Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

2 credits · Graduate

This course introduces graduate students to genomic epidemiology and its applications in understanding infectious disease dynamics and outbreak response. Students will explore the foundational principles of pathogen genomics and evolution, with a focus on measurably evolving populations such as viruses, and examine how molecular and genomic epidemiology methods can be used to characterize the cause, source, and spread of infectious disease cases and outbreaks. The course covers practical applications of sequencing, bioinformatics, and phylogenetics, with an emphasis on phylodynamic approaches to describing patterns of disease spread. Real-world programs and case studies are used throughout.