A legacy of mentorship: Leading society on drug dependence names award in School of Medicine professor’s honor

By Grace McOmber
School of Medicine

Robert Balster, Ph.D., a drug dependence researcher who's been at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine since 1973, has been honored with an award in his name. The College on Problems of Drug Dependence, the leading U.S. society on drug abuse research, recently announced the naming of the Robert Balster Mentorship Award.

As one of five awards presented by the CPDD each year, the Robert Balster Mentorship Award recognizes excellence in developing and supporting researchers in the field of drug dependence. Students and faculty submit nominations to the CPDD Awards Committee, who then vote and present the award at the organization's annual meeting.

"Historically, most awards are for scientific and research achievement," Balster said. "But we've learned that to do this work, you have to have career development of young scientists, and it's important to recognize mentors that really step up in that sense."

This award is especially meaningful for Balster - he was the first person to receive it when it was established in 2000 as the CPDD Mentorship Award. Earlier this year, he created an endowment to support the award for years to come and was humbled when he learned the society had decided to rename it after him.

Balster, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, has dedicated more than 50 years to studying the effects of drug use on behavior, primarily how behavior was influenced by the desire to obtain drugs. Renowned as a researcher, mentor and expert in the field, he has held numerous leadership positions, including director of the VCU Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, president of the CPDD and co-director of the Virginia Youth Tobacco Project. He also co-founded the International Programme in Addiction Studies, an online master's degree facilitated by VCU, King's College of London, in England and the University of Adelaide, in Australia.

"The teaching and training that we do as scientists is, in some ways, the most important work we do because it multiplies over time," Balster said. "For VCU to have a faculty member attached to this award exemplifies the work we do and shows that we're a leader in this field."

One of his many mentees, Keith Shelton, Ph.D., reflected on the role Balster has had in guiding him through his academic career. Shelton, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology who also studies abuse-related behavioral effects of drugs and alcohol, first met Balster in 1991, when he was a doctoral student. He described Balster as not only a talented and dedicated scientist, but the kind of mentor who listens and makes suggestions without casting judgment or telling anybody what to do. Shelton completed two postdoctoral fellowships out of state after earning his Ph.D. and said Balster stayed in touch and let him know about grant opportunities at VCU, ultimately helping him return to Richmond.

"He keeps you in mind when opportunities pop up," Shelton said of his mentor. "He never forgets about you."

This story was originally published on the VCU School of Medicine's website.

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