Webb 9705595 The investigators and colleagues organize an international conference on mathematical models in medical and health sciences at Vanderbilt University. The conference involves approximately 100 talks and 175 participants. There are 11 plenary talks in such areas as models of the HIV infected immune system, models of normal and pathological blood production systems, models of tumor growth and treatment, models of pancreatic function, wavelet analysis and medical imaging, models of the emergence of drug resistance, models of epidemiology, models of DNA and hereditary abnormalities, and models of nerve impulse conduction. The conference has special sessions in cancer models, diffusive systems in biology, epidemic models, models in immunology, models of cell population dynamics, optimization and control in biological models, medical imaging, and cure models in survival analysis. The scientific purpose of the conference is to stimulate research in theoretical mathematical models in areas of biology, medicine, and health and life sciences. The focus of the conference is to bring together mathematicians, biologists, and medical researchers to a forum that promotes interdisciplinary collaborations. A major aim of the conference is to involve young researchers and to stimulate their research goals and directions. The participation of recent Ph.D. recipients and graduate students is a substantial part of the conference program. The scientific and educational significance of the conference is evidenced by the wide range of research topics presented, the diverse participation of researchers from mathematics departments, biology departments, engineering departments, medical research institutes, and pharmaceutical companies, and the active participation of graduate students and young researchers.
