Psychiatry prof McLellan, Kalpen Modi selected to join Obama administration

Penn professors' involvement in the Obama administration didn't stop at the transition team, as evidenced by the announcement of several new appointments last week.

Psychiatry professor Thomas McLellan will become the deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, according to a press release from the White House.

The White House release described McLellan as "one of the nation's leading experts on addiction and substance abuse."

He is accredited with developing the two most widely used methods for assessing addiction and treatments.

If confirmed by the Senate, McLellan will advise the president and coordinate anti-drug efforts.

He joins a number of scientists in Obama's administration, including Secretary for Energy and Nobel Laureate Steven Chu.

With a focus on a better understanding of the factors that lead to treatment success, McLellan has published over 400 articles on addiction research.

His research is directed toward treating addiction as a disease and working to reduce the stigma associated with substance abuse.

In 2000, he published an article that compared drug addiction to chronic disease and contrasted attitudes to their treatment.

In addition to his position at Penn, he is the CEO of the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia, a not-for-profit institute dedicated to reducing America's dependence on alcohol and drugs.

McLellan already serves in an advisory capacity for the Office of National Drug Control Policy and also the World Health Organization, among others.

McLellan's appointment follows the announcement that actor and former adjunct professor in the Asian American Studies Department Kalpen Modi - screen name Kal Penn - will serve as associate director of the Office of Public Liaison.

Modi, who also starred in the television series House, taught ASAM 109: "Images of Asian Americans in the Media" at Penn last year.

Modi's position will place him at the center of what Obama's Web site describes as "the front door to the White House."

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