Winters to Receive 2005 Scientific Achievement Award
Dr. Ken Winters, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at the University of Minnesota, will be recognized for his distinguished career in the field of adolescent high risk behaviors with the National Center for Responsible Gaming's (NCRG) 2005 Senior Investigator Award. Winters was nominated by his peers for his commitment and dedication to addressing youth drug and alcohol abuse and disordered gambling through academic, clinical and research channels.
In the early 1990s, Winters and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota were approached by the state of Minnesota to investigate any potential public health risks to the adolescent population if the state approved either a lottery or casino gambling. Winters was studying youth addictions at the time and, despite the prevailing skepticism of his behavioral health colleagues, thought the issue worth exploring. His surprise by the strong connection between disordered gambling and other adolescent delinquent behaviors, as well as the potential risks for addiction sparked his curiosity and inspired the continuation of his studies.
Since that time, Winters' groundbreaking research in the field of addictions has provided considerable insight into identifying both the risk and protective factors associated with youth pathological gamblers and also has led to breakthroughs in understanding the course of early onset pathological gambling. These findings have significant implications for the prevention and intervention of youth disordered gambling.
"Dr. Winters' research literally has changed the way researchers, clinicians and academics worldwide approach their work in this field," said Dennis Eckart, chairman of the NCRG. "We are honored to recognize his many accomplishments as an outstanding professional, colleague and mentor, and his ongoing contributions to the global understanding and treatment of pathological gambling."
Winters' early work in assessment strategies included the development of the most widely used instrument to assess gambling severity among adolescents, the SOGS-RA, which paved the way for numerous adolescent prevalence studies. Additionally, his work in understanding the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying gambling and its comorbidity with drug use and abuse has advanced clinical treatment programs for pathological gamblers, as well as the prevention of gambling problems.
In addition to his position at the University of Minnesota, Winters is a senior scientist at the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia. He also has served on a number of prestigious domestic and international committees, and has consulted to governments throughout the world on issues related to adolescent and young adult risky behaviors. A well-published researcher, Winters has co-authored 35 chapters and written 67 referred articles in peer-reviewed journals, including 12 in the Journal of Gambling Studies, the preeminent journal in the field of problem gambling research.
"This is the first award I've ever received, and it is an honor to know that my fellow researchers feel that my work merits this recognition," Winters said. "The fact that the NCRG is able to offer such an award shows just how much this field of research is maturing. Such an award would not have been possible 10 to 15 years ago."
Winters was selected for the 2005 NCRG Senior Investigator Award by an independent committee of distinguished leaders in the field of addictions and gambling research chaired by Joseph Coyle, Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The award will be presented at a luncheon on Dec. 8 as part of the NCRG Conference on Gambling and Addiction.
