Who was Herbert Kleber? Google dedicates doodle to doctor who changed the way we look at drug addict
New Delhi, Oct 01: The popular search engine Google on Tuesday is remembering the incredible work of pioneering addiction psychologist Dr Herbert David Kleber with a Doodle on the 23rd anniversary of his election to the National Academy of Medicine. He was a renowned American psychiatrist and substance abuse, researcher.
Born on June 19, 1934, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dr Herbert Kleber was the founder and head of the Drug Dependence Unit at Yale University, where he was Professor of Psychiatry.
He then served for 2.5 years as the Deputy Director for Demand Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the White House.
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Kleber had attended Dartmouth College, where he studied pre-med and discovered his passion for psychology.
He saw addiction not as a moral failure, but as a condition that could only be treated through research, medication and therapy. Kleber was listed as one of the 'Best Doctors in America' and 'Best Doctors in New York' and was elected in 1996 to be a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science.
Kleber's success highly drew the attention of the former President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. The former President appointed Kleber as the Deputy Director for Demand Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Kleber was an author or co-author of more than 250 papers, and the co-Editor of the American Psychiatric Press Textbook of Substance Abuse Treatment, now in its fourth edition. He received numerous prestigious awards and two honorary degrees. In 2014 it was reported that he serves as a paid consultant to the opioid pharmaceutical industry
Kleber, passed away just last year on October 5, 2018, at the age of 84. His contribution to the treatment of addiction was immense for changing the landscape that allowed patients to be diagnosed and treated rather than shamed.
Today's Google doodle on Dr Herbert Kleber was illustrated by Massachusetts-based artist and author of the graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo Jarrett J. Krosoczka.