NYU Masters Program in Global Public Health
Emerging Diseases and Bioterrorism: Disease Surveillance Epidemiology
Course Information: U10.2440.001
Mondays 4:55 – 6:35PM
Waverly Building, Rm 567
24 Waverly Place
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Email:
Karen Day, PhD
By Appointment
karen.day@med.nyu.edu
TA:
Office Hours:
Email:
Sabia Taqvi, PhD
By Appointment
Sabia.Taqvi@nyumc.org
Course Description
The emergence of new pathogens and drug resistance, as well as increased
transmission opportunities caused by human migration, political instability and
breakdown of healthcare infrastructure, has led to a rising prevalence of infectious
disease. This course aims to provide training in the biology, epidemiology and control of
emerging diseases. It will provide the necessary skills to analyze the interplay between
human host and pathogen in both evolutionary ecology and statistical epidemiology
frameworks. There will be a discussion of “Darwinian Medicine.” Specific bioterrorism
pathogens will be discussed, as well as methods of identification and predictive
modeling of a bioterrorism incident.
In addition to lectures, class time will include practical data handling. Discussion of both
methodological and substantive epidemiology papers from the recent literature will be
led by the students.
Objectives
By the end of this course students will develop the ability to:
1. Understand population dynamic theory of infectious disease
2. Understand the evolution of virulence from a Darwinian perspective
3. Understand the theory of vaccination in population dynamic terms
4. Ability to investigate an infectious disease outbreak
5. Have a detailed knowledge of major emerging diseases and the increased
possibilities of pathogen transmission in response to changes in human ecology
6. Appreciate the use of mathematical modeling in emerging disease and
bioterrorism research and policy
7. Critically read and evaluate epidemiologic studies in emerging disease and
bioterrorism literature.
Course Structure and Requirements
This course has five main components: lectures (topics to be covered are detailed in the
syllabus below); 2 mock outbreak investigations which will be completed in and after
class; 1 essay that will be assigned during term; 1 disease modeling assignment that will
be completed in class; and 1 in-class debate for which readings will be assigned.
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1. Students are expected to attend all lectures and practicals. On-time attendance is
greatly appreciated in order to avoid disrupting the lecture and classroom activities. If
you can not attend a practical, please notify the TA beforehand, or in the case of an
emergency, immediately upon return.
2. Complete reading assignments prior to class.
3. Practical assignments – 2 outbreak investigations and 1 modeling assignment will
be assigned as practicals. These will include calculations and decision making.
4. Homework assignments – 1 essay will be assigned during the semester that
covers topics relating to emerging diseases. Readings will be suggested with essay
titles.
5. In-class debate – this will take place in the final week of term. Readings in
preparation for the debate will be distributed early in the term as discussed after the
first lecture. Students will be expected to meet with the TA to discuss the debate
topic before week 14 (i.e. before the in-class debate).
6. Class participation – Students will be graded based on class participation in lecture
discussions and question and answer sessions.
NOTE: All assignments must be typed (1” margins, Times New Roman 12pt or Arial
11pt font). Calculations may be neatly handwritten. Your name must be on the top of
each page that you hand in.
Grading
1. Practical assignments (2 outbreak investigations, 1 modeling assignment)
2. In-class debate participation
3. Essay
4. Class participation
45%
20%
20%
15%
Readings
Specific readings for each topic will be assigned prior to lectures; these will be made
available to students via the class blackboard at least one week prior to the lecture.
Essential Reading
The following texts are necessary for comprehension of the course topics:
1. Reingold, A.L. Outbreak Investigations – A Perspective. Emerging Infectious
Diseases 1998; 4(1): 21-27.
2. Jones, K.E., Patel, N.G., Levy, M.A., Storeygard, A., Balk, D., Gittleman, J.L. and
P. Daszak. Global trends in emerging infectious diseases. Nature 2008; 451(21):
990-993.
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Suggested Background Reading for Further Information:
Additional general suggested texts and readings that give further information on certain
topics are listed below. These are not necessary for comprehension of the lecture topics,
but may provide additional information on areas of specific interest to students:
1. R. Anderson, R. May, & B. Anderson. Infectious Diseases of Humans: Dynamics
and Control. 1992. Oxford University Press.
2. J. Diamond. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. 2005. W.
W. Norton
3. C. Darwin. The Origin of Species. 2004. Castle Books.
4. L. Garrett. The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of
Balance. 1995. Penguin.
5. P. Ewald. Plague Time: The New Germ Theory of Disease. 2002. First Anchor
Books.
Lecturers
Sharon Balter, Don Chen, Peter Daszak, Andy Dobson, Karen Day, Joel Ernst, Scott
Harper, Nicole Iovine, Laura Kramer, Michael Phillips, Rama Rao
Details of Coursework:
Practical assignments – 2 outbreak investigations and 1 modeling assignment will be
given as practicals. The outbreak investigations will deal with an outbreak of atypical
pneumonia at an airport and malaria outbreaks in a district in Kenya. All practicals will
include calculations and decision making.
Homework assignments – 1 essay will be assigned during the semester that covers
topics relating to emerging diseases. Readings will be suggested with essay titles.
In-class debate – this will take place in the final week of term. Readings in preparation
for the debate will be distributed early in the term as discussed after the first lecture.
Students will be expected to meet with the TA to discuss the debate topic before week
14 (i.e. before the in-class debate). The debate will centre on a relevant topic that
considers the individual vs. the community in public health, and readings will include
examples from recent public health history. All students are expected to participate in the
debate.
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Schedule
SESSION
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
LECTURE TOPIC
Evolution of
Virulence/Darwinian
Medicine/Vaccination
Epidemiology and Disease
Surveillance
Hepatitis B & C
Epidemiology and Control
Influenza Biology and
Control
Ecological Change and
Infectious
Disease/Emerging Viruses:
SARS, Ebola, etc
Outbreak Investigations
ASSIGNMENTS
Give out essay
topics
Essay Due
Arboviruses: Dengue, West Hand out debate
Nile Virus
assignment
Antibiotic Resistance
Meningococcal Infections
Enteric Pathogens and
Hand out reading
Food Safety
for modeling
assignment
Modeling Epidemics
In-class debate on MMR
vaccination policy
Bioterrorism Threats
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