Summer bootcamp of infectious disease modeling 2019

The meeting is to take place from 1 August 2019 for 10 consecutive days. This call will remain open by the time 60 registrantions are received. First come, first served basis. Registration should be made by email (idmodelcourse@gmail.com; see below for details), and this first paragraph remains unchanged by the time that all quota are filled.

 

Overview

Infectious disease modeling has yet to be fully practicalized in Asia. In Japan, it is hard enough to say that the academic foundation to support epidemiological modeling studies has been well organized. Besides, there are plenty of needs to utilize mathematical models in the field of public health and industry. Governmental agencies, local municipalities, pharmaceutical companies and think-tank companies in industrialized countries, mainly in EU and the United States, employ the infectious modeling experts as full time staff members, expecting them to play a central role in confronting any emerging infectious disease events and design possible countermeasures for infection control. In fact, epidemiological modelers are only experts who can use objective and cutting-edge research techniques for handling a variety of datasets.

 

Since 2013, we organizers have launched the research consortium of epidemiological modeling, calling all associated experts who are interested in modeling studies and conducting joint original studies, fund raising, and educational activities. We consider that offering young researchers a good training program is the highest priority. Successfully completing summer short courses from 2014-18, here we announce the call for participants for the sixth summer course, 2019. This will probably the last opportunity to organize the short course at the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Tachikawa.

 

We call for participants regardless of their academic background. There is no eligibility condition for academic qualifications, although the course contents assume that participants can understand and utilize high school mathematics including basic linear algebra. In the last three years, the expertise of participants ranged from applied mathematics, statistics, information science, physics, clinical medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, health science and nursing, life science, biology to liberal arts.

 

The short course is essentially designed for Master’s course graduate student level. However, in the last three years, participants included undergraduate students, full-time researchers, epidemiologists, physicians, veterinary physicians and public health practitioners.

 

Overview

1. Course contents

Name: Short course on mathematical modeling of infectious diseases

Organizer: Hiroshi Nishiura (Hokkaido University)

Venue: The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Research Organization of Information and Systems

 

2. Dates: From August 1, 2019 (Thursday) to August 10 (Saturday) (no holiday; there will be lectures and practical training sessions both on weekdays and weekend days; Depending on individual groups, group work may also take place during nighttime)

 

3. Purpose: To offer an intensive short-term training opportunity of epidemiological modeling of infectious diseases. Through this opportunity, we aim to boost early career development and research communications among young researchers especially in methodological and practical aspects. The minimum goal for participants is to understand and critically appraise original modeling studies that are published in high-impact journals.

 

Course methods: Lectures (including interactive sessions), practical training sessions, and group work.

 

4. Language: English

 

5. Capacity: a maximum 60 participants (while we take 70 registrants).

Preferred condition: Because this event receives public support and the course is offered free of charge, we will prioritize participants who can attend the entire period of the course (for 10 days). Even provided that 100% participation is not possible, we request participants to attend more than 80% of the coursework. For those who cannot make it to come for 80% or more, please do not regard the automated confirmation of registration as the confirmation. Your registration will be handled as waiting list for any vacancy in this year.

 

Other expectations are that (i) we would like to accept only participants who will be working with enthusiasm on this subject and (ii) participants need the mathematical capacity of high school level. Participants do not have to be mathematically competent at all, but the course may not be suitable for those who are allergic to equations, such as allergic reactions to summation mark and integral sign: our course will have to come through it.

 

7. Tuition fee: Free.

Participants are requested to cover the cost other than tuition fee, including accommodation, meal and transportation.

 

The organizer does not offer any support or arrangement for your transportation or accommodation. There is a temporary lodging at the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, but for fairness for all participants, we do not offer that lodging for course participants.

 

Cooperation:
Institute of Statistical Mathematics "School of Statistical Thinking" program
Research Center for Medical and Health Science, Institute of Statistical Mathematics

Coop with Math program, commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

Additional financial supports: Japan Science and Technology Agency CREST project and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED)

 

Lecturers (scheduled for line-up)

Hiroshi Nishiura

Jonathan Dushoff

Robin Thompson

Yoichi Enatsu

Masaya Saitoh

Gouhei Tanaka

Hisashi Inaba

Shingo Iwami

Shinji Nakaoka

Andrei Akhmetzhanov

Hyojung Lee

Yusuke Asai

Takehisa Yamamoto

(and other to be confirmed)

 

Program (Provisional)

The short-term intensive course will last for 10 consecutive days, taking an advantage of using the weekend days. In addition, our time schedule allows participants to enjoy summer holidays (“Obon”) afterwards.

 

In the first week, participants will learn the basic concepts and model structure so that they can understand the importance of heterogeneity of transmission, interpret threshold theorems and derive the basic reproduction number on their own. In the second week, participants will study the application of mathematical models to actual infectious disease datasets. Many lectures are provided in morning sessions and practical sessions are held mostly in the afternoon. Special series lectures are also provided in the evening time, sharing research updates. Computer practice handles numerical calculation of a system and statistical estimation of unknown parameters. The practice sessions mostly uses Berkeley Madonna, Excel and R. Using the rest of time, group work session is used for being engaged in a single research subject in a group of 5-10 people. Presentation is held on the last day.

 

8. Registration

As of 8 July 2019, the number of applicants has exceeded our fixed quota and we have decided to close the registration. Thank you.