Mara Sandler Elected To CASAColumbia Board

NEW YORK, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASAColumbia) announced today that Mara Sandler has been elected to its board of directors.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100923/CASALOGO )

Sandler, an art consultant in New York City was also a psychotherapist at the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health from 1991 to 1993.  She sits on the board of directors at the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation where she serves as First Chair of the Woman to Woman Program. 

Sandler also serves as a trustee on the board at the Janet Burros Memorial Foundation, and on the board of directors at the 92nd Street Y, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she is the women's division president.

"We are delighted to have Mara Sandler join our esteemed board of directors. Mara is a mother on the front lines raising three children who understands that teen substance use is a public health problem of epidemic proportions. She is the perfect addition to help counsel CASAColumbia and shape our future," said Jeffrey B. Lane, CASAColumbia's Chairman.

"Joining the CASAColumbia board is a true honor for me.  Having personally experienced the damaging effect addiction has on families, I am fully committed to supporting CASAColumbia's mission to affect policy, provide treatment research and act as a beacon for prevention, education and genuine caring," said Mara Sandler.

Sandler is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a master's in education from Teachers College at Columbia University.

CASAColumbia is a science-based, multidisciplinary organization focused on transforming society's understanding of and response to the disease of addiction.  Founded in 1992 by Former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASAColumbia assembles the professional skills needed to research, prevent, treat and eliminate this disease in all sectors of society. CASAColumbia conducts research and utilizes the scientific findings of others to inform Americans of the economic and social costs of substance use and addiction and their impact on each of our lives. By doing so, CASAColumbia aims to reduce the stigma attached to this disease by replacing shame with hope and give people the tools they need to prevent, treat and eliminate addiction.

CASAColumbia has issued 77 reports and white papers, published three books, conducted demonstration programs focused on children, families and schools in 37 states and Washington, DC, held 19 conferences, and has been evaluating addiction treatment and prevention programs to determine what treatment models work best for individuals.

SOURCE The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University