Ibarguen, who will assume the presidency of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a philanthropic organization, in September, has continued humanitarian work in South America through The Herald. For the last seven years, the paper has investigated the murder of journalists throughout Latin America.
"It raises the awareness of doing journalism in the hemisphere," he said of his paper's ad campaign to protect reporters abroad. "This is something that's been a real passion for me, given where I live and where I work, and given how much we take for granted that 35 minutes from here (working in Cuba) is such a dangerous job - here I just get yelled at."
Philip Russell
In the movie "Outbreak," in which Dustin Hoffman, Cuba Gooding Jr. and other characters try to stop the spread of a deadly virus brought over by an African monkey, Russell would be the lead general if he still had his old Army position.
"That movie was awful, just terrible," said Russell, former commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. "It had no relationship to reality at all."
His days in the Army Medical Corps for more than 30 years lacked the drama of quarantining virus-ridden towns within the United States, but Russell spent years in epidemiological laboratories in Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. His overseas work included clinical research on malaria, hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever.
He said he wants to make clear during his brief speech how "incredibly rewarding" a life in public service can be.
"The best jobs are the ones that have an opportunity to make a difference in the world," Russell said. "And it has to be fun, you've got be turned on by your work, and if the job isn't fun and isn't going to make a difference do something else."
Russell has contributed to more than 100 research publications in his field and has been involved with the development of the hepatitis A and B and meningitis vaccines. Despite this laundry list of accomplishments, he has never received an honorary degree.
"It raises the awareness of doing journalism in the hemisphere," he said of his paper's ad campaign to protect reporters abroad. "This is something that's been a real passion for me, given where I live and where I work, and given how much we take for granted that 35 minutes from here (working in Cuba) is such a dangerous job - here I just get yelled at."
Philip Russell
In the movie "Outbreak," in which Dustin Hoffman, Cuba Gooding Jr. and other characters try to stop the spread of a deadly virus brought over by an African monkey, Russell would be the lead general if he still had his old Army position.
"That movie was awful, just terrible," said Russell, former commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. "It had no relationship to reality at all."
His days in the Army Medical Corps for more than 30 years lacked the drama of quarantining virus-ridden towns within the United States, but Russell spent years in epidemiological laboratories in Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. His overseas work included clinical research on malaria, hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever.
He said he wants to make clear during his brief speech how "incredibly rewarding" a life in public service can be.
"The best jobs are the ones that have an opportunity to make a difference in the world," Russell said. "And it has to be fun, you've got be turned on by your work, and if the job isn't fun and isn't going to make a difference do something else."
Russell has contributed to more than 100 research publications in his field and has been involved with the development of the hepatitis A and B and meningitis vaccines. Despite this laundry list of accomplishments, he has never received an honorary degree.
