# Mathematical and Statistical Methods for the Control of Global Infectious Disease Threats

> **NIH NIH R56** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2020 · $802,262

## Abstract

Mathematical and Statistical Methods for the Control of Global Infectious Disease Threats
ABSTRACT
Outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases have become more frequent over time and pose a
critical threat to human health. Pandemic and seasonal influenza, dengue and other arboviruses continue to
spread on a global scale. Other specific infectious disease problems include Ebola, Lassa fever, plague, and
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). The consistent and rapid deployment of control measures,
especially vaccines and antimicrobials, is crucial for reducing transmission and preventing or mitigating
outbreaks caused by these infectious diseases. The goal of this research is to develop, validate, and
implement novel mathematical and statistical techniques for modeling the transmission of major infectious
disease threats. The resultant models will be applied to assess the impact of various layered control
interventions and to guide the optimal allocation of resources for disease mitigation and control. Our specific
aims correspond to this research challenge. (Aim 1) Develop innovative methods for mathematical modeling of
important infectious disease threats. (Aim 2) To derive a portfolio of innovative statistical methods to improve
estimation of key model parameters from surveillance data. (Aim 3) Optimize the use of layered interventions
using the mathematical models. Overall, we will develop mathematical models with realistic transmission
dynamics that achieve superior computational tractability. We will also derive statistical methods and apply
these approaches to specific infectious disease threats. The output of our research will include comprehensive
modeling results useful for understanding the transmission and control of the targeted infectious diseases. We
hypothesize that the output of our research will provide a comprehensive analytic framework for understanding
the transmission and control of the infectious diseases modeled, and to deal with future threats. The
contribution of this research is significant because we will provide methods for modeling and analyzing the
transmission and control of the significant infectious disease threats. The mathematical models with allow us to
understand and predict the infectious disease transmission, and to devise optimal control strategies using
vaccines, anti-microbial agents and non-pharmaceutical interventions. The statistical modeling will provide
parameter estimation and fitting methods for the mathematical models, while the optimal control strategies
devised will provide the decision method for the effective control of the infectious disease threats. This work
be integrated into the infectious disease control efforts of the WHO Research and Development Blueprint for
Action to Prevent Epidemics and the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida. Our team has
over 30 years of experience in this work, and it is uniquely positioned to conduct this research. The ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10241097
- **Project number:** 1R56AI148284-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** M Elizabeth Halloran
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $802,262
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-04 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10241097

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10241097, Mathematical and Statistical Methods for the Control of Global Infectious Disease Threats (1R56AI148284-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10241097. Licensed CC0.

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