Grant: Foundation Grant

Clostridium Difficile; Economic Evaluation; Health Inequalities; Human Papillomavirus; Infectious Diseases; Population Health; Screening; Transmission-Dynamic Mathematical Modeling; Vaccination; Varicella-Zoster Virus

<html> <body> <p> <strong>Background</strong> </p> <p>Over the past 10 years, decisions regarding infectious disease (ID) control have increasingly been made with significant input from transmission-dynamic modeling and economic evaluation because of limited health care budgets and enhanced computer capabilities.</p> <p> <strong>Vision &amp; Goals</strong> </p> <p>The <strong>ultimate goals</strong> of my research program are to:</p> <ol> <li>Inform national and international decisions about the optimal strategies to reduce the burden of ID, in <strong>3 focused areas:&nbsp;</strong>Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (other than Respiratory),&nbsp;Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and&nbsp;Nosocomial Infections</li> <li>Provide better modeling tools for policy decisions</li> </ol> <p>To reach these goals, my team develops state-of-the-art transmission-dynamic models, and uses high-quality empirical data and health economics to predict the effectiveness &amp; cost-effectiveness of ID prevention and control strategies, and address key methodological challenges.&nbsp;</p> <p>More specifically, my research approach is founded on <strong>4 pillars</strong>:</p> <ol> <li>Transmission-dynamic modeling &amp; Economic evaluation</li> <li>Methods development</li> <li>Integrated knowledge translation &amp; Interdisciplinary collaboration</li> <li>Training &amp; Capacity building</li> </ol> <p> <strong>Expertise</strong> </p> <p>The proposed research program is aligned with my formal background in epidemiology, transmission-dynamic modeling and health economics, and experience in public health and academia. To accomplish the proposed research, I will leverage the international expertise (biology/epidemiology/modeling/health economics/public health) of the program experts, partnerships with influential national/international public health organizations (ex:CDC/WHO), and the research infrastructure and team of Highly-Qualified-Personnel/students developed for my <em>Canada Research Chair in Mathematical Modeling &amp; Health Economics of Infectious Diseases</em>.&nbsp;I will also train students in epidemiology/modeling/economic evaluation to build future capacity in my field, given the scarcity of expertise.</p> <p> <strong>Direction of Research program</strong> </p> <p>Since my recruitment at Laval University in 2006, I have developed innovative transmission-dynamic models that have directly influenced immunization policy worldwide. The proposed research will expand in scope through <strong>3 flagship projects/models,</strong> <u>one for each of the program&rsquo;s ID areas</u>:<br> </p> <ol> <li> <strong>HPV vaccination in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC)</strong>: We will address key HPV vaccination policy questions in LMICs, by developing the first HPV individual-based model (IBM) for LMICs (<em>HPV-ADVISE LMIC</em>)&nbsp;</li> <li> <strong>STI prevention/control:</strong> We will examine comprehensive approaches to STD prevention, by developing <em>STI-ADVISE</em>, the first IBM that includes HPV/HIV/Chlamydia/Gonorrhea/HSV-2</li> <li> <strong>C. difficile (Cdiff) prevention/control:</strong> We will expand the research program to include nosocomial infections. We will develop <em>Cdiff-ADVISE</em>, the first Canadian IBM of Cdiff transmission, to identify optimal Cdiff prevention/control strategies in hospitals.</li> </ol> <p>In addition to addressing current public health questions and gaps in scientific knowledge, the development of the innovative <strong>flagship models</strong> will allow rapid response to new policy/research questions as they emerge, and provide the catalyst for novel models/methods in the program&rsquo;s 3 ID areas.</p> <p> <strong>Conclusion</strong> </p> <p>My research program is set up to ensure that our research addresses important scientific/public health needs and that the findings are rapidly translated into policy decisions to improve health care and health outcomes, and to build capacity in the expanding field of <em>Mathematical Modeling &amp; Health Economics of ID</em>.</p> </body> </html>