This year, we once again welcomed 22 participants to Antwerp for the 2024 edition of our 5-day course on mathematical modelling and health economics. The participants joined us from 13 different countries, both within and outside the EU—a diverse mix of backgrounds in mathematics, statistics, public health, epidemiology, economics, and more, which created a stimulating dynamic among participants and during the interactive sessions.
Through hands-on tutorials and case studies we aimed to tailor the material as much as possible to the practical needs of the participants. By challenging them to directly apply new ideas, in R, we collectively gained insights into the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases, the analysis of serological data, and the cost-benefit analysis of a flu vaccination campaign.
On Monday and Tuesday, Niel Hens, Steven Abrams, and Trang Nguyen introduced participants to the fascinating world of mathematical modelling, explaining how Sir Ronald Ross developed the concept, and how we can incorporate various data sources and population dynamics to estimate parameters and transmission rates.
On Wednesday, participants worked with individual-based models in a session led by Lander Willem. These models allow for the exploration of location-specific interactions and transmission patterns. For example, what happens if contacts are limited to households and schools, compared to households and workplaces? For some, this was a real eye-opener, and they were excited to work with these models in R.
The afternoon session was dedicated to applications of reinforcement learning with transmission models, led by Pieter Libin, to make public decision-making more efficient. Rather than trying all options manually, AI techniques can help us more efficiently search for solutions by evaluating different or conflicting outcomes—such as balancing social restrictions and keeping hospital admissions low.
On Thursday, participants delved into the basic principles of health economics with Philippe Beutels, estimating medical costs with Xiao Li, assessing quality of life and health effects with Zhuxin Mao, and finally estimating uncertainty with Lander Willem. This day also involved an introduction to local culture, with a walk through the historic center of Antwerp, starting at the Hof van Liere University building and concluding at the 123-meter-high ‘Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe’ Cathedral.
Finally, on Friday, we continued the momentum in health economics with hands-on tutorials, focusing on prevention and, specifically, vaccination. We concluded the course in the afternoon. Both participants and instructors enjoyed an engaging, informative, and intensive week—and no doubt relished their well-deserved weekend.
Here’s what some of our participants had to say:
“I loved the course, although I had no prior experience the lecturers made the material very accessible and were always ready to help you out if you had any questions. I’m really glad I picked this course.”
“The experience was intense and worthwhile. I am very grateful to the entire team, both participants and teachers for their devotion to the program, and for sharing their experiences.”
