340.677.01
Infectious Disease Dynamics: Theoretical and Computational Approaches
Location
East Baltimore
Term
4th Term
Department
Epidemiology
Credit(s)
4
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
Tu, Th, 3:30 - 5:20pm
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
340.627 Epid of Infectious Diseases AND 140.623 or 140.653 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. Includes specific topics: 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. Includes methods: deterministic, stochastic, age-structured and spatially structured models, social network theory, and other tools of systems epidemiology. Focuses on simple models of transmission and estimation of parameters describing the dynamics of transmission. Constructs students' own simulations of disease transmission. Applies concepts and methods 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
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 7% pre-class quizzes on content modules and reading
- 8% in-class exercises
- 60% Short-term projects (2)
- 25% Midterm