This week's conference program includes nearly 25 individuals who will address varied issues. Among them, Ping Yan, research manager for modeling and projection at the Public Health Agency of Canada, will discuss the use of stochastic models in the transmission and control of infectious diseases. Carlos Hern ndez Su rez, former dean of the School of Sciences, Universidad de Colima, will speak on the impact of school closings, drug treatment and education in mitigating the impact of influenza outbreaks. D. Rick Van Schoik, director of ASU's North American Center for Transborder Studies will present a preliminary cost-benefit analysis on Transborder Risk Assessment for Pandemic (TRAP).

On Thursday evening, tabletop exercises and games that are used by public health organizations and first responders to test their plans and capabilities to respond to pandemic influenza will be demonstrated at Arizona State University's Decision Theater, a facility that provides visualization, simulation and collaborative decision-making tools. It is the only nonmilitary facility of its kind in the U.S.

In addition to participants from Canada, Mexico and Arizona State University, also in attendance will be researchers from Purdue University, North Carolina State University, the Centers for Disease Control, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Entropy Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles and Yale University.

A list of conference participants and their presentation topics, along with the agenda and other details are at mcmsc.asu/conferences/h1n1.

The goal of the four-day conference at ASU "is to begin to expand the repertoire of scientific models that policymakers can use to test the impact of intervention efforts," says Castillo-Chavez. "It will take a global effort to contain a pandemic such as this. It will test not only our scientific capabilities, but our capacity to work together toward a common goal."

A follow-up conference already is planned for Sept. 14-16 in Canada. It is being organized by the Mathematics for Information Technology and Complex Systems, Centre for Disease Modeling and Public Health Agency of Canada.

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