A Reintroduction and a Necessary Update: Don't be a Thought Thief
I’ve gained some new followers recently, so I’d like to take a moment to thank you for subscribing and reintroduce myself! But I also want to address something that has been brewing in the background for a few years now. First, reintros!
I’m Dr. Kimberly Deas.
Last December, I completed my PhD in Biomedical Informatics (Healthcare Informatics concentration) at Rutgers University. Before that, I earned Master’s degrees in Pharmacology (Georgetown University) and Chemistry (UNC Chapel Hill).
This fall, I began a Master’s in Engineering at Johns Hopkins University focused on Air Quality, Environmental Toxicology, and Environmental Justice.
Professionally, I’ve worked across several scientific and technical domains:
• Clinical Data Scientist in the diabetes/medical device space
• Chemical Informaticist in Pharma
• Research Scientist in Cancer and HIV
• 13 years in Data + 25 years as a Scientist and Teacher/Instructor/Professor
In short: I’ve absolutely earned the right to call myself an expert, working (and teaching) at the intersection of Data Science / Artificial Intelligence, Health Disparities, and now the Environment.
🚩 A Growing Issue in the Data Space
What’s been disappointing for the past 2-3 years, is watching people driven by virality, quick money, or social-media “authority” steal or repurpose ideas I’ve shared for free mostly on Substack and LinkedIn.
The data field has exploded in popularity, but many are entering (and “teaching”) in it for the wrong reasons, IMO. And in my experience, people motivated primarily by money / popularity, tend to be the first to throw others under the bus in the workplace (and steal), so I do my best to avoid that them like the plague.
More concerning is the rise of “data instructors/teachers” in the data space, whose popularity outweighs their actual education or experience. If someone can market themselves well enough, it apparently doesn’t matter whether they know from education or experience what they’re talking about or not. And over the past few years, I’m seeing more and more people with limited Data background, experience, skills, OR education, lift content from those who put the time and who do the real work. And this matches very well with what I’ve observed in the workplace, namely "leaders” with Data and Informatics in their titles that can’t code. Like, WTH!?!?!
🔒 Time for a Change
Going forward starting in about a week or so, career insights built from my 20+ years of experience, along with my data and coding project walkthroughs, will now be available only to paid subscribers.
My expertise is valuable. My intellectual work is valuable. And I’m going to treat it that way from now on.
👀 One Last Note…
This is especially for the individuals ( one in particular) who have been a little too inspired by my posts:
I see what you’re doing.
I truly do.
And there was a conscious choice YOU made NOT to collaborate, but to copy. There’s a difference between learning from someone’s work and lifting / repurposing someone’s work. One shows respect; the other shows desperation. And when your face “looks like mine”, well that’s just blasphemous on a whole other level.
I truly wish everyone success in their journey, just understand that being a “Thought Thief” doesn’t make you a real success no matter what your view counts are or how much money you’re making. It makes you an intellectual coward. Lastly, I sincerely hope I never have to address this again, though it seems far too many people these days have adopted the popularity / greed / unethical mindset. But I’ll remain hopeful just the same!