John Russell, a business of health care reporter at the Chicago Tribune hired last summer, is returning to the Indianapolis area.
Russell starts Tuesday at the Indianapolis Business Journal, covering health care, energy and utilities.
“I loved the Chicago Tribune,” said Russell in a message to Talking Biz News. “It was a privilege to work there. But with a son in high school in Indy, it was just too tough to be apart five days a week.”
At the Tribune, Russell covered the business of life sciences, such as pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, hospitals, insurers, and health care policy. He had a front-page story on Friday.
Before joining the Tribune, Russell has been at the Indianapolis Star since 2005 and covered pharmaceuticals, energy, utilities and special projects. He previously was a business reporter and deputy business editor at the Akron Beacon Journal.
He has won more than 40 journalism awards in the past decade, including Indiana Journalist of the Year in 2011 from the Society of Professional Journalists, and First Amendment awards from every major journalism association in the state. He also serves on the board of the Indy SPJ and the Indianapolis Newspaper Guild.