About

Dr. Noel Vest headshot

Dr. Noel Adam Vest is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, specializing in addiction research and policy. Originally from Vancouver, Washington, Dr. Vest is dedicated to combating mass incarceration and advocating for students with criminal histories.

Biography

Dr. Vest focuses on addiction research and policy. With a background in experimental psychology, he earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University, specializing in applied measurement and quantitative methods. Dr. Vest further honed his expertise during a postdoctoral fellowship in pain and substance use disorders at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Vest’s extensive research portfolio addresses critical issues in substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder, mental health disorders, collegiate recovery programs, and prison reentry. His work has been published in prominent journals such as Addictive Behaviors, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, and Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

As a formerly incarcerated scholar, he is dedicated advocate for social justice and committed to combating mass incarceration and supporting policies that aid students with criminal histories. His contributions to the field extend beyond academia through his involvement in various professional boards and community initiatives.

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Positions Held in the Past

Keynotes and Plenaries

Vest, N. A., & Humphreys, K. (2020, June). Learning with conviction: In recovery and on campus with a criminal history. Keynote presentation at the Association for Recovery in Higher Education conference in San Diego, CA. Presented virtually due to covid-19.
Vest, N., Hennessy, E., Castedo de Martell, S., & Smith, R. (2023, June). Introducing a Socio-Ecological Model of Collegiate Recovery Programs. Keynote at the Association for Recovery in Higher Education Conference in Columbus, Ohio on June 27, 2023.
Vest, N. A. (2021, February). Cultivating the prison-to-college pipeline: A conversation with Noel Vest on addiction recovery, post-secondary education and prison reentry. Washington State University Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Community Classroom Series – Invited Keynote Address and Interview.
Vest, N. A. (2019, February). An exploration of the relationship between borderline personality disorder and prescription opioid use. Invited oral presentation given at the University of Kentucky – Laboratory of Human Behavioral Pharmacology in Lexington, KY.
Vest, N. A. (2019, February). An exploration of the relationship between borderline personality disorder and prescription opioid use. Invited oral presentation given at the Alcohol Research Group at University of California – Berkeley in Emeryville, CA.
Vest, N. A., Sandgaard, W., Veach, L., Whitlow, C., & Shilling, E. (2020, January). Opioids—The Last Option, Not the First, for Developing Adolescent Brains. Invited presentation at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.
Vest, N. (2020, March) Learning with Conviction: On Campus with a Criminal History. Invited oral presentation at the Center for Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR) at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.
Vest, N. A. (2021, February). Cultivating the prison-to-college pipeline: A conversation with Noel Vest on addiction recovery, post-secondary education and prison reentry. Washington State University Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Community Classroom Series – Invited Keynote Address and Interview.
Vest, N., Addy, S., Wheeler, B., & Andrisse, S. (2022, May). Reducing Recidivism through Postsecondary Opportunities. Invited moderated panel and private roundtable presented at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington, DC on May 5^th, 2022.
Vest, N., Hicks, M., Carter, T., & Nastasi, N. (2022, August). Collegiate Recovery Programs: the current research, a socio-ecological model, and a criminal justice intervention. Invited intensive workshop presented at the National Meeting of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery in Columbus, Ohio on August 2^nd, 2022.
Vest, N. Lamb, C., Das, A., & Winston., C. (2022, September). Flourishing on the Farm: On Campus and in Recovery at Stanford University. Invited talk presented online at the annual Mobilize Recovery Conference on September 29, 2022.
Vest, N. (2022, October) What do we know about Collegiate Recovery Programs and what do we need to know. Invited talk at the Langone School of Public Health at New York University on October 18, 2022.
Vest, N. (2022, November) Collegiate Recovery: From Science to Policy. Invited talk presented in conjunction with the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Opioid Response Network virtually on November 16, 2022.