Associate Professor Department of Health Science Minnesota State University, Mankato Thad Shunkwiler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato. With a focus on prevention science, his research interest includes vaping, cannabis use, and behavioral healthcare workforce development. In addition to his academic work, he is a licensed behavioral health provider with over a decade of experience in treating people with mental health and substance use disorders in Greater Minnesota. For his work in understanding the psychological impacts of cannabis use, he received a Governor’s appointment to the Therapeutic Cannabis Research Taskforce, which helped establish the medical cannabis program at the Minnesota Department of Health. His behavioral health workforce research led him to establish the Center for Rural Behavioral Health with the mission to ensure access to mental healthcare for rural and outstate communities in Minnesota. Professor Shunkwiler’s academic and clinical accolades include being named a Presidential Teaching Scholar, Forensic Mental Health Professional of the Year by Advanced Correctional Healthcare, and one of seventeen healthcare professionals in the country to be named a Fellow of the National Rural Health Association. Having presented at international, national, and statewide conferences, Professor Shunkwiler is a recognized expert on understanding mental health and substance abuse etiology, prevention, and treatment.