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340.677.01
Infectious Disease Dynamics: Theoretical and Computational Approaches

Location
East Baltimore
Term
4th Term
Department
Epidemiology
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2018 - 2019
Instruction Method
TBD
Class Time(s)
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
Prerequisite

Biostatistics 621-623 or 651-653 or consent of instructors. In addition, one year of calculus is recommended.

Description
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 simulations of disease in small populations, and of the impacts of interventions; social networks and the links between transmission dynamics and the evolution of pathogens. Methods include deterministic, stochastic, age-structured and spatially structured models, social network theory, and other tools of systems epidemiology. Particular focus is paid to simple models of transmission and estimation of parameters describing the dynamics of transmission. Students will be comfortable constructing their own simulations of disease transmission. 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:
  1. Assess computational and theoretical studies of infectious diseases that appear in the literature
  2. Develop simple computational models of infectious disease to simulate the spread of an infectious disease in a population
  3. Distinguish between existing computational approaches and describe the relative strengths and weaknesses of each