340.677.01
Infectious Disease Dynamics: Theoretical and Computational Approaches
Location
East Baltimore
Term
4th Term
Department
Epidemiology
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2013 - 2014
Instruction Method
TBD
M, F, 3:30 - 4:50pm
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
Biostatistics 621-623 or 651-653 or consent of instructors. In addition, one year of calculus is recommended.
Focuses on the dynamic processes that affect the spread of infectious disease. Presents basic conceptual approaches and a survey of specific theoretical and computational methods for simulating the spread of diseases. Specific topics include the effect of population heterogeneity on transmission, simulation of the impacts of interventions, social networks and the links between transmission dynamics and the evolution of pathogens. Particular methods include mathematical models, spatial-temporal analysis of epidemics, social network theory, genetic algorithms, individual based models and other tools of systems epidemiology. Concepts and methods are applied to historical epidemics, current emerging diseases and diseases of international public health importance.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Assess computational and theoretical studies of infectious diseases that appear in the literature
- Develop simple computational models of infectious disease to simulate the spread of an infectious disease in a population
- Distinguish between existing computational approaches and describe the relative strengths and weaknesses of each