Winters received his BA from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in Psychology (Clinical) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

His research interests include the assessment and treatment of adolescent drug abuse, and the prevalence and etiology of problem gambling.

Dr. Winters has published several assessment tools and numerous articles in the area of adolescent substance abuse and pathological gambling. He is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Gambling Studies and the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. He consults for many organizations, including the Hazelden Foundation, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Mentor Foundation (an international prevention organization). His previous experience includes appointments as a psychology research scientist at Stony Brook and a staff psychologist at a community mental health center.