Health and Human Services News

From reflection to action

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At the beginning of this academic year, I shared two letters with the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) community where I reflected on who we are, the challenges we face and the kind of college we should aspire to become together. Those letters were rooted in reflection on courage, compassion, accountability, psychological safety and the importance of building a culture grounded in trust, openness and shared purpose.

As I reflect on the year, I am extremely proud of how our college collaboratively transformed reflection into action. Across MCHHS, faculty, staff, students and community partners all demonstrated what is possible when we move forward together with purpose, commitment and care.

Dr. Mark Smith headshot.
Dr. Mark Smith

A few highlights

One of the most exciting milestones this year was the opening of the Collaborative Care Clinic. This initiative represents the very best of interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement. The clinic clearly reflects a commitment to preparing students for team-based care while also providing meaningful services to the communities we serve. Watching this vision become reality reminds me of what we can achieve when we work together with innovation and a shared mission.

FY 2026 also marked exciting progress at the Alliance for Healthcare Education and the continued growth of nursing education partnerships that are helping address workforce needs across our region. Welcoming the first two cohorts of nursing students represented a significant milestone. These students symbolize not only the future of healthcare in Missouri but also the power of collaboration between education and community healthcare systems. Their success reinforces our commitment to expanding access to healthcare education while preparing compassionate, highly skilled professionals who will serve communities throughout the state.

Additionally, this year brought tremendous success in accreditation efforts. Our programs in anesthesia, audiology, public health and speech-language pathology each completed highly successful accreditation reviews. These accomplishments reflect the dedication, professionalism and tireless work of faculty, staff, students and leadership teams across the college. Accreditation successes like these affirm the quality of our programs and our continued commitment to academic excellence and student success.

Throughout the year, the McQueary Minute highlighted the heart of our college through stories of student achievement, faculty scholarship, innovative teaching, clinical partnerships, outreach efforts and service to communities across Missouri and beyond. These stories consistently reminded me that our work extends far beyond classrooms and clinics. Every interaction, mentorship opportunity, research project and act of service contributes to transforming lives and strengthening communities.

Fostering open communication

In my letters, I also discussed the importance of transparency, dialogue and creating spaces where people feel heard and valued. This year, I have been encouraged by the ways our college community embraced opportunities for collaboration, conversation and relationship building. Whether through formal initiatives or everyday interactions, I have seen people come together with a shared commitment to strengthening our culture and supporting one another.

We saw this spirit reflected in the most attended MCHHS Awards Banquet in college history, where faculty, staff students, and partners gathered to celebrate excellence and community. We saw this when more than 80 MCHHS faculty members attended spring commencement in support of our students and their accomplishments. We saw this at the first ever all college staff retreats, which created meaningful opportunities for collaboration, dialogue and shared problem solving. We saw this as MCHHS faculty and staff collectively welcomed over 1,000 high school students to our spaces, during our monthly Friday high school visits and showcases. To me, it is during moments like these where we clearly demonstrate that our culture continues to grow stronger through shared experiences, recognition and collective pride in one another’s success.

As we prepare for the next academic year, I remain extremely optimistic about the future of MCHHS. The accomplishments we celebrate today are not endpoints … they are foundations for what comes next.

The completion of Phase 2 of Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall represents another transformational investment in the future of healthcare education and interdisciplinary collaboration. Next year, we will continue expanding services across our clinics while building upon important milestones, including the 10-year anniversary of the MSU Care Clinic and the 25-year celebration of the Ozarks Public Health Institute. These accomplishments reflect not only our growth as a college, but also our enduring commitment to serving communities, improving health outcomes and creating opportunities for students to learn through meaningful engagement and practice.

Most importantly, this year reaffirmed for me why we do what we do. Education is not only about knowledge. No, education is about people, purpose, compassion and hope grounded in integrity. I passionately believe that MCHHS is a place where we will continue to strive to model collaboration, care and courage in ways that positively impact our students and communities for generations to come.

Thank you for everything you have contributed this year. Because of you, MCHHS continues to demonstrate that education itself can be a living love letter to our students, communities, colleagues and ourselves.

Dr. Mark A. Smith, Dean

Where every Bear belongs

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The story of Paddington Bear conveys themes of kindness, open-mindedness and the importance of welcoming others.  

Paddington, a bear from “darkest Peru,” arrives in London, England, as a stranger and finds compassion and acceptance from the Brown family.  

Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear

Michael Bond, the story’s author, was inspired to write this beloved series of children’s books after discovering a lone stuffed bear in a London store on Christmas Eve in 1956. He bought it as a gift for his wife.  

The bear’s “refugee” status reminded Bond of the children evacuated from London during World War II or those who escaped from mainland Europe as the war began. Since the publication of the first book in 1958, “Paddington Bear has come to embody values of warmth, politeness and inclusivity.”  

A symbol of kindness at Missouri State  

Just as Paddington Bear found friendship, guidance and acceptance in a new and unfamiliar place, so do faculty, staff and students at Missouri State University. 

Paddington’s story symbolizes openness to others, reminding all of us of the value in offering support, patience and understanding to those seeking new beginnings. These values resonate with themes of embracing differences, extending warmth to newcomers and experiencing the transformative power of kindness. 

Gratitude campaign with the McQueary Bear 

This year, the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) elevated its annual gratitude campaign with a small token of appreciation. 

Before Thanksgiving break, all MCHHS full-time faculty and staff received the 2024-25 McQueary Bear as a symbol of the Paddington spirit – a memento celebrating the lasting impact each faculty and staff member has on students.  

The MCHHS Bear serves as a reminder that kindness and support can make all the difference in helping someone feel at home. 

Welcoming new students

However, the MCHHS Bear story does not end there. In spring and summer 2025, all new MCHHS students will also receive their own bear to commemorate their journey to a new home.  

This bear will serve as a reminder of Paddington’s story, where a small act of kindness —taking in a bear — leads to countless wonderful experiences and lasting friendships. Whether you are a bear from Peru, London, Springfield or anywhere else in the world, Missouri State/MCHHS is a supportive place where all Bears are indeed welcome. 

Be on the lookout for the MCHHS Bears, as “all bears need a good home.” 

Explore MCHHS

Dr. Ashlea Cardin featured in Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Dr. Ashlea Cardin for her feature in the Mind’s Eye magazine. Cardin is an associate professor of occupational therapy at Missouri State University.

Her research dives into removing barriers that prevent and/or restrict people from engaging in meaningful daily activities they need to do, want to do or must do that occupy their time. When they cannot engage in these activities, it affects their health and quality of life. 

She focuses her work on two groups – babies (and their family members) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Amish community.

Congratulations Dr. Cardin!

The full story is now available online.

Excerpt:

As an infant, Dr. Ashlea Cardin came into the world with many limb differences. This meant undergoing plenty of surgeries, therapies and rehabilitation throughout her childhood.

While she received high-quality care, it was not geared toward kids or their families.

“My therapy looked very much like a younger version of adult therapy,” said Cardin, associate professor of occupational therapy at Missouri State University. “I loved my therapists, but my therapy wasn’t fun.”

Her parents also lacked the information and guidance to help her at home. This caused them to see her as fragile, afraid of what she could and could not do.

“They didn’t have that person or coach who came alongside them and said, ‘It’s OK she does cartwheels or push-ups or goes across the monkey bars. Her movements are going to look a little bit different. Here’s how we protect her body. Here’s how we adapt,’” Cardin said.

Their collective experiences — both positive and negative — led her to pursue a career in health care, as a pediatric occupational therapist (OT).

MSU Care Clinic expands coverage

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Three years ago, the MSU Care Clinic saw an average of 330 patients a month. Today, that number is closer to 85. Beginning Sept. 3, the clinic will make a change that will restore its ability to care for as many underserved patients as possible.

The steep drop in patients is the result of Missouri’s expansion of Medicaid.

“We saw that expansion happen during the pandemic, and it gave greater access to Medicaid to those who needed it most,” said Justin Gassel, MSU Care Clinic manager. “But it also meant our clinic suddenly couldn’t accept a large number of patients we were previously caring for.”

About the clinic

The MSU Care Clinic is a collaboration between Mercy Hospital Springfield and Missouri State University. It opened inside the O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center on the MSU campus in 2015 to provide free health services and medication to underserved and uninsured patients.

“The MSU Care Clinic epitomizes the very essence of the university’s public affairs mission,” said Dr. Mark Smith, dean of the McQueary College of Health and Human Services at Missouri State.

“The clinic provides a valuable service to the community while simultaneously serving as an educational center for the upcoming health care workforce of the future. MSU faculty and staff are excited about the expansion of the clinic and, in collaboration with Mercy, are dedicated to serving and providing patients quality and affordable medical care.”

Committed to serving more patients

Historically, to qualify for care, patients must be between 18-64 years old, have no health insurance, be ineligible for Medicaid and have a household income equal to or less than 200% of the federal poverty line. Starting Sept. 3, the clinic will eliminate the Medicaid ineligibility requirement to expand access to care to more members of the community.

“We serve a very targeted patient population,” Gassel said. “The Medicaid expansion was immensely helpful to patients across the state, but it meant that most of the patients we had built relationships with and who trusted us with their care could no longer continue seeing us. This will restore our ability to care for some of our community’s most underserved patients for whom there are limited options for care.”

Gassel added one of the goals of the clinic is to provide a medical home for uninsured patients whose lack of access to primary care often results in emergency room visits.

“That is not the best place for patients who simply need help managing routine care like diabetes and blood pressure. That’s where we come in. Our team works to get them set up with a medical home here at the clinic.”

Primary care makes up the bulk of the focus at MSU Care Clinic, but other health care services are also available, including simple procedures, vaccines, pharmacy counseling, nutritional guidance, lab work, EKGs and more. The clinic expects an increase in patients now that it can accept Medicaid patients, those ineligible to enroll in Medicaid and anyone else who meets the clinic’s eligibility requirements.

“Our mission is to provide a medical home for some of the most vulnerable people in our community,” Gassel said. “This expansion allows us to do exactly that.”

Explore the MSU Care Clinic