Python Training Curriculum: From Zero
to Epidemiological Modeling
**Audience:** Beginners (no prior Python experience)
**Total Duration:** ~50–60 hours (18–20 sessions)
**Structure:** Step-by-step modules → theory → hands-on coding → assignments →
capstone project
Phase 1: Python Foundations (Sessions 1–4)
Goal: Make participants comfortable with Python basics, Jupyter, and data handling.
Session 1: Getting Started with Python
Objectives: Understand Python’s role in data science and epidemiology; Install
Anaconda / Jupyter Notebook / Google Colab
Contents: Python syntax, indentation, comments; Variables and data types (int, float,
string, bool); Running Python interactively vs. scripts
Activities: Print messages, do basic arithmetic, assign variables
Assignment: Write a Python script that calculates BMI from weight and height
Session 2: Data Structures in Python
Objectives: Learn Python’s core data containers
Contents: Lists, tuples, dictionaries, sets; Indexing, slicing, iteration; Conditional
statements (if/else) and loops (for, while)
Activities: Create a dictionary of patient data, loop through to print names
Assignment: Write a program that counts the frequency of symptoms in a list
Session 3: Functions, Packages, and File Handling
Objectives: Build reusable code and work with files
Contents: Functions (parameters, return values); Importing packages (math, numpy,
pandas); Reading/writing CSV and Excel files
Activities: Write a function to calculate mean age from a list
Assignment: Import patient dataset from CSV, compute average BMI
Session 4: Data Handling & Visualization
Objectives: Use pandas and matplotlib for data analysis
Contents: DataFrames (pandas); Summaries: mean, median, describe(); Plotting:
histograms, scatterplots, barplots (matplotlib, seaborn)
Activities: Load a diabetes dataset, visualize glucose distributions
Assignment: Prepare a short statistical report with 2 graphs
Phase 2: Inferential Statistics with Python (Sessions 5–8)
Session 5: Probability & Sampling
Session 6: Hypothesis Testing I
Session 7: Hypothesis Testing II
Session 8: Correlation & Simple Regression
Phase 3: Regression Models (Sessions 9–13)
Session 9: Multiple Linear Regression
Session 10: Logistic Regression
Session 11: Count Data Models
Session 12: Survival Analysis
Session 13: Mixed Effects Models
Phase 4: Epidemiology & Infectious Disease Models (Sessions 14–18)
Session 14: Epidemiological Measures
Session 15: Basic Reproduction Number (R₀)
Session 16: Compartmental Models (SIR)
Session 17: SEIR & Extensions
Session 18: Stochastic Epidemics
Phase 5: Capstone Project (Sessions 19–20)
Capstone project with real dataset or simulation: Logistic regression, SEIR simulation,
or survival analysis
Core Python Packages
Basics & Data: numpy, pandas
Visualization: matplotlib, seaborn
Statistics: scipy.stats, statsmodels
Machine Learning: scikit-learn
Survival Analysis: lifelines
Epidemic Modeling: scipy.integrate, custom functions
