Dr Herbert Kleber – Google dedicates doodle to the great substance abuse researcher

Today Google remembers Dr Herbert Kleber with a beautiful doodle for his pioneering in substance abuse. He was a renowned American psychiatrist and substance abuse researcher.

Dr Herbert Kleber was born on June 19, 1934. He 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.

Herbert Kleber was hailed for his pioneering work in addiction treatment, on the 23^rd anniversary of his election to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine. Today's Google doodle was illustrated by Massachusetts-based artist and author of the graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo Jarrett J. Krosoczka.

He viewed addiction as a medical condition as opposed to a moral failure. Rather than punishing or shaming patients, he stressed the importance of research, assisting to keep many patients on the road to recovery and avoid relapse through the careful use of medication and therapeutic communities.

His success highly drew the attention of the former President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. The former President appointed him as the Deputy Director for Demand Reduction at the Office of National Drug Control Policy. As co-founder of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Dr Kleber was a leader in reframing the field of substance abuse research and treatment as a medical discipline.

Herbert David Kleber was listed as one of the "Best Doctors in America" and "Best Doctors in New York. He was elected to be a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science in 1996. He also on the Board of a number of organizations, including the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the Treatment Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Betty Ford Institute.

Dr Herbert Kleber died 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. Google today honors him with a beautiful doodle.