Norma Finkelstein, Ph.D. is founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Health and Recovery, a statewide policy, program / systems development, training, services and research organization located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Prior to this, Dr. Finkelstein was the founder and Executive Director of the Women's Alcoholism Program/CASPAR, Inc., a comprehensive prevention, education, and treatment program for chemically dependent women and their families. She received her MSW from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. from the Florence Heller School, Brandeis University.

Over the last 35 years, Dr. Finkelstein's work has focused on substance abuse prevention and treatment, with specific emphasis on women, children and families; pregnancy and substance use / abuse; integrated care for women with substance abuse, mental illness and histories of violence; trauma informed services; tobacco education and cessation; and family centered care. Dr. Finkelstein's cross system's work has focused on "normalizing the conversation" on alcohol, tobacco and drug use, and abuse within generic health, child welfare, and other human service settings. Her expertise in designing and managing services as well as in the areas of policy, planning, and research has resulted in over 40 professional publications including "Getting Sober, Getting Well. A Treatment Guide for Caregivers Who Work With Women" and "The Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery."

Dr. Finkelstein has served as a reviewer for a number of scientific publications, as a mentor in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Developing Leadership in Substance Abuse Program, and as a consultant to numerous federal funding agencies including: the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA); the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT); the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS); and the Health Research Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). In addition, she has been the principal investigator and manager of over 25 public health, mental health, and maternal and child health grants and contracts.

Dr. Finkelstein has been the recipient of numerous awards including: the Francis O'Brien Award given by the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Association of Massachusetts (ADAA) for Outstanding Leadership in the Field of Substance Abuse; the Mayor's Crossing Generations Award given by the City of Cambridge for support and commitment to young women's development; the New England Chapter of the National Association for Perinatal Addiction Research and Education's (NAPARE) Award for dedication and commitment to service and research on behalf of alcohol and drug dependent women; the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Worker's Most Significant Contribution to Social Work Practice Award; the Alcohol and Drug Problems Association of North America's Outstanding Accomplishments in Alcohol and Drug Programming Award; and the National Council on Alcoholism's New Pioneer Award.