It is with sadness that we notify you about the loss of Robert S. Rust, Jr., MD, who died on December 22, 2024. Dr. Rust was the Thomas E. Worrell, Jr. Professor of Epileptology and Neurology and Professor of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine from 1999 until his retirement in 2017. He also served as former division chief and training director of pediatric neurology and a professor for the Center for Health Humanities and Ethics.
Dr. Rust was a highly respected and accomplished child neurologist who made significant contributions to the field of neurology and neuroscience. His research and clinical interests included treating epilepsy, headaches, neonatal neurology, and degenerative disorders.
He was not only a clinician and researcher, but also a great scholar, historian, mentor, teacher, ethicist, and humanitarian. He authored numerous publications during his decades-long career and received more than 30 awards and honors, including the Child Neurology Society’s John B. Hower Award and the Blue Bird Circle Training Program Director Award. Dr. Rust was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Educators at the University of Virginia and served as a senior examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
As an educator and mentor, he had a tremendous impact on students and trainees, helping establish programs and standards of training for the next generation of child neurologists. He lectured nationally and internationally, sharing his expertise in neurology across the globe.
Dr. Rust received his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in 1970, and a master’s degree in history and a medical degree from UVA. He completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Yale University, and a residency and fellowship training in neurology and child neurology at Washington University. Rust held faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin and Harvard Medical School before joining the UVA Department of Neurology.
Please join us in extending condolences to Dr. Rust’s family, friends, and colleagues in the School of Medicine.