SMIDDY Newsletter (28.01.2014)

Topics:

1. Talk by Prof. Magnus Unemo: Gonorrhoea management in the era of multidrug resistance. 4 February, Inselspital Bern, Switzerland
2. Talk by Prof. Otto Cordero: Making sense of the diversity among closely related strains, 3 February, 2014, ISPM, University of Bern, Switzerland
3. PhD studentships, LSHTM, London, UK
4. Satellite conference: Bayesian Biostatistics, 2-5 July, 2014, University of Zurich, Switzerland
5. Workshop: Statistical and mathematical models for network data, 24-25 March, 2014, Dublin, Ireland
6. Course: Introduction to Infectious Disease Modelling and its Applications, 16-27 June, 2014, LSHTM, London, UK
7. Conference: 21st International HIV Dynamcis & Evolution, 7-10 May, 2014, Tucson, Arizona, USA

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1. Talk by Prof. Magnus Unemo: Gonorrhoea management in the era of multidrug resistance. 4 February, Inselspital Bern, Switzerland

You are warmly invited to come and hear Magnus Unemo talk about the challenges of antimicrobial resistance for the diagnosis, treatment and management of gonorrhoea.

The talk will be from 17:30 to 18:30, room D517, Polikliniktrakt 2 (Eingang 29), Inselspital Bern, 3010 Bern. The attached flyer and plan of the hospital give more details.

Magnus Unemo is a world-renowned expert on antimicrobial resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. He collaborates with us on RADAR-Go, a project which aims to develop a rapid multiplex PCR to detect N. gonorrhoeae and its main genetic antimicrobial resistance determinants direct from clinical samples. The test should overcome some of the limitations of routine laboratory PCR-based tests, which are replacing traditional culture-based detection and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

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2. Talk by Prof. Otto Cordero: Making sense of the diversity among closely related strains, 3 February, 2014, ISPM, University of Bern, Switzerland

I am pleased to announce that Prof. Otto X. Cordero (Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, http://www.micropopbio.ethz.ch) is going to talk about “Making sense of the diversity among closely related strains”.

Prof. Cordero will present an overview of the diversity among close relatives from a population genomics angle. Then he will move to discuss research showing that social or ecological interactions among microbes in the environment can explain part of this diversity at the genetic level. He will conclude by presenting a short overview of how current research in his lab is addressing the challenge of modelling the complex collective dynamics of microbial populations in the environment.

The talk will be on Monday, February 3, 2014, from 16:00 to 17:00, seminar room on first floor, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, 3012 Bern.

Feel free to circulate this announcement among your co-workers and colleagues.

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3. PhD studentships, LSHTM, London, UK

There are a number of MRC funded PhD studentships available at the School, on a wide variety of topics related to vaccination (including a good number of modelling-based projects).
 
Information can be found here; application deadline is the start of February:
 
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/funding/mrcphdvaccines.html

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4. Satellite conference: Bayesian Biostatistics, 2-5 July, 2014, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Opening of Registration and Call for Papers for Bayesian Biostatistics 2014.

Bayesian Biostatistics 2014 is a University of Zurich-hosted and ISBA-endorsed satellite conference of the International Biometric Society Conference in Florence.

Learn more and register at http://www.biostat.uzh.ch/bb2014_en.html.

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5. Workshop: Statistical and mathematical models for network data, 24-25 March, 2014, Dublin, Ireland

A two-day pre-SVEPM workshop will be offered on 24th and 25th March 2014 at the same venue of the conference

Full information of this pre-conference workshop with full program is now available on the SVEPM2014 website at http://www.svepm2014.com/pre-conference-meetings (please see the link the bottom of the page to access the program).

This SVEPM pre-conference workshop will provide participants with a comprehensive introduction to the area of mathematical and statistical modelling for network data. Presentations on theoretical aspects and practical applications of these topics with a hands-on approach will allow participants to develop:

– statistical models used to identify processes influencing the formation of observed networks
– mathematical models simulating the spread of diseases through networks

The practical sessions use the software R (http://www.r-project.org), and are accessible for participants with only a basic knowledge of this software.

If you have worked before on this topic and want to expand your knowledge and skills or are interested in applying in the future these methods, this workshop will allow you to understand the statistical and mathematical concepts underpinning the network paradigm and to analyze actual epidemiological data.

Participants are expected to have a basic knowledge of working in R environment and to have a basic understanding of the concepts of social network analysis, statistical regression models, and SIR compartmental models of disease transmission.

Course details

The workshop will be given by Dr Angel Ortiz-Pelaez and Dr Guillaume Fournié (Royal Veterinary College, UK) on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th March 2014 from 9am to 5pm in the same venue as the SVEPM conference, the Dublin castle.

If you would like to register, or ask further information about the course content and requirements, please send us an email: epitask13@gmail.com

Registration fees

Student and SVEPM member: 300€
Student not SVEPM member: 350€
Not student and SVEPM member: 400€
Neither student nor SVEPM member: 450€
Proof of membership and/or affiliation to an academic institution will be required

The registration fees include registration, course material, coffee and lunch
Registration is limited to 25 participants and will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Minimum number of participants is 15.
Deadline for registration: 15 February 2014

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6. Course: Introduction to Infectious Disease Modelling and its Applications, 16-27 June, 2014, LSHTM, London, UK

Venue: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Course dates: 16th– 27th June 2014
Cost: £2,100

Summary:
Mathematical modelling is increasingly applied to predict the future incidence and control of infectious diseases. Applications include predicting the impact of control strategies, such as vaccination or treatment, against pandemic influenza, measles, HIV, vector-borne diseases and veterinary problems. Modelling was used extensively in the UK during the swine flu pandemic to monitor the extent of ongoing transmission and the potential impact of interventions such as school closures and vaccination.

This two week intensive course introduces professionals working on infectious diseases in human or animal populations to this exciting and expanding area. The emphasis of the course is on developing a conceptual understanding of the basic methods and on their practical application, rather than the manipulation of mathematical equations. The course provides numerous practical examples, including real-time modelling of outbreaks, pandemic influenza, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, vector-borne and animal diseases, as well as tuberculosis, measles and rubella, and health economics.

By the end of the course, participants will have deepened their current understanding of infectious disease epidemiology and have gained an understanding and practical experience of the basics of infectious disease modelling, which will be important in their future work.
Who should attend:

The course is designed for individuals interested in expanding their knowledge of the techniques for analysing and interpreting epidemiological data on infectious diseases and for predicting the impact of control programmes, including medical and health professionals, policy makers, veterinary scientists, health economists, medical statisticians and infectious disease researchers.

Specialist mathematical training is not a prerequisite. However, individuals with degrees in mathematical disciplines working on some aspect of infectious disease dynamics and/or control, who wish to learn about the potential of infectious disease modelling will also benefit.

Further details about the course content and an application form are available at: http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/cpd/siidma.html or contact one of the course organizers: Emilia Vynnycky or Richard White (e-mail: emilia.vynnycky@lshtm.ac.uk or emilia.vynnycky@phe.gov.uk or richard.white@lshtm.ac.uk) or the LSHTM Registry (email: shortcourses@lshtm.ac.uk )

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7. Conference: 21st International HIV Dynamcis & Evolution, 7-10 May, 2014, Tucson, Arizona, USA

This meeting series was initiated to promote discussion between specialists in quantitative and computational approaches in two areas in the field of HIV where these are particularly important.

1. Modelling of viral and cellular dynamics
2. Viral evolution and population genetics

Conference sessions will be organized to accommodate the best submitted talks. We welcome submissions on all topics on statistical, mathematical and computational approaches to analyzing HIV’s dynamics and evolution.

Topics to be covered will include:
– Latency, reservoirs, and cure
– Vaccines, innate and adaptive immunity, and restriction elements
– Genetic and genomic insights into host-virus dynamics
– Therapy, prevention, and epidemiology
– Advances in phylogenetic/computational methods
– Cutting-edge research on other viruses
– Bioinformatics software and algorithms for HIV/viral research

To promote interaction and discussion, attendance is limited to 140 persons. In the event of over subscription delegates submitting poster abstracts will be given precedence.

Abstracts (300 words max.) should be submitted via the meeting web site (https://cme.ucsd.edu/hivdynamics/) by January 30, 2014.


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