Amy Phelps is an Assistant Professor of Business Statistics in the Economics and Statistics division at the AJ Palumbo Undergraduate School of Business Administration at Duquesne University.  Professor Phelps coordinates the multi-section two-semester sequence of Business Analytics required by all undergraduate business majors.  She incorporates service learning regularly in the instruction of her business analytics classes and is consistently nominated for the school's annual Consol teaching award.

Professor Phelps' strives to improve the instruction of Business Analytics by seeking pedagogy that gives her students practical skills and real-life applications of statistics.  This is achieved through the use of current technology in statistical software available and her time devoted to service learning allowing her students to see first-hand applications of statistics while helping local non-profit organizations assess their own programs. 

Professor Phelps' research background is specialized in Biostatistics.  She consults with the anesthesiology department at Magee Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh and therefore is widely published in journals that include International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia, Journal of Clinical Anesthesia and The Journal of Pain.  A recent 2010 article in the International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia was selected for Faculty of 1000 Medicine (www.f1000medicine.com).

Vallejo, M, Mantha, V, Ramesh, V, Phelps, A, Ramanthan, S,  (2007), "Intermittent injections have a lower incidence of maternal fever in the first four hours of labor epidural analgesia compared to continuous infusions.", International Journal of Obstetrics Anesthesia

Vallejo, M, Ramesh, V, Phelps, A, Sah, N (2007), "Epidural Labor Analgesia: Continuous Infusion vs Patient Controlled Epidural Analgesia with Background Infusion vs without a Background Infusion", The Journal of Pain, 8, (12)

Phelps, A, (2007), "To Service Learn (SL) or not to Service Learn?", Joint Statistical Meetings

Phelps, A, Dostillio, L, (2007), "Meeting and exceeding the GAISE standards for introductory statistical instruction through service-learning: A comparative study in assigning undergraduate statistics projects", International Research Conference on Service-Learning and Community Engagement

Phelps, A, Sharpe, N, Roback, P, Walters, B, (2008), "Teaching through Service Learning (SL) Getting Statistics OUT of the classroom while Enhancing Learning", Joint Statistical Meetings

Shagufta, C, Phelps, A, et al (2008), "An Audit of Wet-taps,  Postdural Puncture Headaches and Failed Regional Anesthetics at a Tertiary Care Medical Center", Society for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology

Shagufta, C, Phelps, A, et al (2008), "Longitudinal vs. Transverse View to Determine Actual Clinical Depth for Labor Epidural Placement using the Sonosite Micromaxx Ultrasound System", Society for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology

Phelps, A., & Dostilio, L. (2008). Studying student benefits of assigning a Service Learning project compared to a traditional final project in a Business Statistics Class. Journal of Statistics Education, 16.

Hartzel, K., Spangler, W., Phelps, A., & Martinez, A. (2009). An Empirical Study of Emerging Trends in On-line Social Network Usage. Proceedings of the IACIS, September, 2009.

Phelps, A. (2009). Statistical Literacy and Attitudes over two semesters of required Business Statistics. Joint Statistical Meetings.

Vallejo, M., Singh, S., Phelps, A., Kaul, B., & Romeo, M. (2009). Prediction of epidural depth before labor epidural placement-A Normogram. Society for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology, 104.

Vallejo, M., Singh, S., Phelps, A., Mantha, V., & Dalby, P. (2009). Ultrasound Increases the Labor Epidural Placement Success Rate in Resident Trainees. Society for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology, 184.

Heisler, J., Phelps, A., & 2010. A Survey Analysis of the Relationships between Economic News and Consumer Behavior. Paper presented at the Midwest Decision Science Institute Annual Conference.

Lindenberg, K., Carcia, C., Phelps, A., Martin, R., Burrows, A., & 2010. The influence of heel height on sagittal plane knee kinematics during landing in females. Paper presented at the American Physical Therapy Association's Combined Sections Meeting.

Vallejo, M., Phelps, A., Singh, S., Orebaugh, S., & Sah, N. (2010). Ultrasound Decreases the Failed Labor Epidural Rate in Resident Trainees. International Journal of Obstetrics Anesthesia, 19(4).

Vallejo, M. C., Phelps, A. L. , Singh, S., Orebaugh, S. L. , & Sah, N. (2010).  Ultrasound Decreases the Failed Labor Epidural Rate in Resident Trainees.   International Journal of Obstetrics Anesthesia.

My research focuses on two diverse areas of interest.  The first area of research focuses on finding and providing the best instruction for teaching applied statistics to a general audience.  Business students seldom go on to major in statistics but need to be able to understand and apply evidence-based research to make good business decisions.  The continual quest to use realistic and applied problems as a fundamental pedagogy to learning statistics has led naturally toward the implementation of service-learning projects in the classroom.  Additionally, in response to concerns that students are not able to use statistics in upper level classes, I am revising and assessing new curricula to improve student learning.  Therefore, my current arms of statistical education research focus on

1. Service learning pedagogy and
2. Case studies in applied statistics

to further student learning.

The second area of interest brings me back to my roots of my academic instruction in biostatistics and public health.  I have been actively consulting with the anesthesia department at Magee Womens Hospital for ten years exploring a variety of ways anesthesia can provide an improved experience for laboring woman while also reducing the risks and incidence of adverse neo-natal and maternal outcomes.  Outcomes studied through this varied research have included:

• Periodontal disease as a risk factor in pre-term births
• The use of nitrous oxide in reducing anxiety
• Continuous versus patient controlled analgesia
• Factors reducing maternal fever
• The use of ultrasound in reducing failed placement of epidurals

More recent studies are looking at

• Using nitrous oxide to reduce the incidence of epidurals in laboring woman
• Providing protein supplementation as opposed to ice chips alone during labor