{"id":730,"date":"2019-07-18T13:09:56","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T17:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/?p=730"},"modified":"2026-05-08T13:15:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T17:15:39","slug":"stanfords-resilient-researcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/2019\/07\/18\/stanfords-resilient-researcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Stanford\u2019s resilient researcher"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Alex Kekauoha<\/span><\/div>\n
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Noel Vest, PhD, hasn\u2019t let his past experiences with addiction and incarceration keep him from a science career. He recently joined Stanford Medicine as a postdoctoral scholar in the Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab, focusing on research and public policy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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One day in January of 2002, Noel Vest\u2019s mother was at home in Vancouver, Washington, when she came across a newspaper article about an unidentified theft suspect on the run from local authorities. Accompanying the article were two grainy surveillance camera photos depicting the fugitive, whom she immediately recognized.<\/p>\n

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\"Noel<\/p>\n

After a complicated path to a science career, Noel Vest recently joined Stanford Medicine as a postdoctoral scholar in the Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab.(Image credit: L.A. Cicero)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThat was the first time she learned about the extent of [my criminal activity],\u201d Vest said. She was the one who reported him to police.<\/p>\n

The crime shook Vest\u2019s family and landed him in jail. It also wasn\u2019t an isolated incident, but rather one in a string of offenses in multiple states that culminated with a lengthy prison sentence.<\/p>\n

Vest\u2019s errant past and personal struggles, which included drug and alcohol addictions, contributed to his downward spiral. But after hitting rock bottom, he would begin to turn his life around in a dramatic way. Vest\u2019s long and complicated path would eventually bring him to a new life of academic scholarship, medical research and advocacy. He is now at Stanford, where he\u2019s a postdoctoral researcher in theSystems Neuroscience and Pain Lab<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A life removed<\/h2>\n

Growing up in Washington, Vest said he was not a particularly studious kid. After high school, he briefly attended college, but left to start his own business when he was 21.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was called Brace Yourself Sports Medicine. A mom-and-pop shop,\u201d he said. \u201cWe sold ankle and knee braces, and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vest presents his research at a conference held by the North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders in Boston, Massachusetts, April, 2014.(Image credit: Courtesy Noel Vest)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Vest said he wasn\u2019t particularly passionate about his job and that his relationship with his business partner declined. In the meantime, his girlfriend of six years, with whom he had a daughter, began pressing him to get married. But Vest said he wasn\u2019t ready, and they broke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive months later she married another guy,\u201d Vest said. \u201cI\u2019d never felt pain like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

To cope, he turned to drugs and alcohol. But what started as recreational use turned into dependency.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a few years in a spiral of addiction,\u201d he said, adding that it took a toll on his personal relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends and family were not trusting me, and my business partner didn\u2019t want anything to do with me,\u201d he said. \u201cThen I got into criminal activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the next few years, Vest racked up felonies in Washington, Oregon and Nevada. In 2003, he was sentenced as a habitual criminal in Nevada \u2013 where his most serious crime occurred \u2013 and was sent to a state prison for seven years.<\/p>\n

Prison was a contemplative time for Vest. He attended self-help programs, worked one-on-one with other substance users in recovery and took courses through the College of Southern Nevada. Vest also found support through an Alcoholics Anonymous group, which he said was a major step in his recovery and helped him identify a potential career he could pursue once he completed his sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a huge help, and it set me up for wanting to be a drug and alcohol counselor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Making a fresh start<\/h2>\n

On June 28, 2009, Vest completed his sentence and walked out of prison. He returned to Washington and enrolled at a community college \u2013 an educational experience he said was \u201cawesome.\u201d That\u2019s also where he met his wife.<\/p>\n

During Vest\u2019s first year, a professor who was impressed with his work encouraged him to pursue graduate school.<\/p>\n

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\"Vest<\/p>\n

Vest and his wife, Ryelee, attend his commencement ceremony from Washington State University in May 2019.(Image credit: Courtesy Noel Vest)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThat was a turning point,\u201d Vest said. \u201cIt was the first time I thought I could seriously attain a career beyond being a drug and alcohol counselor.\u201d<\/p>\n

He earned an Associate of Arts degree in chemical dependency counseling and transferred to Washington State University, Tri-Cities. There, a professor took him under her wing and got him involved in research into chronic pain and substance use disorder, among other areas. That, in turn, sparked his interest in research.<\/p>\n

Vest graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology in 2013 and returned to WSU in Pullman a year later to begin a five-year PhD program. His doctoral research focused on the intersection of mental health and substance use disorder, specifically borderline personality disorder and prescription opioid misuse. Through counseling and research, Vest learned that substance use is a disease. Although incurable, those living with it can have successful and fulfilling lives.<\/p>\n

Vest noted that his pursuit of higher education would have been much more difficult had his college application inquired about his criminal record. For many formerly incarcerated people, such questions can be enormous barriers to education and careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cReentering society after prison is already hard enough, and placing restrictions on employment, housing and education only serves to dehumanize this already highly stigmatized group,\u201d Vest said. \u201cWe know that nothing is more effective at reducing recidivism than obtaining a college degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Vest helped draft the 2018 Fair Chance in Higher Education Act, a bill that prohibits colleges and universities across Washington state from asking applicants about their criminal records before offering them admission. He said his advocacy spurred his interest in public policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving previously failed political science [in high school], it was interesting to see the legislative process unfold,\u201d Vest joked.<\/p>\n

Coming to Stanford<\/h2>\n

Toward the end of his doctoral studies, Vest began applying to postdoctoral programs. He considered a few schools, but said that learning of his acceptance to Stanford was a moment of extreme elation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably danced a happy dance!\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the culmination of a lot of hard work and fostering relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since arriving in May, Vest has been acclimating to the Farm and the Bay Area. He\u2019s currently working withSean Mackey<\/a>, professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine, andKeith Humphreys<\/a>, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Vest\u2019s research will focus mainly on substance use disorder and mental illness. While he\u2019s in California, he also plans to advocate for legislation similar to the Fair Chance Act that he helped pass in Washington.<\/p>\n

Vest, who is the first in his family to graduate from college, said that 20 years ago he never imagined he\u2019d be where he is today. He also said that while he credits his family, especially his mother, for supporting him along the way, he always suspected that they thought he\u2019d return to prison.<\/p>\n

When asked what his family thinks about his success and joining Stanford, he said it\u2019s beyond their wildest dreams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve definitely exceeded their expectations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Originally published July 18th, 2019 on the Stanford Report<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alex Kekauoha Noel Vest, PhD, hasn\u2019t let his past experiences with addiction and incarceration keep him from a science career. He recently joined Stanford Medicine as a postdoctoral scholar in the Systems Neuroscience and Pain Lab, focusing on research and public policy. One day in January of 2002, Noel Vest\u2019s mother was at home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24655,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":733,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730\/revisions\/733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/vest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}