Sandra D. Comer, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and Research Scientist VI at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Following her Ph.D. studies at the University of Michigan and post-doctoral research at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Comer joined Columbia University in 1993.  Since then, her research focus has been on developing and testing novel approaches to treating opioid use disorders. As the Director of the Opioid Laboratories in the Division on Substance Use Disorders, Dr. Comer runs a highly active research program devoted to examining various aspects of the abuse liability of opioids. For the last 10 years, Dr. Comer has served on the Institutional Review Board at NYSPI and is familiar with the regulatory requirements of research with human volunteers.

In addition, she is an active member of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), the longest-standing group in the United States addressing problems of drug dependence and abuse. She served as Chair of the Program Committee, was elected President in 2015-2016, and currently serves as the Public Policy Officer of CPDD. Dr. Comer is a member of the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Dependence. Dr. Comer gives lectures and presentations to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reviews grant applications for the National Institutes of Health, and mentors pre-and post-doctoral students. Dr. Comer has published over 150 papers, chapters, and books on issues related to substance use disorders.

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