Archives for August 2023

What do you know about AI and higher education?

August 30, 2023 by Strategic Communication

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing technology worldwide. We still don’t know how AI will impact our lives, resulting in excitement and celebration, but also fear and concerns.

Missouri State University’s McQueary College of Health and Human Services will host an AI Speakers Series with the featured presentation titled, “AI and Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges.”

List of events

The series will take place Sept. 15, Oct. 27 and Nov. 10 and is open to all MSU faculty, staff and students:

Sept. 15

“AI and Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges,” 1:30 p.m., McQueary Family Health Sciences Hall 126 or over Zoom.

As the featured presentation, these panelists will delve into the opportunities and challenges of AI in higher education:

Dr. Xiang Guo, interim department head for information technology and cybersecurity (ITC), MSU.
Alfonso Mendoza Jr., Google innovator and founder of “My EDtech Life.”
Alyssa Rochwerger, senior director of the digital member experience, Blue Shield of California.
Dr. Zhiguo Yang, associate professor in the ITC department, MSU.
Dr. Tori Mondelli, founding director of the Teaching for Learning Center, University of Missouri.

RSVP for this event

Oct. 27

“AI in Public Health and Healthcare: How I Learned to Love the Machine and Fear it too,” 1:30 p.m., McQueary Family Health Sciences Hall 126 or over Zoom.

For the second presentation of the series, the lead speaker, Dr. David Luxton will discuss his experience as an affiliate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Luxton is an author and research scientist focused on the design and study of innovative technologies in health care with specialization in AI and ethics.

Nov. 10

“Write Effective ChatGPT Prompts to Boost Research Productivity,” 1:30 p.m., Zoom.

For the final installment of the series, Dr. Ruopeng An will discuss his experiences as an associate professor at Brown School of Social Work and as part of the Division of Computational and Data Sciences at Washington University St. Louis.

An is the founder and chair of the AI and Big Data Analytics for Public Health (AIBDA) Certificate Program, as well as the author of over 200 journal publications. He is within the top 2% most citied scientists on Elsevier and a fellow at the American College of Epidemiology.

Learn more about AI

Join all sessions to hear engaging discussions on the intersection of artificial intelligence, health and higher education. There will be plenty of information to help you discover the latest advancements and explore potential challenges in these critical fields.

There will be light refreshments and prize drawings at the in-person sessions.

Attend the fall speakers series

New alliance will transform health care education in the region

August 29, 2023 by Strategic Communication

Four of our region’s leading institutions announced the creation of the Alliance for Healthcare Education on Aug. 29.

The Alliance is a bold, collaborative approach that will develop the talent to meet – and exceed – our region’s health care workforce needs for decades to come.

The new entity is an unprecedented partnership among CoxHealth, Missouri State University (MSU), Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) and Springfield Public Schools (SPS). Leaders at these institutions recognize that by working together, they can achieve more than any one of them could alone.

When the partnership is fully realized, the Alliance will be the largest producer of health sciences professionals in the Midwest.

The joint announcement took place at Cox College, where the leaders of the four partnering institutions – Max Buetow, president and CEO of CoxHealth; Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of OTC; Dr. Grenita Lathan, superintendent of SPS; and Clif Smart, president of MSU – came together to share the news.

“The Alliance for Healthcare Education will benefit an array of stakeholders — students, the health care sector and patients,” the leaders of the four institutions said in a joint statement. “This pioneering collaboration promises to improve access to training opportunities while maintaining affordability. By refining and simplifying these educational pathways, our community’s medical providers will have access to a larger pool of well-qualified professionals capable of fulfilling vital roles from administration to the operating room.

“Despite its composition as a consortium of educational institutions, the collective gains are far-reaching, for we will all inevitably engage with the health care profession at some point. This collaboration will enhance patient experience and outcomes, yielding mutual advantages for everyone involved.”

The health care landscape

Across the country, the health care sector is grappling with a notable workforce challenge, and our region is no exception. In southwest Missouri, we are uniquely positioned for collaboration with strong educational and health care professionals who are accustomed to working together.

The creation of the Alliance will allow each institution to bring their strengths to more students than ever before.

The Alliance will inspire and prepare future health care experts by providing unsurpassed access to the highest quality interdisciplinary education and industry experiences. Students will achieve their full professional potential through seamless pathways that support them at every stage of their careers.

As part of the change, Cox College will be fully integrated into the Alliance. Current Cox College students will complete their programs. Pending approval of the Higher Learning Commission and other accrediting organizations, over time, Cox College will transition its bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs to MSU, and its associate programs to OTC.

In addition, OTC and SPS will work to establish a pathway through which high school juniors and seniors can participate in health education programs offered by OTC. These programs will allow students to simultaneously complete their high school diploma while earning an associate degree.

Ultimately, the Alliance will create pipelines that allow students early access to the industry and professional opportunities.

In the future, the Alliance hopes to attract other participants, including additional high schools.

Alliance administration

The Alliance will be housed at Cox North, including space where Cox College is currently located.

The Alliance will be established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, owned by the four parties. The Alliance will be administered by a governing board comprised of the chief executive officers of the owner-participants, and one or more community board members as determined by the owner-participants. Day-to-day operational decisions will be vetted and recommended by an Operations Council of representatives from each of the owner-participants.

In the coming months, all four organizations will work through details, and provide updates to the public on this exciting new chapter in workforce development for our region.

The creation of the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences

August 21, 2023 by Strategic Communication

On July 1, the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) underwent some changes as a part of the campus wide academic realignment plan.

One of the most prominent changes is the addition of a new school to MCHHS.

The School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences will group together programs within psychology, social work and counseling.

The counseling department will move over from the College of Education (COE).

A range of options

Within the new school, there will be many degree options available for students, from a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) to Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Science in Counseling to Doctor of Psychology (PsyD).

“While the programs have different philosophies, training models and accrediting agencies, they all share a common educational objective,” said Dr. Paul Deal, associate professor of psychology and director for the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences.

In the new school, psychology will continue to offer non-clinical options at the undergraduate and graduate levels for those interested in behavioral sciences.

The difference for faculty and students

This is a large change for all within MCHHS.

Faculty will see opportunities for increased collaboration related to teaching and research concerning the interdisciplinary approach to mental health and behavioral science. This transition provides a more coordinated approach to discussing development of the next health care workforce.

Students can utilize this space for a central academic unit in one college to prepare the next workforce for the world of mental and behavioral health. With these new resources, they can take advantage of clearer and more connected academic pathways.

Leaders of the new school

As the creation of the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences marks a new chapter in MCHHS history, it’s imperative to have strong faculty at the forefront.

Deal will serve as school director and the program directors will be:

Psychology

Dana Paliliunas – PsyD.
Michael Clayton – Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT).
Thomas Kane – MS Psychology: Industrial-Organizational Option (MS-IO).
Wayne Mitchell – MS Psychology: Experimental Psychology Option (MS-EXP).

Counseling

Karrie Swan – Master of Mental Health (MS-Mental Health).

Social Work

Natalie Curry – BSW coordinator.
Regina Russell – BSW field coordinator.
Amanda Keys – MSW coordinator.
Tiffany Havlin – MSW field coordinator.

Learn more about other changes within MCHHS

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