End of an era: Byron leaves global legacy after 28 years of service
Click here to see photos from Peter Byron’s retirement party.
Peter R. Byron, VCU School of Pharmacy’s E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor, has retired as of Jan. 1.
He leaves a global legacy through his instruction as well as the inspiration he provided both students and colleagues, says Joanne Peart. Now an affiliate associate professor at the School of Pharmacy, she was a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Bath when she met Byron, a visiting professor.
“The experience of working side by side with one of the recognized leaders in the inhalation field inspired me to follow my own academic career,” Peart says. “His enthusiasm and never-ending curiosity was contagious.
“Dr. Byron challenged and encouraged me each day – and, most importantly, it was always fun!”
A native of Wolverhampton, England, known for his dry wit and festive bow ties as well as his scholarly endeavors, Byron graduated in pharmacy and earned his Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Manchester. He served as a postdoctoral research fellow in pharmaceutics at the University of Aston in Birmingham, England, and also as a postdoc in biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics at Ohio State University.
Now he is reflecting on a career as professor, researcher, inventor, patent-holder, consultant, conference organizer and student advisor.
School of Pharmacy Dean Joseph T. DiPiro describes Byron as an outstanding leader in pharmaceutical research and education for many years. “His international reputation in respiratory drug delivery has kept VCU in the spotlight as a preeminent place for research and education in this field.”
Early in his career, Byron was employed by the University of Aston’s Department of Pharmacy. It was a good school, Byron says, but significant budget cuts made it difficult to balance academics and research.
“Leaving the UK [United Kingdom] for the UK [University of Kentucky] was the best thing I ever did!” he quips. His first job in the States, in 1984, was assistant professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical technology at the UK College of Pharmacy.
Four years later, as VCU looked to replace the retiring John Woods, Byron was hired by Bill Barr on the recommendation of a search committee helmed by Harold Smith. “I was brought in to strengthen teaching and research in physical pharmacy and product development,” recalls Byron.
As an associate professor in the then-Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics, Byron set up his new lab – focusing on pulmonary biopharmaceutics and aerosol drug delivery — with the aid of graduate student Elaine Phillips and later, Richard Dalby, who came to VCU as a research assistant professor.
In 1999, as the Department of Pharmacy branched off, Byron was named chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutics.
“It’s a cohesive group,” Byron says of the unit he chaired for the next 15 years. “We like each other and have common values. We care about the students and believe in the importance of teaching. We know research is essential, and we have a good quality graduate program.”
Not only that, he says, but the faculty and their various areas of expertise have “married quite well based on what we envisioned for the department.” That vision has been to provide teaching of the highest quality on the undergraduate, professional and graduate levels, and to perform creative and meaningful research in the field.
High points at VCU have included establishment of the Aerosol Research Group and recognition of the RDD (Respiratory Drug Delivery) forum as the world’s pre-eminent aerosol conference. (To learn more about RDD’s origins, beginning with Byron and his wife Sian Byron and continuing with Dalby and Peart, click here and scroll to page 8.)
During his tenure, Byron made a conscious effort to expand his own publication productivity to help attract more sponsored programs. He also worked to restore a sense of more traditional pharmaceutics to the department by increasing focus on products.
His proteges at VCU – he advised more than 30 graduate and postdoc students and served as research committee member for many others – have become international leaders in academia and industry.
A firm believer in entrepreneurship, Bryon also set up a number of MCV Foundation endowments using a mix of personal family funds and external donations made by industry to support his research in aerosol pharmaceutics. Among these are the Graduate Endowment Fund and, more recently, the Peter R. Byron Distinguished Professorship in Pharmaceutics.
Looking to the future, Byron plans to stay busy with RDD – the next conference takes place April 17-21 in Phoenix, Ariz. – not to mention biking and sailing as weather allows. One of the reasons he and his family have loved living in Richmond is its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay.
In the meantime, DiPiro notes that Byron’s contributions to the field are helping to serve as a foundation for VCU’s new pharmaceutical engineering program. “We all hope that Dr. Byron will continue to stay connected with our school for many years ahead.”
Byron hopes that will be the case, as well, perhaps as an affiliate faculty member. “I think the best job in the university is professor,” he says. “Championing and developing my academic specialty, teaching students … doing good in the world!”
Categories Alumni news, Faculty and staff news, Graduate students