Dr. Winawer's clinical and research interests are in the genetics of epilepsy and Long COVID. Her research focuses on identifying genetic contributions to human health and disease with a focus on epilepsy, incorporating expertise in genetic epidemiology, human translational neuroscience, animal models, and imaging. Her recent work has led to the identification of the emerging role of somatic brain localized mutations in individuals with intractable focal epilepsy.

Clinically, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Winawer has become CUIMC's expert in the neurological care of individuals with lasting sequelae of COVID-19, and in collaboration with the department of Infectious Disease, she has helped to form a multidisciplinary foundation-funded center for care and research of infection associated chronic conditions (IACCS) including Long COVID.