2022 Scientific Achievement Award Winners

Research Category
Sarah E. Nelson, PhD. 
Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Director of Research, Division on Addiction, Cambridge Health Alliance

The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) is pleased to honor Dr. Sarah Nelson with the 2022 ICRG Scientific Achievement Award for her outstanding contributions to the field of gambling disorder.

Nelson is well known in the gambling studies field for many reasons. Exemplary works include studies of voluntary self-exclusion and actual online gambling and gaming. Her research has suggested that self-exclusion provides an important pathway for recovery and also serves as a reasonable proxy for gambling-related problems in internet gambling player records studies. Nelson also played a key role in the Division on Addiction team that was the first to publish research using actual internet gambling player records. This and related work have helped shape contemporary understandings of internet gambling, illustrating the value of player records as a complement to self-report research strategies and showing how operators might use gambling records to identify and intervene with players who might have problems with gambling. Nelson recently was the lead author on the first paper to use daily fantasy sports player records to understand the distribution and characteristics of typical and atypical daily fantasy sports activity. This important work filled a void of knowledge about this activity that shares many aspects of traditional gambling. 

Throughout her career, Nelson has advocated for the field of gambling studies to adopt more rigorous designs, use more valid measures and interpret findings more carefully. The field’s maturation has resulted, in part, from these efforts. She continues to publish novel findings as a lead author that are important for our collective understanding of gambling and disordered gambling. Yet, she simultaneously is working to lift up the next generation of gambling research scientists by providing mentored research experiences that result in high quality publications in esteemed journals. 

Education Category
James P. Whelan, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Director, Psychological Services Center
University of Memphis

The International Center for Responsible Gaming is pleased to honor Dr. James P. Whelan with the 2022 ICRG Scientific Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of gambling disorder.

Whelan’s career, spanning three decades, has exemplified connecting research with practice, not only expanding the knowledge base of gambling disorder but also helping inform relevant clinical practice and raising awareness for the general public. His many achievements in research include the development of The Gamblers’ Belief Questionnaire, The Gambling Self – Efficacy Questionnaire and the Gambling Timeline Followback—all impactful instruments in the field. Beyond academia, his work has led to casino companies seeking his assistance in developing responsible gambling policies. The American Gaming Association invited Dr. Whelan to join the Responsible Gambling Collaborative to help craft the AGA’s Effectiveness Principles.

Whelan’s commitment to public awareness of gambling disorder began with the establishment of the Gambling Clinic, an outpatient gambling treatment center which he co-founded in 1999. He co-created an evidence-based treatment guide for a brief gambling intervention, which has helped more than 1,200 of those with gambling problems successfully make change. Most recently, he worked on passing the Tennessee Education Lottery Bill, creating a statewide safety net for those with gambling difficulties. Perhaps the crown jewel of his outreach efforts has been the “Control the Troll” brand. Whelan recruited an inter-disciplinary team of advertising and marketing professionals to help develop a wide-ranging dissemination campaign throughout the Mid-South, reaching thousands through billboards, television commercials, health fairs and presentations. 

Finally, Whelan’s mentoring of young scientists has made a long-lasting contribution to the field of gambling studies. Notable alumni have continued their own work in gambling, such as Jeremiah Weinstock, Tim Steenbergh, Ryan May, Rory Pfund, Sam Peter and Meredith Ginley.  The future of gambling studies is brighter because of Whelan’s outstanding mentoring of young scientists.

2022 Scientific Achievement Award Selection Committee

Tammy Chung, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

T. Celeste Napier, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director, Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction
Rush University

Katherine Spilde, PhD, MBA
Endowed Chair, Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming 
Professor
L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
San Diego State University