A Workshop on Infectious Disease Modeling and Human Behavior
On November 21–22, Bocconi University will host an international “Workshop on Infectious Disease Modeling with Human Behavior”, organized by the COVID Crisis Lab in collaboration with the Dondena Centre. This event will bring together leading experts to examine the dynamic interplay between human behavior and infectious disease modeling.
The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Alessandro Vespignani from Northeastern University, a renowned authority in computational epidemiology. His talk will focus on the role of mobility data and human behaviors to build actionable epidemic models. Alongside this, academics from diverse fields will present cutting-edge research on topics ranging from public health policies to behavioral adaptations during pandemics. A key highlight of the workshop will be insights into the IMMUNE Project, an initiative funded by the European Research Council and led by Professor Alessia Melegaro. The project emphasizes the integration of demographic and behavioral data to advance epidemiological modeling frameworks.
This event underscores the urgent need to integrate behavioral science into epidemiological models, a necessity emphasized during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic provided unprecedented evidence of how human behavior and disease spread influence each other, showcasing the gaps between theoretical models and practical applications. The workshop’s goal is to bridge these gaps, fostering collaboration that will lead to more effective public health strategies in the future.
Professor Alessia Melegaro, Director of the Covid Crisis Lab and organizer of the workshop, emphasizes its importance: “This event offers a unique opportunity for leading scientists from diverse disciplines to deeply reflect on how epidemic modelling can be enriched with behavioral insights and to identify the critical types of data required for this integration.”
By fostering dialogue and collaboration, the workshop aims to pave the way for a new era of epidemiological modeling that is more responsive to the complexities of human behavior.
