The three newly funded research groups will develop computational models of how infectious diseases develop, spread and can be contained or mitigated through public health interventions.

Diane Lauderdale, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago and Charles Macal, Ph.D., of Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois will create a dynamic model of MRSA in Chicago to examine factors contributing to its spread and to identify interventions with the greatest potential to curtail new infections.

Elizabeth Halloran, D.Sc., M.D., and Ira Longini, Ph.D., both of the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, will develop models to assess the effectiveness and optimal distribution of a variety of control measures, including vaccination, school closures and other social distancing strategies.

Alison Galvani, Ph.D., of the School of Public Health Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and Lauren Ancel Meyers, Ph.D., of the University of Texas at Austin will develop new models that integrate individuals' perceptions and behaviors regarding flu and will identify intervention strategies that are likely to achieve high levels of adherence and minimize influenza-related disease and mortality.

In addition to these projects, MIDAS scientists have already published preliminary findings on the origin, infectiousness and likely spread of the 2009 H1N1 virus. This research builds on the MIDAS program's existing focus on modeling pandemic flu.

Source: NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences