Since 1990 Imperial College London has run a Short Course for Public Health Professionals, on Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases: Introduction to mathematical models of global and emerging infections. This year the course will run from 3-14 September 2007, at the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London.

In recent years our understanding of infectious-disease epidemiology and control has been greatly increased through mathematical modelling. Insights from this increasingly important, exciting field are now informing policy making at the highest levels – including in pandemic influenza planning, which involves Imperial College – and playing a growing role in research.

Since 1990, this short course has ‘demystified’ mathematical modelling, and kept public health professionals, policy makers, and medical and veterinary infectious disease researchers up-to-date with what they need to know about this fast moving field, taught by active researchers who advise leading public health professionals, policy-makers, governments, international organisations, and pharmaceutical companies, both nationally and internationally, including on pandemic influenza, SARS, HIV/AIDS, foot-and-mouth disease and others. Two of the presenters are Fellows of the Royal Society and three have received British national honours (a knighthood and two OBEs) for their work, including Professor Sir Roy Anderson FRS.

Imperial College London’s Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology (www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/research/ researchthemes/publicandint/ide) has been a world leader in mathematical modelling of the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases of humans and animals in both industrialised and developing countries for 20 years. It hosts the UNAIDS Epidemiology Reference Group, Partnership for Child Development, and the Gates Foundation-funded Schistosomiasis Control Initiative that has treated over 12 million children to date in six countries in Africa. This multidisciplinary department publishes frequently in Nature, Science, Lancet, PNAS, AIDS, and other leading journals.

It has developed models of pandemic influenza, SARS, HIV, TB, foot-and-mouth-disease, vector-borne diseases including malaria and dengue, helminth infections, childhood vaccine-preventable infections, sexually-transmitted infections, drug resistant bacterial infections and others. Current studies involve the UK, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Mali, Mexico, Netherlands, Niger, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Participants only need a very basic mathematical ability (high school level is more than sufficient): since most participants do not use maths regularly, if at all, we introduce concepts gently, step-by-step, and provide support throughout the course. In addition, we offer the reassurance of an optional ‘maths refresher’ day on Sunday 2 September, that some participants may wish to attend. Calculation is done using Excel and the user-friendly modelling package, Berkeley Madonna; hence manipulation of equations is not required. We emphasise how to express biological and clinical principles in a model, and how to interpret results from a biological and clinical perspective.