A Leader and Strong Mentor Leaves Rich Legacy in Psychiatry

A renowned leader in psychiatry—Herbert Kleber, M.D. passed away recently.

Kleber, age 84, died October 5. He was a pioneer in addiction psychiatry and served as director for demand reduction in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H.W. Bush. At the time of his death, Kleber was professor of psychiatry and emeritus director of the Division on Substance Use Disorders at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI).

Jeffrey Lieberman, M.D., past APA president and chair of the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, told Psychiatric News, “Dr. Kleber was not just an iconic researcher but a generative leader who mentored numerous protégés who became prominent researchers in their own right.”

He and Frances Levin, M.D., director of the Division on Substance Use Disorders at NYSPI, posted the following tribute on the department’s website:

“Over the course of his 50-year career, Dr. Kleber and his colleagues probed the pathology of addiction and developed treatments to mitigate withdrawal and promote recovery. At the time Dr. Kleber began his career, substance abuse was not a major focus of biomedical research and clinical medicine. Thus, his career importantly contributed to the emergence of addiction and substance use disorders as a focus of research and treatment by the medical profession.”

APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., recalled Kleber as a beloved mentor. “Herb Kleber was a towering figure in the field of addiction psychiatry and a mentor to many of us, including me,” said Levin. “He was a leader at the highest levels of the federal government and within APA. His warm smile and readiness to help his colleagues and particularly his mentees is an example to everyone. His expertise is sorely missed, and we mourn his passing.” ■