Seminar: Dr Martin Meltzer - 7 Sep 2016

Simple models for decision making

Title: Simple Models for Decision Making: Mathematical Modelling during an Infectious Disease Emergency Response

Time: 2:00-3:00pm, Wednesday 7 September

Venue: Lecture Theatre, Level 5, The Alfred Centre (see map below and instructions)

Bio: Dr. Martin Meltzer is the Lead of the Health Economics and Modeling Unit (HEMU), and a Distinguished Consultant in the Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, CDC in Atlanta, GA. When required, he is also the Lead for modeling teams and Modeling Task Forces supporting CDC’s emergency responses to infectious disease events, such as CDC's Ebola and Zika Responses. These activities include providing, with a short turn-around time, senior response leadership with estimates of impact and duration of the event, as well as estimates of potential impact of proposed interventions.

He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Zimbabwe in 1982, and Masters and a Doctorate in Applied Economics from Cornell University, NY, in 1987 and 1990, respectively. From 1990 to mid-1995, he was on the faculty at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. In 1995, he moved to CDC, where he was in the first class of Prevention Effectiveness (health economists) Fellows.

Some examples of his research include estimating the impact of the 2009 influenza pandemic, the modeling of potential responses to smallpox as a bioterrorist weapon, and assessing the economics of controlling diseases such as rabies, dengue, hepatitis A, meningitis, Lyme, and malaria.

He has published over 200 publications, and over 100 papers are in peer-reviewed journals. He has also led teams which produced more than 35 software/ tools, such as FluAid, FluSurge and FluWorkLoss, designed to help state and local public health officials plan and prepare for catastrophic infectious disease events. Dr. Meltzer is an associate editor for the peer-reviewed journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. He supervises a number of post-doctoral health economists at CDC.