THEMATIC PROGRAMS

March 19, 2024

Summer 2010 Thematic Program on the Mathematics of Drug Resistance in Infectious Diseases
held at Fields Institute, 222 College St. (map)

Organizers:
Troy Day (Queen’s University)
David Fisman (University of Toronto)
Shigui Ruan (University of Miami)
Jianhong Wu (York University)

Mailing List : To receive updates on the program please subscribe to our mailing list at www.fields.utoronto.ca/maillist

Outline of Scientific Activities

The spread of an infectious disease involves characteristics of the agent (e.g. virus, bacteria, etc.), the host (e.g., susceptibility due to genetic, environmental and other factors), and the environment in which transmissions take place. The purpose of modeling infectious diseases, in relation to public health, is to evaluate the agent-host-environment interface and to understand, and alter, the interface through interventions advantageous to the host, be they preventive or therapeutic.

The two-month thematic program at the Fields Institute will focus on the Emergence of Drug Resistance in Infectious Diseases, and will bring together leading researchers in mathematical epidemiology/immunology from around the world in order to stimulate major progress in this area of applied mathematics. The program will also provide a unique opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to interact with these researchers in a productive and sustained way over this two-month duration.

Subthemes

The program will consist of two main sub-themes that are of fundamental importance to understanding and predicting the emergence of drug resistance:

  • Mathematical Immunology: from In-host to Population
  • Transmission Heterogeneity in Infectious Diseases

The majority of our efforts throughout the program will be directed towards furthering research on the mathematical aspects of these issues. Each topic will also involve a one-day workshop of a more applied nature, bringing together public health officials and policy makers with applied mathematicians.

Affiliated Activities

May 10-June 2, 2010
Mathematics for Biological Networks
University of Victoria

July 26-28, 2010
CMM Neuro-Mechanics Workshop
Fields Institute

Outline of the Program

Weeks 1-2 (July 5-16):
Theme Weeks on Emergence and Spread of Drug Resistance

This two week block will open the thematic program, and will focus on introducing the mathematics of drug resistance, highlighting current modeling challenges and unresolved issues.
First week: Short introductory course (3-4 hours); 4-day workshop on mathematics; 1 day workshop on applications
Second week: Research Time (4-5 resident faculty);
Friday Colloquium invited speakers include Professor Marc Lipsitch and Dr. Ram Laxminarayan.

Headed by:
David Fisman
(University of Toronto)
Troy Day
(Queen’s), Jianhong Wu (York), Shigui Ruan (Miami)
Seyed M. Moghadas (National Research Council), Tom Wong (Public Health Agency of Canada)
Partners: Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion & MITACS, Mathematics for
Information Technology and Complex Systems

Weeks 3-4 (July 19-30):
Theme Weeks on Mathematical Immunology Sub-theme

First week: Short introductory course (3-4 hours); 4-day workshop on mathematics; 1 day workshop on applications 1 and 2
Second week: Research Time (4-5 resident faculty); Friday Colloquium

Headed by:
Luis Barreto (Sanofi Pasteur), Jane Heffernan (York), Catherine A.A. Beauchemin (Ryerson)
Partners: Sanofi Pasteur, Ontario Agency of Health Protection and Promotion

Weeks 5-6 (Aug. 3-Aug. 13):
Theme Weeks on Transmission Heterogeneity

First week: Short introductory course (3-4 hours); 4-day workshop on mathematics; 1 day workshop on applications
Second week: Research Time (4-5 resident faculty); Friday Colloquium
Also, 1-day symposium in the Second Week: Spatio-temporal Patterns

Headed by:
Chris Bauch (Guelph), Babak Pourbohloul (BC CDC)
Jianhong Wu (York), James Watmough (UNB)
Art Weis (U Toronto), Ping Yan (PHAC)
Partners: PHAC (Geomatics for Informed Decisions -GEOIDE and Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution - CIEE, see symposium below) and BC CDC

Weeks 7-8 (Aug. 16-Aug. 27):

The final two weeks of the thematic program will be set aside for uninterrupted research by the resident faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows. This time will be used to tie together various aspects of the program, to work on key research projects, and to solidify and research collaborations that will extend beyond the duration of the program.

Colloquia Lecturers

The thematic program will also include four colloquia, invited speakers include Professor Marc Lipsitch and Dr. Ram Laxminarayan.

Coxeter Lecturers

August 4-6, 2010
Coxeter Lecture Series

Speaker: Professor Neil M Ferguson
OBE, FMedSc
Imperial College, London

Graduate courses

Each event will start with a short introductory course (3-4 hours) on the basic modeling techniques and fundamental medical and public health issues to be addressed by these techniques. These courses are aimed at the participating graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and will ensure that they are able to participate fully in the program.

Program Visitors

All scientific events are open to the mathematical sciences community. Visitors who are interested in office space or funding are requested to apply by filling out the application form. Additional support is available (pending NSF funding) to support junior US visitors to this program. Fields scientific programs are devoted to research in the mathematical sciences, and enhanced graduate and post-doctoral training opportunities. Part of the mandate of the Institute is to broaden and enlarge the community, and to encourage the participation of women and members of visible minority groups in our scientific programs.


For additional information contact thematic(PUT_AT_SIGN_HERE)fields.utoronto.ca

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