Michael DeWitt

Michael DeWitt attended the 2024 International Field Epidemiology and
Tropical Medicine course in Peru hosted by the [Universidad Peruana
Cayetano Heredia](https://cayetano.edu.pe) and the EMERGE group([Unidad
de Investigación en Enfermedades Emergentes y Cambio
Climático](https://investigacion.cayetano.edu.pe/catalogo/saludintegral-emerge/))
along with students and faculty from the University of Texas Medical
Branch.

::: {.quarto-figure .quarto-figure-center}
<figure class="figure">
<p><img
src="https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2024-06-30-international-field-epidemiology/group.jpg"
class="img-fluid figure-img" /></p>
<figcaption>Members of the 2024 International Field Epidemiology and
Tropical Medicine course in Peru</figcaption>
</figure>
:::

As part of this 10 day field experience, the group received training in
epidemiology, entomology, diagnostics, field logistics, tropical
medicine, and field epidemiology in Lima Peru. Then on the second day of
the course, the group flew to Tumbes, Peru to continue their training.
While in Tumbes, the group was introduced to the local public health
infrastructure. Additionally, they conducted epidemiological
investigations into a Dengue outbreak with the local health authorities.
They also received training in many aspects into conducting a field
investigation of an emerging pathogen including practical experience in:

- Setting mosquitto traps and identification of mosquito species
- Approaches to capture ticks and identification
- Approaches to capture, indentify, and test rodents include bats
- Setting up a field laboratory and data collection
- Geospatial analysis of outbreak data

::: {.quarto-figure .quarto-figure-center}
<figure class="figure">
<p><img
src="https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2024-06-30-international-field-epidemiology/field-traps.jpg"
class="img-fluid figure-img" /></p>
<figcaption>Collecting Sherman traps in a rice field in Tumbes,
Peru</figcaption>
</figure>
:::

::: {.quarto-figure .quarto-figure-center}
<figure class="figure">
<p><img
src="https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2024-06-30-international-field-epidemiology/ticks.jpg"
class="img-fluid figure-img" /></p>
<figcaption>Identification of ticks under a microscope</figcaption>
</figure>
:::

::: {.quarto-figure .quarto-figure-center}
<figure class="figure">
<p><img
src="https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2024-06-30-international-field-epidemiology/mosquittos-town.jpg"
class="img-fluid figure-img" /></p>
<figcaption>Setting different types of mosquito traps</figcaption>
</figure>
:::

::: {.quarto-figure .quarto-figure-center}
<figure class="figure">
<p><img
src="https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2024-06-30-international-field-epidemiology/ovitrap.jpg"
class="img-fluid figure-img" /></p>
<figcaption>Setting mosquitos traps near a stream</figcaption>
</figure>
:::

::::::::::: {#quarto-appendix .default}
::::: {#quarto-reuse .section .quarto-appendix-contents}
## Reuse {#reuse .anchored .quarto-appendix-heading}

:::: {.quarto-appendix-contents}
<div>

[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/){rel="license"}

</div>
::::
:::::

::::::: {#quarto-citation .section .quarto-appendix-contents}
## Citation {#citation .anchored .quarto-appendix-heading}

<div>

::: {.quarto-appendix-secondary-label}
BibTeX citation:
:::

``` {.sourceCode .code-with-copy .quarto-appendix-bibtex}
@online{dewitt2024,
  author = {DeWitt, Michael},
  title = {International {Field} {Epidemiology} and {Tropical}
    {Medicine} in {Peru}},
  date = {2024-06-30},
  url = {https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2024-06-30-international-field-epidemiology/},
  langid = {en}
}
```

::: {.quarto-appendix-secondary-label}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
:::

::: {#ref-dewitt2024 .csl-entry .quarto-appendix-citeas}
DeWitt, Michael. 2024. "International Field Epidemiology and Tropical
Medicine in Peru." June 30, 2024.
<https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2024-06-30-international-field-epidemiology/>.
:::

</div>
:::::::
:::::::::::


Michael DeWitt attended the 2024 International Field Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine course in Peru hosted by the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and the EMERGE group(Unidad de Investigación en Enfermedades Emergentes y Cambio Climático) along with students and faculty from the University of Texas Medical Branch.

International Field Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine in Peru

::: {#tracking-the-outbreak .section .level2}
## Tracking the Outbreak {.anchored anchor-id="tracking-the-outbreak"}

Learning lessons from the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19
pandemic, we have [launched a new
website](https://mpx.wakeforestid.com/) tracking the reported number of
[Monkeypox](https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/index.html)
cases in North Carolina using data reported by the [North Carolina
Department of Health and Human
Services](https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/monkeypox.html)
(NCDHHS) as well as across the United States using data provided by the
[Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention](https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/us-map.html)
(CDC). Monkeypox virus (MPX), a double stranded DNA virus belonging to
the orthopoxvirus genus,is endemic in West and Central Africa. In May
2022, reports emerged of growing cases of MPX in Europe and North
America with the World Health Organization declaring MPX a [*Public
Health Emergency of International
Concern*](https://www.npr.org/2022/07/23/1113183728/monkeypox-global-health-emergency-who)
on July 23, 2022.

You can visit the website at <https://mpx.wakeforestid.com>.
:::

::::: {#next-steps .section .level2}
## Next Steps {.anchored anchor-id="next-steps"}

We will be calculating relevant epidemiological metrics such as the
effective reproduction number and the doubling time of cases. We
anticipate that this website will continue to evolve as our
understanding of the current outbreak unfolds.

::: {.quarto-figure .quarto-figure-center}
<figure class="figure">
<p><img
src="https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2022-07-27-tracking-monkeypox-cases-in-north-carolina/preview.png"
class="img-fluid figure-img" /></p>
<figcaption>Reported MPX Cases in North Carolina</figcaption>
</figure>
:::

We provide an [interactive
longitudinal](https://mpx.wakeforestid.com/us.html) view of all states
using the CDC data.

::: {.quarto-figure .quarto-figure-center}
<figure class="figure">
<p><img
src="https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2022-07-27-tracking-monkeypox-cases-in-north-carolina/interactive-mpx.png"
class="img-fluid figure-img" /></p>
<figcaption>Interactive View of Reported MPX Cases by State</figcaption>
</figure>
:::
:::::

::: {#questions .section .level2}
## Questions? {.anchored anchor-id="questions"}

Please reach out to [your
provider](https://www.wakehealth.edu/specialty/i/infectious-diseases) if
you have any questions regarding monkeypox infections.
:::

::::::::::: {#quarto-appendix .default}
::::: {#quarto-reuse .section .quarto-appendix-contents}
## Reuse {#reuse .anchored .quarto-appendix-heading}

:::: {.quarto-appendix-contents}
<div>

[CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/){rel="license"}

</div>
::::
:::::

::::::: {#quarto-citation .section .quarto-appendix-contents}
## Citation {#citation .anchored .quarto-appendix-heading}

<div>

::: {.quarto-appendix-secondary-label}
BibTeX citation:
:::

``` {.sourceCode .code-with-copy .quarto-appendix-bibtex}
@online{dewitt2022,
  author = {DeWitt, Michael},
  title = {Tracking {Monkeypox} {Cases} in {North} {Carolina}},
  date = {2022-07-27},
  url = {https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2022-07-27-tracking-monkeypox-cases-in-north-carolina/},
  langid = {en}
}
```

::: {.quarto-appendix-secondary-label}
For attribution, please cite this work as:
:::

::: {#ref-dewitt2022 .csl-entry .quarto-appendix-citeas}
DeWitt, Michael. 2022. "Tracking Monkeypox Cases in North Carolina."
July 27, 2022.
<https://wakeforestid.com/posts/2022-07-27-tracking-monkeypox-cases-in-north-carolina/>.
:::

</div>
:::::::
:::::::::::


Tracking the Outbreak   Learning lessons from the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, we have launched a new website tracking the reported number of Monkeypox cases in North Carolina using data reported by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) as well as across the United States using data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monkeypox virus (MPX), a double stranded DNA

Tracking Monkeypox Cases in North Carolina

Björn Brembs

According to a [recent
study](https://crackedlabs.org/daten-arbeitsplatz), employee
surveillance is rampant in today's corporate work environment. This
study documents how, often under the [pretense of
cybersecurity](https://futurezone.at/netzpolitik/forcepoint-ueberwachung-it-security-arbeitsplatz-insider/401480923)
or risk analysis (sort of [like academic
publishers](https://bjoern.brembs.net/2020/10/is-the-snsi-the-new-prism/),
actually), companies analyze the behavioral data they collect from their
employees to help them make "evidence-led", i.e., algorithmic employment
decisions. Some of the tools are used to assign risk scores to employees
and to categorize them into risk groups:

<figure class="wp-block-image">
<img
src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_WAJiXXsAQI3D4?format=png&amp;name=small"
decoding="async" alt="Image" />
</figure>

A company in 'Workplace Analytics' is selling a product called
'OccupEye' that tracks employees with movement sensors mounted under
their desks. They have partnered with network giant Cisco that uses WiFi
routers to derive movement patterns within rooms and buildings. Besides
movement detection and text analysis, mouse-clicks and keystrokes (also
as [suggested by academic
publishers](https://bjoern.brembs.net/2020/10/is-the-snsi-the-new-prism/))
can be analyzed and incorporated into the algorithms as well, in order
to, e.g., classify employees as "Low Performer", "Good Performer" or
"High Performer", as Zalando is doing (p. 135 in the study).

Surely, academia would never use performance metrics for their hire and
fire decisions? OK, bad joke.

Those academics who
[lament](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4987709/) that not
being allowed to use journal rank and other metrics to evaluate other
researchers would deprive them of objective means to distinguish between
applicants may very soon have all their wishes fulfilled and then some.

Ever since [we calculated](https://f1000research.com/articles/10-20/v2)
that only a very small percentage of what our libraries are paying
publishers goes towards publishing costs and profits, many (including
us) have
[wondered](https://twitter.com/tomstafford/status/1440666172060364813),
where the rest of the money is going. Interestingly, Elsevier's [Paul
Abrahams](https://twitter.com/paul_abrahams), who commented in the
discussion, did not mention where their non-publishing costs accrue, but
[stated](https://twitter.com/paul_abrahams/status/1440693917872123906)
that their overall rejection rate was 77% at Elsevier. Using current
market rates for publishing services and assuming that Elsevier does not
spend more on publishing than current market rates, I calculated that
publishing an average article likely costs Elsevier US\$574.74 (our
scenario B), i.e., very close to the estimated average per-article
publishing costs for the industry:

<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized">
<img
src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_82cA5XIAI7uZp?format=png&amp;name=medium"
decoding="async" width="584" height="388" alt="Image" />
</figure>

If Elsevier's revenue per article also were to clock in at the
industry-average of around US\$4,000, then each article would provide
Elsevier with about US\$1,200 in profits, given their [profit
margins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsevier) of just above 30%. If
our industry-average calculations really were to match the numbers of
industry giant Elsevier that well, one may wonder what Elsevier is doing
with the remaining US\$2,200 per article that go neither towards
publishing nor towards profits?

Of course, we can only guess, but for clues, one may look at Elsevier's
tweet from yesterday:

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized">
<img
src="https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-1.png"
class="wp-image-2305" decoding="async"
srcset="https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-1.png 743w, https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-1-272x300.png 272w, https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image-1-45x50.png 45w"
sizes="(max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px" width="467" height="514" />
<figcaption><a
href="https://twitter.com/ElsevierConnect/status/1440632982990049297">https://twitter.com/ElsevierConnect/status/1440632982990049297</a></figcaption>
</figure>

Elsevier states that "knowledge and analytics" is what they do today --
*publishing* is only mentioned as their "roots" in the past, not
something that is relevant today or, let alone, in the future. The
[link](https://www.elsevier.com/about/this-is-elsevier#publications)
Elsevier promotes in that tweet points to a page on their own site where
it also says: "Elsevier has really positioned itself as a data science
company" and Elsevier adds right below it: "Evidence-led decisions".

<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized">
<img
src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_83DwEWQAI0AUs?format=jpg&amp;name=large"
loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="420" height="486" alt="Image" />
</figure>

What sort of "data analytics" is used for what kind of "evidence-led
decisions", you may ask? I'm getting to that.

The acquisitions of Elsevier parent company RELX confirm this transition
to "data analytics" and "evidence-led decisions":

<figure class="wp-block-image">
<img
src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_837PeXMAg05lV?format=png&amp;name=900x900"
decoding="async" alt="Image" />
<figcaption>source: <a
href="https://knowledgegap.org/index.php/sub-projects/rent-seeking-and-financialization-of-the-academic-publishing-industry/preliminary-findings/"
target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer noopener">https://knowledgegap.org/index.php/sub-projects/rent-seeking-and-financialization-of-the-academic-publishing-industry/preliminary-findings/</a></figcaption>
</figure>

For 20 years now, RELX and Elsevier have invested in academic data
analytics. But what kind of data are they analyzing and for which
"evidence-led decisions"? Funny you should ask: they are analyzing your
data of course! Here is a graph that shows what Elsevier has been buying
over these last two decades when you (like me) may have been too busy
fighting for
[\#openaccess](https://twitter.com/hashtag/openaccess?src=hashtag_click)
to pay attention (grey box denotes just publishing):

<figure class="wp-block-image">
<img
src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_9APSOXEAMa0Se?format=jpg&amp;name=4096x4096"
decoding="async" alt="Image" />
<figcaption>source: <a
href="https://knowledgegap.org/index.php/sub-projects/rent-seeking-and-financialization-of-the-academic-publishing-industry/preliminary-findings/"
target="_blank"
rel="noreferrer noopener">https://knowledgegap.org/index.php/sub-projects/rent-seeking-and-financialization-of-the-academic-publishing-industry/preliminary-findings/</a></figcaption>
</figure>

Whenever you interact with any of these tools, your user data is being
collected and analyzed by Elsevier. After all, this is their core
business, as they themselves state. Elsevier's parent RELX is one of the
largest data brokers on the planet and owns, among others, Lexis Nexis.
This means that RELX can now combine your professional data with your
private data and sell it. For instance, Lexis Nexis is [selling their
collected data and
analytics](https://theintercept.com/2021/04/02/ice-database-surveillance-lexisnexis/)
to law enforcement agencies that are not allowed to collect such data
themselves. Why shouldn't Elsevier/RELX sell these data right back to
academic institutions from where at least the professional part of these
data has been harvested?

That may sound dystopian to some, but if you are a dean or a provost or
a member in a search or tenure committee, the above may actually sound
quite alluring. In that case, you may perhaps feel relieve that very
soon now the possibility becomes available to license products that
allow you to use not just publication records, but real-time
professional and private user data to automate the classification of
applicants and help you make "evidence-led" employment or funding
decisions. No more need to invite anybody for interviews or be surprised
by the political positions of future faculty. Moreover, you can rest
assured that acquisition, development and implementation of these tools
was sponsored by the tax-payer money your institution has been
overspending on publishers in the past. Obviously, for you and people
like you, this was money well spent! This nice fact ensures that, just
like the publications in the last decades, your institution will be
paying twice for such useful tools: once for their
acquisition/implementation and then again, when your institution
actually licenses them.

If you happen to find these possibilities enticing, all you need to do
is -- nothing: just let your institution keep overpaying publishers and
soon the rebate offers for faculty surveillance tools will start flowing
in. After all, every institution in the Netherlands has already licensed
such a tool in
[exchange](https://www.scienceguide.nl/2019/11/leaked-document-on-elsevier-negotiations-sparks-controversy/)
for open access publishing with, you guessed it, Elsevier. So all you
need to do is sit still and wait for big brother to swing by your
revered academic institution and say 'hello' also to you. And just in
case you think only Elsevier is using our payments to expand their
vertical integration, think again:

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized">
<img
src="https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/infrastructure-848x1024.png"
class="wp-image-2364" decoding="async"
srcset="https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/infrastructure-848x1024.png 848w, https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/infrastructure-248x300.png 248w, https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/infrastructure-768x928.png 768w, https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/infrastructure-41x50.png 41w, https://bjoern.brembs.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/infrastructure.png 1115w"
sizes="(max-width: 848px) 100vw, 848px" height="766" />
</figure>

This post is probably best closed by quoting the Science Foundation
Ireland who, after the Netherlands, have also [partnered with
Elsevier](https://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/innovation-partner-profiles/propelling-ireland-to-first-mover-status-in-research-and-innovation-1.4655112)
for similar reasons, it seems:

> We have partnered with Elsevier, which is probably best known as a
> scientific publisher. They have access to a vast array of data, and
> this will help us to establish where Ireland is good and nearly good
> in emergent and convergent technologies. It will also help us decide
> on the actions we need to take to make us really good. For example, we
> might see a certain field where we are nearly good at present and find
> that we need to recruit top talent or run new funding calls to support
> it.


According to a recent study, employee surveillance is rampant in today’s corporate work environment. This study documents how, often under the pretense of cybersecurity or risk analysis (sort of like academic publishers, actually), companies analyze the behavioral data they collect from their employees to help them make “evidence-led”, i.e., algorithmic employment decisions.

Messaggi di Rogue Scholar

International Field Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine in Peru

Tracking Monkeypox Cases in North Carolina

Algorithmic employment decisions in academia?