DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND SIMCENTER
present
“Spatial Spread of Epidemic Diseases
in Geographical Settings:
Seasonal Influenza Epidemics in Puerto Rico”
by
Dr. Glenn Webb
Professor of Mathematics, Vanderbilt University
September 21st, 2:30-3:30 p.m., EMCS Rm. 422*
Networking | Light Refreshments | Seminar | Q & A
Public Invited
A deterministic model is developed for the spatial spread of an epidemic
disease in a geographical setting. The model is focused on outbreaks that
arise from a small number of infected individuals in subregions of the
geographical setting. The goal is to understand how spatial heterogeneity
influences the transmission dynamics of susceptible and infected
populations. The model consists of a system of partial differential
equations with a diffusion term describing the spatial spread of an
underlying microbial infectious agent. The model is applied to simulate
the spatial spread of the 2016-2017 seasonal influenza epidemic in
Puerto Rico. In this simulation, the reported case data from the Puerto
Rican Department of Health are used to implement a numerical finite
element scheme for the model. The model simulation explains the
geographical evolution of this epidemic in Puerto Rico, consistent with
the reported case data.
Glenn F. Webb is a mathematician at Vanderbilt University. He received his Ph.D. from Emory University in 1968. He has
published over 170 articles in research journals. In 1985, he published a research monograph Theory of Nonlinear Age-
Dependent Population Dynamics. He has supervised 19 Ph.D. students at Vanderbilt University. He became a fellow of the
American Mathematical Society in 2012.
His research interests include: (1) mathematical models of tumor cell populations and the role of stem cells in tumor cell
proliferation; (2) mathematical models of antibiotic resistance and the development of antibiotic resistance in hospital
patient populations;(3) mathematical models of multi-group dynamics in epidemics; (4) mathematical models of the 2014
Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the impact of contact tracing; (6) mathematical models of tumor growth and the
interpretation of lung CT scans; (7) mathematical models of the Zika epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and (8)
mathematical models of epidemics in spatial regions.
* UTC Engineering, Math, Computer Science Building, Room 422, 735 Vine St., Chattanooga TN, 37403
