals.”
Riley is from Woodlawn, Arkansas, and is the daughter of Jamie and Jason Aud.
Welcome, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield summer interns!