Summer Boot Camp

We have "Infectious Disease Modelling" as part of the elective module of the School of Public Health and Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, and a part of the course is openly conducted. The course is to take place from 1 August 2025 for 10 consecutive days. The priority for attendance is given to registered Kyoto University graduate students, and remaining quota are shared with the research/education sectors of the public. This call will remain open by the time 100 registrantions are fixed.

To register, please visit:

Links to be updated soon

If the link is not accessible (e.g. if you are accessing from mainland China), please go to the alternate registration site here.

Overview

Infectious disease modeling is in the process of practical policy use. In Japan, it is hard enough to say that the academic foundation to support epidemiological modeling studies has been well organized. Besides, there are plenty of needs to utilize mathematical models in the field of public health and industry. Governmental agencies, local municipalities, pharmaceutical companies and think-tank companies in industrialized countries, mainly in EU and the United States, employ the infectious modeling experts as full time staff members, expecting them to play a central role in confronting any emerging infectious disease events and design possible countermeasures for infection control. In fact, epidemiological modelers are only experts who can use objective and cutting-edge research techniques for handling a variety of datasets.

Since 2013, we organizers have launched the research consortium of epidemiological modeling, calling all associated experts who are interested in modeling studies and conducting joint original studies, fund raising, and educational activities. We consider that offering young researchers a good training program is the highest priority. Successfully completing summer short courses from 2014-19, while we suspended in 2020-21 due to COVID-19 pandemic, we have conducted online-based shortened course in 2022 and restarted the full-length on-site course in 2023. Here we announce the call for participants for the summer bootcamp 2025.

We call for participants regardless of their academic background. There is no eligibility condition for academic qualifications, although the course contents assume that participants can understand and utilize high school mathematics including basic linear algebra. In the past, the expertise of participants ranged from applied mathematics, statistics, information science, physics, clinical medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, health science and nursing, life science, biology to liberal arts.

The short course is essentially designed for Master’s course graduate student level. However, in the last three years, participants included undergraduate students, full-time researchers, epidemiologists, physicians, veterinary physicians and public health practitioners.

1. Course contents

Name: Short course on mathematical modeling of infectious diseases

Organizer: Hiroshi Nishiura (Kyoto University)

Venue: Campus Plaza Kyoto (except Aug 4), Kyoto Institute, Library and Archives (Rekisaikan) (Aug 4)

2. Dates: From August 1, 2025 (Thursday) to August 10 (Saturday) (no holiday; there will be lectures and practical training sessions both on weekdays and weekend days; Depending on individual groups, group work may also take place during nighttime)

3. Purpose: To offer an intensive short-term training opportunity of epidemiological modeling of infectious diseases. Through this opportunity, we aim to boost early career development and research communications among young researchers especially in methodological and practical aspects. The minimum goal for participants is to understand and critically appraise original modeling studies that are published in high-impact journals.

Course methods: Lectures (including interactive sessions), practical training sessions, and group work.

4. Language: English

5. Capacity: a maximum 100 participants (while we take 80 registrants outside Kyoto University).

6. Preferred condition: Because this event (e.g. travel cost of lecturers) is partly covered by public financial support and the course is offered free of charge, we will prioritize participants who can attend the entire period of the course (for 10 days). Even provided that 100% participation is not possible, we request participants to attend more than 80% of the coursework. For those who cannot make it to come for 80% or more, please do not regard the automated confirmation of registration as the confirmation. Your registration will be handled as waiting list for any vacancy in this year.

Other expectations are that (i) we would like to accept only participants who will be working with enthusiasm on this subject and (ii) participants need the mathematical capacity of high school level. Participants do not have to be mathematically competent at all, but the course may not be suitable for those who are allergic to equations, such as allergic reactions to summation mark and integral sign: our course will have to come through it.

7. Tuition fee: Free.

Participants are requested to cover the cost other than tuition fee, including accommodation, meal and transportation.

The organizer does not offer any support or arrangement for your transportation or accommodation. We do not offer any University lodging for course participants.

8. Application: Please click here and fill in the form for application

Lecturers (scheduled for line-up; and more to be announced)

Hiroshi Nishiura, Kyoto University

Hisashi Inaba, Tokyo Gakugei University

(and other to be confirmed)

Program (Provisional)

The short-term intensive course will last for 10 consecutive days, taking an advantage of using the weekend days. In addition, our time schedule allows participants to enjoy summer holidays (“Obon”) afterwards.

In the first week, participants will learn the basic concepts and model structure so that they can understand the importance of heterogeneity of transmission, interpret threshold theorems and derive the basic reproduction number on their own. In the second week, participants will study the application of mathematical models to actual infectious disease datasets. Many lectures are provided in morning sessions and practical sessions are held mostly in the afternoon. Special series lectures are also provided in the evening time, sharing research updates. Computer practice handles numerical calculation of a system and statistical estimation of unknown parameters. The practice sessions mostly uses Berkeley Madonna, Excel and R. Using the rest of time, group work session is used for being engaged in a single research subject in a group of 5-10 people. Presentation is held on the last day.