Understanding how human behavior affects the spread of infectious diseases
Official title: Novel data and approaches for dynamic modeling of human behavior and infectious disease ecology
Funded at University of California Berkeley · NIH-11019433 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how people's actions and social factors affect the spread of infectious diseases, with the goal of finding better ways to understand and improve how we can all work together to reduce infections in different communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Berkeley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project start | September 24, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $401,248 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM156856-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11019433 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals living in diverse communities who may be affected by infectious diseases and their transmission dynamics.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not affected by infectious diseases or who live in isolated environments may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the complex relationship between human behavior and the dynamics of infectious disease transmission. It aims to develop new models that incorporate social and demographic factors influencing how people interact and adopt behaviors to reduce disease spread. By analyzing these interactions, the research seeks to identify patterns of exposure and susceptibility to infections across different populations. The goal is to create a framework that allows for a better understanding of how changes in behavior can impact disease dynamics over time and space.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective public health strategies that reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown success in using behavioral models to understand disease transmission, indicating that this approach has potential for impactful findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Berkeley
Berkeley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mahmud, Ayesha Sanchita — University of California Berkeley
- Study coordinator: Mahmud, Ayesha Sanchita
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Latin American Center for Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance and Readiness
A regional collaboration in Peru and neighboring countries aims to strengthen early warning and monitoring for viruses that could jump from animals to people, helping communities prepare for outbreaks.
-
Center in Latin America to monitor emerging infectious diseases
A U01 grant supporting a collaboration between Peruvian and U.S. researchers to improve early detection and surveillance of regionally relevant viruses that could affect people, animals, and crops in Peru and neighboring areas.
-
Acanthamoeba as a modern model parasite to study infectious disease biology and mitochondria
A five-year project will define the mitochondrial proteins and pathways of Acanthamoeba castellanii to advance infectious disease biology and parasite metabolism.
-
IDEAL project helps predict vaccine response, infections, and asthma in early childhood
A Child-focused program will collect and share saliva, blood, and tissue samples from diverse infants to find biological patterns that predict how vaccines work, how respiratory infections occur, and who develops asthma.
-
Understanding how early-life immune development affects vaccine responses and asthma risk in children
This project uses lab-grown human immune cells from infants and young children to explore why some kids respond poorly to vaccines and are more prone to respiratory infections and asthma.
-
Multi-omic endotypes of vaccine response, respiratory infections, and asthma in children
A parent-friendly look at how early-life immune development shapes how kids respond to vaccines and stay free from lung infections and asthma, using advanced biological profiling.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.