The Anglican Book of Prayer contains a centuries’ old prayer that says “make us ever mindful of the needs of others.” Like every other American this time of year, thankfulness is on my mind; thankfulness not only for family, food and friends, but thankfulness for those of us who are truly “ever mindful of the needs of others.”
In October of this year, I met a man, Dr. Russ Gerber, who embodies those words and I’d like to tell you about him.
Russ is the son of our friend Alice Gerber and while walking on Tybee Island’s beach one day, we ran into Alice who then introduced us to her son. In an aside to me, Alice whispered “Ask Russ about his career.” Without further urging, I began a conversation with Russ and found out some amazing things.
Russ is a medical doctor with a specialty in pediatrics, but in 1984, after completing his residency, Russ did not go into private practice. With a desire to help as many people as possible, Russ became a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service, working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). When I asked him why he felt that compulsion, he said that in 1976, he followed the outbreak of Legionnaires Disease and watched the CDC find the cause of the disease and bring it under control. He was also fascinated by the global eradication of smallpox, and he decided he wanted to be a part of efforts such as these.
Russ told me he is an epidemiologist; he studied epidemics and used applied statistics to formulate health policies for the CDC and the Peace Corps. “The Peace Corps?” I asked.
After working with the CDC in the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Russ was detailed from the CDC to the Peace Corps, and from 1997-2004 worked as their chief of epidemiology and public health at the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. As the epidemiology chief, Russ sent Peace Corps Volunteers to over 100 countries worldwide. After his work with the Peace Corps, Russ went back to the CDC. During his time there, the Ebola epidemic broke out, and as a deputy of the US Response to Ebola, he deployed over 1,000 people to 18 West African countries.
Response to an epidemic is urgent and I asked Russ how he navigated the usual bureaucratic red tape. When a disease is declared an epidemic, Russ said, the government can then enter into contracts for goods and services much more quickly. Those services include vaccine development, approval and usage which allows the vaccine approval to be sped up, thus sending help to the afflicted more quickly.
AIDS/HIV, Ebola, CDC, Peace Corps, Russ’ goal to help as many people as possible has certainly been realized. I asked Russ for one of his several stories about his time in the services. Here is the story he shared.
Russ once had a Peace Corps Volunteer who was stationed in the island nation of Vanuatu. The man went scuba diving but rose to the surface too soon, developing nitrogen toxicity, otherwise known as the bends. It was an emergency, the island didn’t have a decompression chamber and due to the nature of the problem, the volunteer couldn’t be put on a plane. In an extraordinary example of ”If Muhammad can’t go to the mountain, the mountain comes to Muhammad,” (Frances Bacon). Russ medevacked a decompression chamber to Vanuatu.
Russ said, ”So many stories, I always say that I had the opportunity to work with two world class organizations in my lifetime, the CDC and the US Peace Corps. I am proud to have been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for my entire 30-year career and accomplishments. Well deserved, Russ, well deserved.
Cindy Arp, teacher/librarian, retired from Knox County Schools. She and husband Dan live in Heiskell.
