The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) is now accepting applications for its Investigative Workshop, "Leptospirosis Modeling," to be held June 3-5, 2014, at NIMBioS.
*Objectives: *Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global public health importance with complex transmission dynamics. This workshop will explore mathematical tools and approaches for describing 1) within-host dynamics of /Leptospira/ infection and immunity in reservoir and incidental hosts; 2) multi-host, multi-species /Leptospira/ transmission dynamics in urban and rural settings; and 3) environmental drivers of leptospirosis transmission in animals and people. The workshop will bring together expertise in bacteriology, molecular biology, epidemiology, statistics, veterinary medicine, human medicine, ecology, hydrology, mathematical modeling, network dynamics, evolutionary dynamics, and nonlinear analysis. Participants will explore the state of knowledge of leptospirosis transmission in animal and human populations and the capabilities and limitations of the existing techniques that could be used for explaining currently available empirical data. Recommendations will then be made on the need for further empirical studies as well as future directions for modeling and analysis. As a result of this workshop, we will have an improved understanding of the conceptual models of /Leptospira/ transmission in various ecological systems and of the gaps in data and methods. We will also established new collaborations and a common language between biologists and theorists interested in leptospirosis. *Location: *NIMBioS at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville *Co-Organizers: *Claudia Munoz-Zanzi, Div. of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Michael Begon, Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, Institute of Integrative Biology, Univ. of Liverpool; and Xiaopeng Zhao, Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville For more information about the workshop and a link to the online application form, go to http://www.nimbios.org/workshops/WS_leptospirosis Participation in the workshop is by application only. Individuals with a strong interest in the topic are encouraged to apply, and successful applicants will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline. If needed, financial support for travel, meals, and lodging is available for workshop attendees. *Application deadline:* February 10, 2014 The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) (http://www.nimbios.org) brings together researchers from around the world to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to investigate solutions to basic and applied problems in the life sciences. NIMBioS is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
