MCHHS Alumni Archives - Health and Human Services News

From launch to milestone

May 8, 2026 by Ella Reuter

Launched in 2023, Missouri State University’s Postprofessional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (PP-OTD) program celebrates its first two graduates this May: Caitlan Schasteen and Ellie Murphy.

The duo also received their Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) from Missouri State.

According to PP-OTD director Dr. Sapna Chakraborty, the program was designed “with our alumni in mind, providing a pathway for practitioners with a master’s degree to return, advance their education and expand their career opportunities.”

She added that the program’s first two graduates represent “years of intentional planning, persistence and growth.”

Schasteen

From Paola, Kansas, Schasteen received her bachelor’s degree in child and family development and MOT in May 2017 and 2019, respectively. She can now add a doctorate to her list of credentials.

She pursued OT to help people “find what was meaningful to them and get back to that.”

Being part of the inaugural program was a valuable experience.

“I knew all my professors from my master’s, and they were all very open to learning and trying new things. They were willing to take our feedback and talk to us about changes in the future,” said Schasteen, who works as an occupational therapist at AdventHealth in Ottawa, Kansas.

One of the program’s highlights was the capstone project. Schasteen created four videos on topics educators wanted more information on, such as growth mindset, motivational interviewing, soft skills and generational differences. She did the project at AdventHealth, using coworkers to test the content.

Her favorite part about her time at Missouri State has been the people she has met. She is grateful for her capstone project mentor, Dr. Traci Garrison, a clinical associate professor in the School of Health Care Professions.

“Whether I go into academics or continue clinical work, those relationships will still be there for me,” Schasteen said.

Murphy

Originally from Pleasant Hope, Missouri, Murphy played softball and earned her bachelor’s degree in allied health from Evangel University. She decided to pursue the MOT at Missouri State in 2020.

“I’d heard great things from people who had completed their master’s here, so I decided to take the leap and pursue the program myself,” Murphy said.

After completing her master’s in 2022, she continued with the PP-OTD.

“I already knew the professors and trusted them and their professional judgement. I knew I’d get a good education here,” Murphy said.

She chose OT because it is a broad field.

“You can do a lot of things within OT. You also get to mix creativity and science and help a wide range of people in many different ways,” she said.

She credits the program for preparing her further for real-world practice.

“It gave me a great opportunity to integrate my previous professional knowledge and experiences into the new learning I gained in the program,” Murphy said.

For her capstone project, she completed a scoping review about pediatric telehealth, which is an area she currently works in. She studied its efficacy and outcomes, as well as parent, client and provider perceptions.

Murphy is honored to be one of the first two graduates of the PP-OTD program.

“I’m excited I got to be part of building the program from the ground up. I love the OT department at Missouri State,” she said.

What comes next

Schasteen plans to continue working at AdventHealth. She will also take on some clinical students on their fieldwork rotations this summer and fall to apply what she has learned.

She dreams of becoming a professor and teaching occupational therapy. Completing the PP-OTD degree will help her reach that goal.

As for Murphy, her short-term plan is to keep working in pediatric telehealth, PRN at Mercy Hospital, and at the Missouri State Occupational Therapy Clinic.

For the future, she wants to work in OT education and conduct research to expand the profession’s knowledge base.

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A legacy of giving that endures

May 8, 2026 by Sewly Khatun

In 2018, a transformational gift from the McQueary family led Missouri State University to name the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) in their honor.

Long before the McQueary name appeared on the college, it showed up in a simple act of care.

From left to right: Dr. Fred, David and Mark in the late 1970s.

In the early history of Missouri State football, their grandfather, William “Les” McQueary, heard that some players could not afford new winter coats. They had outgrown the ones their parents had given them in high school.

Instead of trying to find out who needed help, he bought winter coats for the whole team. It was a quiet act of generosity, rooted in the belief that students, especially those from rural areas, often needed extra support.

For Les McQueary’s grandsons, brothers Dr. Fred G. McQueary, Mark L. McQueary and David B. McQueary, that story is more than a family memory. It is a blueprint of how their family has always lived.

“They did things without expecting anything in return, but simply because it was the right thing to do,” said David, a 1982 business alumnus of what was then Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU).

Roots in care

That spirit of generosity is grounded in the family’s earliest days in healthcare.

According to the McQueary brothers, their great-grandfather, William M. McQueary, opened a pharmacy in Ash Grove in 1886. Years later, after moving to Springfield, he opened a drugstore near what is now the Foster Recreation Center on the Missouri State campus. The store became a neighborhood hub where people, especially students, could buy goods on credit or be fed even if they could not pay right away.

In 1924, his sons, Les McQueary and Frederick Gordon McQueary, founded McQueary Brothers Drug Company. A wholesale drug company, the duo expanded from serving retail pharmacies in Missouri and Arkansas early on to supplying pharmacies across seven Midwest states. The business operated for more than eight decades before McKesson acquired it in 2007.

That milestone capped more than a century of the McQueary family’s impact on healthcare in Southwest Missouri.

The family’s connection to healthcare continued well beyond the sale of the business, with Dr. Fred retiring from medical practice in 2013 and from his Mercy Springfield executive role in 2021. His daughter, Dr. Melissa McQueary Broaddus, is also a practicing optometrist in Springfield.

Unwavering support for Mo State

From left to right: Mark, David, Fred M. and Dr. Fred at the 2011 Missourian Award ceremony.

Fred G. and Les and his wife, Jennie, carried on the family’s legacy of giving. Avid sports fans, they supported Missouri State and high school athletics, as well as local Kiwanis and American Legion baseball and softball teams for decades. The family began regularly attending Missouri State football games in 1917.

Les and Jennie instilled that sense of philanthropy in their two sons, William T. “Bill” McQueary and Fred M. McQueary (Dr. Fred, Mark and David’s dad). In 1982, the two of them served as the first co-chairs of the Papa Bears, which later became part of The Bears Fund supporting Missouri State student-athletes.

Bill and Shirley McQueary, along with Fred M. and Ramona McQueary, extended their support for Missouri State far beyond athletics.

“There are very few buildings constructed on campus in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s that don’t reflect some involvement from our parents, aunt and uncle,” Mark said. “We’ve all been raised in a tradition of support for Missouri State.”

From left to right: Mark, Dr. Fred, Ramona and David wearing the family tartan.

Fred M. attended what was then Southwest Missouri State (SMS) College for two years in the late 1940s. After serving in the United States Army from 1952-54, he joined the family business and worked there until his retirement in 2005.

A 1952 graduate of SMS, Ramona McQueary joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors in 1973 and became the second woman to be appointed to the university’s Board of Governors.

During her tenure as the first female board president in 1978, she helped lead a period of major growth, including record enrollment of almost 15,000 and the opening of key campus facilities, such as the Hammons Student Center and Duane Meyer Library. In 1981, she was named to the Missouri State Foundation board.

“I remember graduating from SMSU in 1975 and having my mother, then a board member, hand me my diploma,” Dr. Fred said. “That doesn’t happen often.”

An orthopedic surgeon for over three decades at Mercy Springfield, holds a master’s degree in biology from SMSU.

Honoring their parents

While Fred M. and Ramona have passed, all three McQueary brothers are following in their parents’ footsteps. They support Missouri State and MCHHS in various roles and capacities.

Dr. Fred has served on the MCHHS Advisory Board since the late 1980s, helping to align hospital needs with classroom learning. Mark chaired the Missouri State Foundation Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2015 and served on the university’s earliest advisory councils. He also served on the search committee that selected Dr. Mark Smith to lead MCHHS as dean in 2019.

David was president of the Alumni Association Board in 1992. In addition, he contributed to key campus committees, including presidential and athletic director search committees.

While the three brothers give back in different ways, they share one commitment: continuing their family’s proud legacy of giving and service.

Why health education matters

The McQueary family with friends at the MCHHS naming announcement.

When offered the chance to name the college, the family did not have to think about it for long. Their cousin, Rick McQueary (the son of Bill and Shirley) also supported the effort.

“I thought it was an obvious fit. We’ve been involved in healthcare in this area since 1886,” David said.

Mark noted the family saw the opportunity as a way to help address the growing demand for healthcare workers. Springfield had grown into a regional healthcare hub, where the demand for trained professionals across every area was rising faster than it could be met.

Dr. Fred saw the critical need firsthand while working at Mercy Springfield.

“At the college’s naming ceremony, I thanked the students in the room,” he said. “They’re going to be the ones providing healthcare in the future. And we’re going to need it.”

David echoed the same sentiment with humor: “Because we’re getting old and we’re going to need them.”

More than a name

For the McQueary brothers, the college name is not about recognition. It is about continuity.

“When I look at the family name there, I think I’m a small piece of a much bigger group,” Dr. Fred said. “This is not about one single person’s contribution; it’s a family effort with multigenerational support and connections.”

David admits it still catches him off guard when he sees the McQueary name on campus, especially on the back of students’ T-shirts. Even now, it still surprises him.

“It’s as much about honoring our grandparents, parents, aunt and uncle,” David said. “Carrying on the legacy of what they established with the university and through healthcare, it was just a natural fit.”

For all three brothers, the college naming is not a finish line. It is another chapter in a story that began generations before them with a box of winter coats and continues today.

“It has simply always been part of our upbringing,” Mark said.

“Family has always mattered most,” David added. “It was never about any one of us individually. We always did everything together.”

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Two Mo State Bears at the forefront of public health

February 23, 2026 by Sewly Khatun

Public health impacts daily life in ways most people rarely notice. It guides disease prevention, supports mental health and creates environments where communities can thrive.

At the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, Missouri State University alumni Katie Towns and Lauren Stockam play key roles in leading public health efforts and communicating them across the community.

While their roles are different, their purpose is shared: helping people live healthier lives.

Leading with responsibility and care

Born in Maine and raised mostly in St. Louis, Missouri, Towns came to Springfield for college. She never expected to one day lead the local health department.

Towns earned her undergraduate degree in sports medicine and athletic training from Missouri State in 2000. She loved working with athletes and helping them recover after injury. But as she gained experience, her focus widened.

“I started realizing I was just as interested in populations as I was in athletes,” Towns said. “I wanted to understand how culture, behavior and social norms shape quality of life.”

That shift led her back to Missouri State, where she earned her Master of Public Health in 2006. During her graduate studies, she worked on tobacco control at the American Cancer Society and spoke in coalitions where her voice was valued. She also built a professional connection with Kevin Gipson, who was then director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. That connection steered her toward public health leadership.

In July 2021, she became director of the department, leading about 110 employees and managing a $13 million budget. Her team works to prevent communicable diseases, address chronic conditions and respond to growing concerns such as mental health.

“At a broader level, it’s about how our community, state and nation can prioritize prevention more,” Towns said. “Those changes are often slow and incremental, but being part of that change is extremely valuable to me as a professional.”

Leading a team has influenced how she approaches decision-making and team management. She has been learning to trust her intuition more about when to apply pressure and when to let go. She notes it is not easy to understand the difference, especially early in a career. But making mistakes, rebuilding and moving forward is part of the process; experience teaches what school alone cannot.

Giving back to impact the next generation

Towns, who believes in staying involved as an alumna, began serving on the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) Advisory Board around 2015, when the college was preparing for accreditation. She serves in an advisory capacity, attending meetings to share community feedback on projects, program direction and partnerships.

“As a local municipal governmental entity, there are things we do daily that are oriented toward basic service provision,” Towns said. “Serving on the advisory board gives me perspective on what’s happening in the community on a collective level. It helps us as a department be better positioned to serve the community in ways that are more relevant.”

For Towns, the connection is both personal and professional as a proud alumna. Missouri State helped prepare her for leadership, so she wants students who care about service and public health to feel that same sense of readiness.

She encourages students to plug into community projects that interest them and focus on building relationships along the way. She also advises them to pay attention to a group’s tone and invest time where people are supportive and committed to their growth.

“Advanced education was such a pivotal foundation for my career growth,” Towns said. “For me, staying connected means giving back to that part of my career that helped propel me.”

Finding purpose through communication

Growing up with a mother and grandmother who work in health care, Stockam developed a lifelong interest in health and medicine. However, she did not initially plan to pursue a public health career.

Her path changed later during her time as a graduate assistant for MCHHS through Missouri State’s strategic communication office, where her writing skills connected to real-world public health work. Through communication and storytelling, she discovered her own way to help people, especially in moments where many health conversations often overlook human stories.

In her GA role from June 2020 to November 2021, she had the opportunity to write an alumni profile highlighting Towns and her impact in the field.

“Interviewing Katie opened the door to my career in public health communication,” Stockam said. “It led me to a job and career in which I feel a deep passion and purpose.”

Now, as a public health program representative in the Health Department’s office of communications and outreach, she coordinates program communication needs, writes copy and assists with developing communication strategy. Her goal is to make preventive health information clear, authentic and easy for the public to understand, while giving complex health topics a more human voice.

“What I love about my job is the wide variety of topics I get to communicate about,” said Stockam, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with a minor in creative writing in 2020. She later earned a Master of Professional Studies with an individualized studies certificate in 2021.

Turning stories into connection

She leads the Mental Health 417 Stories Project, which launched in September 2025 during Suicide Prevention Month. It is open to everyone and free to participate.

The project is an anonymous online storytelling platform where people can share their mental health experiences. Its purpose is to help break down mental health stigma, encourage positive mental health behaviors and build stronger social connections to combat loneliness.

“Storytelling is a basic instinct for humans, but it’s our most powerful tool,” Stockam said. “I feel so hopeful and connected to my fellow humans when I learn of how they overcome their hard days, what they wish they could go back and tell their younger selves and when they share their lived experiences with bravery.”

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Honoring excellence: Dr. Colby Simmons earns GOLD Award

December 1, 2025 by Sewly Khatun

During Kansas City University’s (KCU) 2025 Homecoming celebration, Dr. Colby Simmons received the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award.

The award recognizes the university’s alumni from both its College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Biosciences. It honors alumni who graduated during the last decade and have shown leadership, service and professional excellence.

A strong foundation at Missouri State

Simmons began his undergraduate studies at Missouri State University in 2001. He majored in cell and molecular biology, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2005. While here, he served as president of Phi Theta Kappa.

Before enrolling in medical school, he worked as a certified neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring technologist at CoxHealth, gaining early exposure to surgical medicine and patient care.

He later completed his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at KCU in 2013. He also holds an MBA in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University.

“Missouri State gave me an unparalleled undergraduate education and set me on a trajectory for success, not only in medical school but in my career as a neuroanesthesiologist,” Simmons said.

“The collaboration and teamwork I learned there continue to guide how I care for patients, serve on multiple committees, lead research projects and teach or train medical students, residents and fellows. I’m grateful for every opportunity and appreciate that MSU is a place that puts student growth and development at the forefront.”

Advancing care and education

Simmons now serves as an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and practices mainly at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.

His work focuses on neuroanesthesia, neurophysiology and perioperative efficiency, combining patient safety, innovation and teamwork.

His career blends advanced clinical practice, academic teaching and health care leadership.

Drawing from his overall experience, Simmons offers this advice to future health care professionals.

“You can do it. If you feel called to care for people in their most vulnerable moments, set clear goals in a health care pathway, seek mentors and stay committed until you reach your goal,” he said.

“The world needs young people who are willing to sacrifice time and energy now, by studying and learning, so they can serve others in the future.”

Find out more about Simmons and his achievements in this YouTube video.

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