Dr. Matthew Rossheim
Associate Professor, Department of Public Health
Education & Experience:
Matthew E. Rossheim, PhD, MPH, FAAHB, is a tenured Associate Professor at the University
of North Texas Health Science Center. His research examines how laws, retail environments,
product design, marketing, and industry practices shape the availability, appeal,
use, and harms of intoxicating consumer products.
Dr. Rossheim earned a PhD in Public Health Sciences from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Florida, and a BA in Economics from the University of Florida. Before joining UNT Health as a faculty member in 2021, he served as an Assistant Professor at George Mason University. He also previously served as Instructor and Director of the MPH Community Health Program at UNT Health.
Dr. Rossheim has developed a nationally recognized research program focused on alcohol, hemp-derived intoxicating cannabis products, and other emerging intoxicants. His work is especially focused on rapidly evolving markets that often outpace traditional public health surveillance, regulation, and enforcement.
Teaching Areas & Public Health Interests:
Dr. Rossheim teaches and mentors students in public health research methods, health
behavior theory, applied statistics, generalized linear modeling, multilevel modeling,
manuscript preparation, literature review and proposal development, and the design
and evaluation of preventive interventions. His teaching emphasizes applied learning,
scientific judgment, clear communication, and the use of research to address urgent
real-world public health problems.
His public health interests center on how laws, retail environments, product design, marketing, and industry practices shape the use and harms of intoxicating consumer products. His work focuses primarily on alcohol, cannabis, kratom, nitrous oxide, and other emerging intoxicants. Across these areas, he is especially interested in retail availability, commercial determinants of substance use, public health law, policy and enforcement, injury prevention, and translating research into timely policy and prevention action.
Dr. Rossheim is deeply committed to student mentorship and applied public health training. He has taught across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels and has mentored dozens of students whose work has contributed to peer-reviewed publications, scientific presentations, and applied public health scholarship.
Professional Activities & Awards:
Dr. Rossheim’s professional activities focus on translating scientific evidence into
action that can improve public health policy, prevention, enforcement, litigation,
and public understanding. He frequently works with public health organizations, community
coalitions, policymakers, legal stakeholders, journalists, and national experts to
address emerging intoxicant product markets and their implications for public health
and safety.
His applied scholarship includes policy briefs, technical reports, affidavits, public testimony, op-eds, public health education materials, and media engagement. His research and expert commentary have been featured by major national and international media outlets including BBC, CNN, CBS, NBC, NPR, Texas Monthly, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Dr. Rossheim has received statewide and national recognition for his contributions to public health research and policy. He received the 2025 Advocate of the Year Award from CADCA for his contributions to substance use prevention policy. In 2025, he was also recognized by a State of Texas Resolution of Commendation for Public Health Leadership for his statewide and national public health impact. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior and an elected faculty member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.
Dr. Rossheim serves in advisory and service roles with national, state, and community organizations focused on alcohol, cannabis, and substance use prevention, including organizations working to improve policy, surveillance, enforcement, and public health communication.
Scholarly Interests:
Dr. Rossheim studies how laws, retail markets, product design, marketing practices,
and industry behavior influence the use and harms of intoxicating consumer products.
A central goal of his scholarship is to generate rigorous, timely, and actionable
evidence that helps policymakers, regulators, public health practitioners, legal stakeholders,
and communities make better decisions, while also supporting accurate public communication
about emerging intoxicant markets.
He has authored or co-authored 120 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals across public health and substance use research. His research has been cited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, and other federal and international public health authorities. His studies on high-alcohol-content flavored beverages were cited in Canadian federal regulatory action limiting alcohol content in these products, and his work on intoxicating hemp-derived cannabis products has informed federal legislation, state policy discussions, and federal agency deliberations.
Dr. Rossheim is particularly known for his work on intoxicating hemp-derived cannabis products such as delta-8 THC, high-alcohol-content flavored beverages (“supersized” alcopops), and emerging intoxicants sold in vape shops, smoke shops, and other retail settings, including kratom and nitrous oxide. His research program bridges traditional peer-reviewed scholarship with applied public health translation, including rapid surveillance studies, legal and regulatory analysis, expert reports, testimony, op-eds, and public communication.
Across this work, Dr. Rossheim seeks to understand how emerging intoxicant markets
create new public health risks, how policy gaps and enforcement barriers allow harmful
products to proliferate, and how research can be used to protect families and communities.
Link to Dr. Rossheim’s Curriculum Vitae: