DIMACS/MBI US - African BioMathematics Initiative: Workshop on Economic Epidemiology

August 3 - 5, 2009
Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda

Organizers:

Matt Bonds, Harvard University (ASI program co-organizer), mbonds at hsph.harvard.edu

Nina Fefferman, Rutgers University (Workshop program co-chair), fefferman at AESOP.Rutgers.edu

Alison Galvani, Yale University (ASI program co-organizer), alison.galvani at yale. edu

Wayne Getz, UC Berkeley, getz at nature.berkeley.edu

Abba Gumel, U. of Manitoba (ASI program organizer), gumelab at @cc.umanitoba.ca

Ramanan Laxminarayan, Resources for the Future (Workshop program co-chair), ramanan at rff.org

Simon Levin, Princeton University, slevin at princeton.edu

Jan Medlock, Clemson University (ASI program co-organizer), medlock at clemson.edu

Joseph Mugisha, Makerere University, jytmugisha at math.mak.ac.ug

Fred Roberts, DIMACS, (Workshop program co-chair), froberts at dimacs.rutgers.edu

Dave Smith, University of Florida, davesmith at ufl.edu

Presented under the auspices of the DIMACS/MBI US-African BioMathematics Initiative.

This workshop and an associated Advanced Study Institute (ASI) and are jointly organized with the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS).

This workshop and ASI are jointly sponsored by:

• DIMACS
• The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
• The Mathematical Biosciences Institute at Ohio State University (MBI)
• The Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS)
• The Society of Mathematical Biology (SMB)
• South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA)
• US National Science Foundation

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• Section I: Workshop on Economic Epidemiology

  About the Topic:

  Economic epidemiology deals with the mathematical conceptualization of the interplay among economics, community organization, individual human behavior, and disease ecology to improve our understanding of the emergence, persistence, and spread of infectious agents and of optimal strategies and policy to control that spread. Mathematical models of disease spread already exist to allow the examination of the relative efficacy of particular intervention strategies at curtailing disease spread. However, these models frequently assume unmotivated levels of behavioral compliance, making their results difficult to interpret in real-world scenarios. To correctly evaluate health interventions and alternative public policies, models of disease spread must incorporate both group and individual behaviors (which are often the result of economic, and therefore quantifiable, considerations). Incorporating these behaviors entails important and complex mathematical challenges but is necessary in order to understand which of the theoretically efficient policies could result in the most effective real-world disease control.

  About the Location:

  Makerere University (http://www.mak.ac.ug/) is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Africa that is a center for research and higher education. Makerere is one of the nodes in the developing AMI-Net network. Students will be housed at the University's guest house and faculty and researchers at nearby hotels and bed and breakfasts, allowing for maximal contact time in an informal and collegiate setting. Good meeting room facilities with internet access and nearby catering will be made available by the University for a modest fee.

• Section II: Associated Advanced Study Institute see: http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/Workshops/ASIEconEpi.

• Section III: The Workshop

  About the Workshop:

  A three-day workshop, August 3 - 5, 2009, will feature invited speakers from the United States, Canada, Africa, and elsewhere will be giving presentations. There will be expository presentations laying out the field of economic epidemiology, talks about research projects, and sessions devoted to research and data challenges. A poster session is also planned.

This is part of the DIMACS/MBI US - African BioMathematics Initiative Project.

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Document last modified on June 18, 2009.