For the last ten years he was responsible for the development and implementation of suicide prevention training programs statewide. Prior to his current position Dr. Canning was a staff psychologist with the Department, and worked in a prison medical facility providing mental health treatment to inmates diagnosed with HIV. Dr. Canning earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto, CA in 1993. He has published a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals.