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I didn't notice that the word "algorithm" is now buzzy. OMFG.

mcny 6y ago
In case you missed it, Stanford administrators tried to deny responsibility when questioned why CXO level executives (who were working from home) got priority over front line workers for vaccinations blaming "the algorithm". > According to an email sent by a chief resident to other residents, Stanford's leaders explained that an algorithm was used to assign its first allotment of the vaccine. The algorithm was said to have prioritized those health care workers at highest risk for COVID infections, along with factors like age and the location or unit where they work in the hospital. Residents apparently did not have an assigned location, and along with their typically young age, they were dropped low on the priority list. > Stanford has not provided an answer to NPR's request for an explanation of its process or its algorithm. > Neurology residents were among those who organized and protested on Friday. > One neurology resident, who was involved in planning Friday's protest, said that a flawed algorithm is no excuse. She requested anonymity for fear of affecting her future job search. > "[A]lgorithms are made by people and the results ... were reviewed multiple times by people," she wrote in an email to NPR. "The ones who ultimately approved the decisions are responsible. If this is an oversight, even if unintentional, it speaks volumes about how the front line staff and residents are perceived: an afterthought, only after we've protested. There's an utter disconnect between the administrators and the front line workers. This is also reflective that no departmental chair or chief resident was involved in the decision making process." https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/18/948176807/stanford-apologizes-after-vaccine-allocation-leaves-out-nearly-all-medical-resid https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/1...

mcny 6y ago

In case you missed it, Stanford administrators tried to deny responsibility when questioned why CXO level executives (who were working from home) got priority over front line workers for vaccinations blaming "the algorithm". > According to an email sent by a chief resident to other residents, Stanford's leaders explained that an algorithm was used to assign its first allotment of the vaccine. The algorithm was said to have prioritized those health care workers at highest risk for COVID infections, along with factors like age and the location or unit where they work in the hospital. Residents apparently did not have an assigned location, and along with their typically young age, they were dropped low on the priority list. > Stanford has not provided an answer to NPR's request for an explanation of its process or its algorithm. > Neurology residents were among those who organized and protested on Friday. > One neurology resident, who was involved in planning Friday's protest, said that a flawed algorithm is no excuse. She requested anonymity for fear of affecting her future job search. > "[A]lgorithms are made by people and the results ... were reviewed multiple times by people," she wrote in an email to NPR. "The ones who ultimately approved the decisions are responsible. If this is an oversight, even if unintentional, it speaks volumes about how the front line staff and residents are perceived: an afterthought, only after we've protested. There's an utter disconnect between the administrators and the front line workers. This is also reflective that no departmental chair or chief resident was involved in the decision making process." https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/12/18/948176807/stanford-apologizes-after-vaccine-allocation-leaves-out-nearly-all-medical-resid https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/1...