Rand Conger, an Iowa State professor of rural sociology, has been named to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse.

Conger said he was pleased to be appointed to the council because of the small number of people who have had the opportunity to serve on the council.

The council has “done a great deal to sponsor research about substance abuse in the past,” he said. “There’s a lot of work already underway. It holds great promise for reducing drug abuse.”

His involvement at ISU with the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research and the work the Institute has accomplished was one factor in his appointment, Conger said.

“[This group] has been doing quite a bit of research on substance use and abuse,” Conger said, adding that his appointment is a “testament to the center and the support the center has received” from the university.

According to a press release from the College of Agriculture, Conger specializes in studies of families, including how families influence risk for substance abuse.

He began his term in December 1997 and will serve on the council until 2001.

The council, which has 24 members, advises, consults with and makes recommendations to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

It also works with the director of the National Institutes of Health on program and policy matters related to drug abuse, according to the press release.

Conger has been a faculty member of ISU since 1984. He has also been director of the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research, formerly the Social and Behavioral Research Center for Rural Health, since its creation in 1988.