There are exercises of varying degrees of difficulty, and projects leading to new research directions. For the benefit of public health professionals whose contact with mathematics may not be recent, there is an appendix covering the necessary mathematical background. There are indications which sections require a strong mathematical background so that the book can be useful for both mathematical modelers and public health professionals.
Zhilan Feng is a Professor of Mathematics at Purdue University. She is an editor for Journal of Theoretical Biology, Mathematical Biosciences, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, Journal of Biological Dynamics, and SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics. She is a program director for the NSF Mathematical Biology Program 2019-2020.