Dr. Ken Winters Named Chairman Of NCRG Scientific Advisory Board
Board also Welcomes Drs. David Hodgins, Gloria Miele and Wendy Slutske as New Members
Jul 10, 2013
WASHINGTON – The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) today announced that Ken Winters, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse at the University of Minnesota, has been named the chairman of the organization’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The eight-member panel of leading, independent scientists plays a vital role by ensuring that the organization follows rigorous standards in awarding grants, monitoring the work of the NCRG Centers of Excellence in Gambling Research and advising the NCRG on funding initiatives and educational activities. Dr. Winters replaces Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate dean for research and planning in the College of Public Health and Health Professions and Dean’s Professor and Chair for the department of epidemiology in the Colleges of Medicine and Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida, who will remain as a member of the SAB.
The SAB also added three new members with diverse research backgrounds: David Hodgins, Ph.D., professor of psychology in the department of psychology and institute node coordinator for the University of Calgary, Alberta Gaming Research Institute; Gloria M. Miele, Ph.D., instructor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and principal at Optimal Development Coaching; and Wendy Slutske, Ph.D., professor in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
“It is with great pleasure that I pass the torch to my long-standing friend and colleague, Dr. Ken Winters,” said Dr. Cottler. “His background, coupled with his extensive knowledge of the field, is invaluable, and he has a remarkable ability to easily articulate the developments in the field of gambling disorders research and the funding landscape for that research in a way that is accessible for all.”
Dr. Winters is a leading expert in the study of risky behaviors among youth, including gambling. His research interests include assessment and treatment of adolescent drug abuse and gambling; adolescent brain development and vulnerability to drug abuse; and assessment and treatment of adult problem gambling. He has published numerous research articles in these areas, and has received numerous research grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and various foundations. Dr. Winters was honored by the NCRG with the Scientific Achievement Award in 2005 for his work on gambling disorders.
Dr. Winters serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. He was also the lead editor for two Treatment Improvement Protocol Series editions published by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA) that focused on adolescent drug abuse assessment and treatment. Dr. Winters is a consultant to many organizations, including the Hazelden Foundation, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Partnership at Drugfree.org, the World Health Organization and the Mentor Foundation (an international drug abuse prevention organization).
“I am honored to accept this expanded role on the NCRG’s SAB,” said Dr. Winters. “On behalf of the entire board, we thank Dr. Cottler for her leadership and guidance for the past four years and we look forward to her continued contribution to the board. We are also thrilled to welcome Drs. Hodgins, Miele and Slutske as new board members. With their diverse backgrounds and expertise, I am confident that they will make invaluable contributions to help further the organization and its goal of supporting high-quality research.”
At the University of Calgary, Dr. Hodgins focuses on three interrelated lines of cutting-edge research in the area of gambling disorders—natural history research, the design and evaluation of brief interventions, and the study of the precipitants of relapse to gambling disorders. His research on brief treatment interventions is recognized around the world and is listed as an evidence-based treatment by SAMHSA. Dr. Hodgins has published more than 100 articles in prestigious scientific journals, and has authored and co-authored a number of books on this topic. He was also the recipient of the 2010 NCRG Scientific Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contributions to this field of research.
In addition to her role as a professor at Columbia University, Dr. Miele is a business development and leadership coach, speaker, consultant and trainer who has been helping people reach their goals for over 25 years. She previously served as a training director and research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University where she developed training programs on good research practices, HIV risk behavior assessment, diagnostic interviewing and behavioral interventions. Prior to this, she was the program director for the Women’s Health Project Treatment and Research Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, where she developed programs and treatment strategies for women with a history of trauma and substance abuse. She has also contributed to more than 30 publications and serves as a reviewer for several high-impact, peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Slutske has been with the University of Missouri-Columbia since 1997 and is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on the behavioral genetics of gambling disorders. Her work on the landmark all-male Vietnam Era Twin Study demonstrated that there are shared susceptibility genes that contribute to the risk for gambling disorders, alcohol use disorders and antisocial behavior. Dr. Slutske’s analysis of large epidemiological studies has also led to the groundbreaking finding that gambling disorders are episodic rather than chronic. She has published more than 100 articles in highly-cited, peer-reviewed journals and was the recipient of the 2011 NCRG Scientific Achievement Award.
In addition to Drs. Cottler, Hodgins, Meile, Slutske and Winters, the NCRG SAB includes Tammy Chung, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh; Mark S. Gold, M.D., Donald Dizney Eminent Scholar, Distinguished Professor and Chair of psychology in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida; and Miriam Jorgensen, Ph.D., M.P.P., research director at the Native Nations Institute of the University of Arizona and research director for the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at Harvard University. For more information on the NCRG SAB, visitwww.ncrg.org.
