Infectious disease ecology for future managers of the Anthropocene

Abstract

Disease and health are measures of relationships. Ecology provides a foundation for understanding such relationships—which can be mutually beneficial, mutually destructive, and degrees in between (Lehman et al. 2017). This dissertation addresses infectious disease ecology, in particular focusing on relationships that are beneficial for one party and detrimental for another. Infectious disease ecology is a rapidly expanding field (Koprivnikar and Johnson, 2016) composed of multiple disciplines including entomology, climate change, public health surveillance, mathematical biology, and others (Waller, 2008). I would add data management and land use. As infectious disease ecology and its education are multi-faceted, my dissertation is as well. It is composed of three first-authored manuscripts and an appendix. The chapters are organized in a stand-alone fashion, each formatted for submission to a journal. One has been submitted and two are in preparation for submission. The term “Anthropocene” in the title of this thesis is the emerging name of our current geological epoch, so called to recognize the massive and measurable effect humans have on the earth (Crutzen, 2002). I designed the accompanying eTextBook (appendix) for future managers of the Anthropocene, to teach skills and concepts they can build upon to become informed citizens and decision makers. My hope is that, taken as a whole, these chapters and appendix capture my attempt to understand our human role—for better or for worse—in infectious disease ecology.