J. Russell Teagarden was a co-editor from March, 2016 until August, 2023. Until November 2014, he served as Senior Vice President of Medical & Scientific Affairs at the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). Prior to NORD, he spent 19 years in executive leadership positions in the medical affairs section of Medco Health. He joined Medco after having practiced as a clinical pharmacist in critical care and drug information in the Chicago teaching hospital community.  

Teagarden has a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy, a Master of Arts degree in research methodology from Loyola University of Chicago, and a Doctor of Medical Humanities degree from Drew University. He completed a residency in hospital pharmacy at Northwestern University Medical Center and was a visiting scholar at the National Institutes of Health Bioethics Department. He has served as a trustee for nonprofit health care organizations, and as a member of advisory panels for several government and quasi-government organizations. Teagarden has held faculty appointments at several pharmacy schools and has served on deans’ advisory councils. He has published and spoken frequently on topics including clinical research, pharmacy, health policy, ethics, education, and the humanities. He currently publishes a blog, According to the Arts (https://www.accordingtothearts.com/) and produces a podcast, The Clinic & The Person (https://www.theclinicandtheperson.com/), both of which seek and describe works from the Humanities that add to or elaborate on Biomedicine texts and learnings.