1:00–2:30 PM ET & 3:00–4:30 PM ET
Online
This course will foster a problem-solving mindset while exploring advanced concepts in R programming and data science. The course is designed for participants who already have solid experience coding in R (both base R and Tidyverse). We will explore multiple approaches to coding analyses, and the content will serve as a guide to help you decide which approach is best for your particular situation.
The course draws concepts from R for Data Science, Advanced R, and R for Epidemiology books, along with the instructors’ experiences working with infectious disease research data. We will work in both base R and the Tidyverse to wrangle messy data and build analytic workflows tailored to public health applications.
Prerequisites:
Prior experience coding in R is essential for success in this course. This is an intermediate course that builds on existing R programming skills. Participants must have hands-on experience with all of the following:
RStudio/Posit Studio:
Comfortable navigating the RStudio interface, managing projects, and writing scripts
Base R fundamentals:
Experience with data structures (vectors, lists, data frames), functions, control flow, and subsetting
Tidyverse:
Working knowledge of dplyr, tidyr, and ggplot2 for data manipulation and visualization
Pipes:
Regular use of pipe operators (%>% and/or |>) to chain operations
R Markdown:
Ability to create reproducible documents combining code, output, and narrative text.
Note:
If you are new to R or have only completed an introductory R course, we recommend first taking a foundational R programming course before enrolling in this module. Participants without the prerequisite experience may find it difficult to keep pace with the course material.
Welcome to the Data Science in Infectious Disease Modeling Using R online course for SISMID 2026! We’re thrilled to have you join us and look forward to learning alongside you. This course is designed to give you practical, hands-on experience using R. We hope you’ll leave the course with a stronger toolkit and greater confidence in applying these tools to real-world public health questions.
All course content, announcements, and assignments will be available through Canvas. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out—send us a message via Canvas and we’ll respond within 24 hours. We encourage you to be active in the course, engage with your peers, and take full advantage of this learning opportunity.
We’re excited to get started and support your work in infectious disease modeling!
Sarah + Reni