Dr. Wittmer has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Washington State University, and did his internship at The Ohio State University Medical Center. His primary specialty area of study at Washington State was in health psychology, which applies the principles of cognitive restructuring and behavior modification to patients with primary medical disorders such as obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease, cancer, chronic pain, physical disabilities, and smoking cessation. 

Dr. Wittmer is a licensed psychologist in the State of Florida. He began his training and experience with chronic pain patients in 1982. He has been at Brooks Rehabilitation for the past 22 years in the dual position of clinical psychologist and Executive Director of Brooks Behavioral Medicine (which includes the pain rehabilitation program).

He has published articles on chronic pain for years in his association (as courtesy professor in the Clinical and Health Psychology Department) with the University of Florida. Brooks Health System and the University of Florida developed the Brooks Center for Rehabilitation Studies (BCRS) in order to promote research for people with disabilities. Dr. Wittmer is actively involved with research through BCRS.