在2019年的最后几个月，马吉德·巴尼·亚古布博士计划在他的数学课程中研究一种开始在中国传播的新病毒。 他知道基于现实情况的数学建模和分析将非常适合他的学生的研究生微分方程课程。
Even then, before COVID-19 became a common topic of global study, Bani’ s students were using optimal control theory to predict the best way to minimize spread. Bani正在通过跨学科研究进一步开展他的工作，开发和实施数学和计算模型，以优化医疗机构的感染控制和预防。
巴尼召集了威尼斯人娱乐城计算、分析和数学部门的研究人员； 威尼斯人娱乐城生物医学和健康信息学系； 威尼斯人娱乐城医学院； 大学健康; 密苏里州堪萨斯市卫生部； 和加州大学戴维斯分校兽医学院组成了中西部医疗机构病原体传播虚拟实验室（MVL-PATHS），这是一个跨学科的研究合作项目。
The Center for Disease Control 授予MVL-PATHS a three year $879,162 grant to develop a new generation of mathematical and computational models of infectious diseases. 该团队将使用One Health建模方法，该方法将人、动物、植物及其共享环境之间的相互联系结合起来。
Bani believes the One Health approach – a process that recognizes the health interconnections among people, animals, plants and their shared environment – is crucial to identify risk factors for transmission of healthcare-associated infections.
研究团队将与医疗服务提供者合作，记录他们的动作、他们与病人相处的时间以及其他因素，以收集数据，使模型比目前的模型更准确。
“We’re not interested in watching individuals,” he says. “The models will identify high-risk movement patterns and hotspots at a hospital so that we can have better control of asymptomatic spread of infection.”
这项研究可以培养更健康的普通人群，但研究小组特别关注弱势群体。
“Already, the research shows that people who are working in nursing homes may work at multiple locations, so it’s possible they are taking infections from one nursing home to another. 这不是指责别人。 The research can help us discover ways that we can improve the situation.”
跨学科团队是研究成功的关键。
“This is a great start for the 威尼斯人娱乐城 School of Science and Engineering and a direct result of the university’s restructuring through 威尼斯人娱乐城向前,” Bani said. “The COVID-19 pandemic taught us many lessons, and one of the key lessons was that math models are useful, though they are far from perfect. There is a need to create a new generation of math models, computational models and tools that can become more accurate, more reliable.”
但这项工作超越了对已经发生的事情的研究。
“The essence of this project is to develop a virtual laboratory for simulation of disease spread, and at the same time train PhDs who can implement the virtual laboratory in health institutes, and work with the Center for Disease Control and health departments,” Bani said.
“There were many things that we could have done to lessen the impact of COVID-19. 现在的关键是从经验中学习，并使用One Health建模方法，而不是着眼于单个农场或医院。 We must recognize that the world is fully connected, and we need to look at these problems as one big picture and see how these different units and communities can work together.”