EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Upper-Level

In this course, students will explore the basic ecological and evolutionary principles that determine the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases. Using a mix of lectures, thought provoking discussion of contemporary research, and hand on lab exercises, the student will gain an intuitive understanding of what factors determine the population dynamics of pathogens and their hosts and how we can predict and control them. We will start by learning how we can quantify and model disease transmission, and then dive into the many factors that influence how diseases spread within and across species to cause epidemics, and explore what factors drive evolution of disease virulence and host defenses. We will end by exploring different control efforts to limit the spread of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and discuss how these efforts depend on the intricate connections between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment (One Health).