Judianne Densen-Gerber (November 13, 1934 – May 11, 2003) was an American psychiatrist, lawyer, and educator. She worked in the field of

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

rehabilitation, and campaigned against

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

, domestic violence and pornography. Densen-Gerber founded

Odyssey House Odyssey House is the name of private not-for-profit organization established in 1967 in East Harlem to provide treatment and education for drug and alcohol addiction and victims of child abuse. While additional centres have since opened in the US ...

, an organisation for drug and alcohol rehabilitation. She was accused of abuse and financial impropriety within the organization in 1979, and resigned in 1983 after agreeing to pay back $20,000 in excessive personal expenses.

Early life

She was born to Gustave Gerber, a chemical engineer and Beatrice Densen, an heiress. She graduated from

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

in 1956,

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

(JD (1959), and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

(MD 1963). Until 1997, she was married to pathologist

Michael Baden Michael M. Baden (born July 27, 1934) is an American physician and board-certified forensic pathologist known for his work investigating high-profile deaths and as the host of HBO's ''Autopsy''. Baden was the chief medical examiner of the Ci ...

. She died in her sleep from cancer. At the time of her death, she was a resident of

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

Career

She founded

while working as a resident psychiatrist at

Metropolitan Hospital The Metropolitan Hospital Center (MHC, also referred to as Metropolitan Hospital) is a hospital in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City. It has been affiliated with New York Medical College since it was founded in 1875, representing ...

. In 1979, ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' magazine published a detailed article by investigative journalist

Lucy Komisar Lucy Komisar (born 1942) is a New York City-based investigative journalist and drama critic. Komisar was editor of the ''Mississippi Free Press'' in Jackson, Mississippi from 1962 to 1963. The weekly covered the civil rights movement and relat ...

alleging serious abuse and financial misconduct at Odyssey House, including that Densen-Gerber used residents as personal servants. Former staff and residents also reported cult-like behavior, including that residents were asked to pledge loyalty to Densen-Gerber and light candles in her honor. In 1983 she resigned her position as executive director after a state investigation found financial irregularities. Densen-Gerber paid back $20,000 in excessive personal expenses in order to close the investigation.

Publications

*''Odyssey House: A Structural Model for the Successful Employment and Re-Entry of the Ex-Drug Abuser'' Volume: 4 issue: 4, page(s): 414–427, Issue published: October 1, 1974, Judianne Densen-Gerber, J. D., M. D., David Drassner, M.S., Ed.M. https://doi.org/10.1177/002204267400400413 *''Drugs, sex, parents, and you''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Densen-Gerber, Judianne 1934 births 2003 deaths American women psychiatrists American psychiatrists 20th-century American women lawyers American lawyers American women educators Bryn Mawr College alumni Columbia Law School alumni New York University alumni Lawyers from Manhattan People from Westport, Connecticut Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 21st-century American women