Thursday, April 28, 2016 (12:00 p.m. in Yost 306)

Title: Stratified Worm Burden Approach to Modeling Schistosomiasis Transmission and Control

Student: Nara Yoon

Advisor: David Gurarie (Professor, Case Western Reserve University)

Committee Members: Peter Thomas, Alethea Barbaro, Charles H. King (Center for Global Health and Diseases)

Abstract: Schistosomiasis is a global health problem in many countries, and there are ongoing efforts to eliminate it. The talk will outline stratified worm burden approach to schistosomiasis transmission and prediction/ control analysis, with proper account of in-host biology, snail ecology, and host demographics. New calibration methodology was developed and applied to datasets collected in several schistosomiasis endemic areas in sub-Saharan Africa. The calibrated models are used to assess the impact of control interventions and possibility of elimination.