Health and Human Services News

Physician from Nepal found new future in MSU’s public health program

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Agarwal was raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, and was a physician before she decided to come to America to pursue a master’s degree in public health.

“I have always been passionate about public health,” she said. “Even as a medical student, I  knew I was going to get a degree in public health. I became sure about it while I was working in Nepal at a private hospital as a health care executive. In this role, I felt I was making a bigger impact on people’s lives than I ever did practicing as a physician.”

Becoming a Bear

Karishma standing next to the MSU vine wall outside the PSU.

Agarwal discovered Missouri State’s Master’s of Public Health online. She wanted to live in Missouri to be close to her sister who lives in Springfield.

“I applied to a lot of schools in Missouri and ended up choosing Missouri State after reviewing the courses they offered. My decision was solidified after exchanging a few emails with the program director, Dr. David Claborn. It sounded like a great fit for me,” Agarwal said.

She was a graduate assistant and interned at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in the Maternal and Child Health Services division.

“During my internship, I had the opportunity to apply several concepts that I learned in my program,” she said. “The project that I worked on as an intern helped me abundantly in my first job right after graduation.”

“The project that I worked on as an intern helped me abundantly in my first job right after graduation.”

Despite being in a new country, Agarwal found Missouri State welcoming and loved the program.

Her advisor worked with Agarwal to sign up for electives based on her needs and interests.

Agarwal enjoyed the variety of classes – her favorite being international health. When she was in class, there happened to be seven international students and they all shared their perspectives on health care in their home countries.

The professors were friendly, approachable and always willing to advise and guide her. They were experts in their field, she said.

‘I feel more confident in myself and my skills’

Agarwal graduated in December 2017 and is fulfilling her dream of working in public health.

“I recently landed a job with Burrell Behavioral Health as the Clinic and Community Services Manager and I am so grateful to all my professors who mentored me and prepared me for this challenging role,” Agarwal said. “With the experience I gained as a student, and having the additional opportunities to be involved in a lot of research with my advisor, I feel more confident in myself and my skills.”

Alumna’s unconventional college career inspired her to give back to students like her

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Charleen Fields’ college experience was unique.  

During her time at Missouri State, Fields gave birth to two children, Brittany and Chris. But juggling new motherhood didn’t deter her from finishing her education.  

“It was a very hectic time, but I made it through,” she said.  

Finding flexibility and help as a parent 

Fields attended Missouri State from 1992 to 1996. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in dietetics.  

She came to Missouri State to study education. However, a college job at CoxHealth hospital changed her course and gave her a passion for nutrition.  

“My time at Cox while I was in college showed me how important proper nutrition is for people — whether they’re in the hospital or not,” Fields said.  

Her job and her involvement in the Association of Black Collegians and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. helped prepare her for her eventual career. But it wasn’t without sacrifice.  

“There are times I think I didn’t have the full college experience because I had my kids while I was at MSU,” she said. “But, I had a lot of help, and I remember those memories fondly.”  

Fields didn’t have any family with her in Springfield, so she turned to her sorority sisters and professors.  

“My sorors babysat my children when I needed to go to class, and my professors often let me bring them to class if no one was available,” she said.  

“Raising my kids as a single mom took a village. And I always had my village around to help me.”  

She remembers a day when a teacher used her son, Chris, as an example in class.  

“The lesson was about babies and body fat, and my six-month-old just happened to be right there,” Fields said. “I was so grateful that my professors were lighthearted and flexible about them being in class with me.”  

One such professor was Carmen Boyd, assistant professor of biomedical sciences. Fields cites Boyd as a positive influence from her time at MSU.  

“I admired Charleen for coming to school while juggling parenthood,” Boyd said. “When she brought her kids to class, they were always happy and well–behaved, and Charleen did well in our program.”  

“A source of inspiration” for current dietetics students 

After graduation, Fields stayed in the CoxHealth system. She has worked in various jobs there for 28 years.  

A typical day in her current role as food service manager at Cox North is fast–paced. She loves the variety she gets from bouncing around the hospital.  

“Every morning I check on the employees in the cafeteria and in the new coffee shop we just opened,” Fields said. “I make sure they are following recipes correctly and that the flow is moving at a reasonable pace.”  

Fields doesn’t develop the recipes — CoxHealth has one person in charge of that to make sure it’s consistent across the system — but she checks in to make sure Cox North is following all of those nutrition standards. It’s an important job. 

Boyd is happy to see her former student’s success.  

“Charleen has done well at Cox. It has been a joy to watch her career, and she is a source of inspiration for many of our students.”   

Giving back to students like her 

As she moved up in her career, Fields remained grateful for the support and help she received during her time at Missouri State.  

“Raising my kids as a single mom took a village,” she said. “And I always had my village around to help me.”  

MSU has a special place in her heart. Fields turned this gratitude into action when she began volunteering with the Black Alumni Council at Missouri State.  

“I chose to do that because I know there are a lot of kids, especially young African Americans, who need the support, especially if they’re away from home,” she said. “They remind me of myself when I was their age.”  

Connect with the BAC

The Black Alumni Council has many goals for the upcoming years, including growth and involvement in community–service projects. But one goal sits at the forefront of Fields’ mind.  

“We just want those students to know we are here for them.” 

Putting it all together

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It started after high school when he witnessed a fatal vehicle accident, which led him to become a volunteer firefighter in Taney County, Missouri in 2004.

The first piece fell into place when Meadows discovered that he loved being a firefighter and enrolled at Ozarks Technical Community College to earn an associate degree in fire science.

While still finishing this degree in 2009, Meadows was hired by Strafford Fire Department in Greene County, Missouri when they first became a full-time career department.

“It was a lot of fun and I got to be part of the department as they were defining themselves,” he said.

Soon, as Meadows realized that firefighters respond to more medical calls than to fires, he began to identify what he liked about this line of work.

“A lot of their response has transitioned into medical calls over the years as more people are needing medical care and buildings are being built better,” the 34-year-old said.

He earned an EMT license in 2009 and the next piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Switching careers

Kyle Meadows in paramedic training room.
Kyle Meadows made a career change in 2012, switching from firefighter to paramedic.

As much as he loved being a firefighter, he did not love the salary that came with working at a small fire department. Meadows also discovered he loved the medical side. So he began to seek a way to advance his professional career.

As pieces of his puzzle began to fit together, Meadows got married and started a family; he knew he wanted more lifelong earning potential. In 2012, he completed his fire science degree, left the fire department and enrolled in paramedic courses at OTC.

That same year, he started working on an ambulance at CoxHealth where his career began to define itself for him. He earned a paramedic license in 2013 and his associate paramedic degree in January of 2014.

“I had found my calling. This is what I really want to do. I want to advance my career in health care. I realized I could not elevate myself without a better academic resume. I started investigating what I could do for a bachelor’s degree,” Meadows said.

Getting his bachelor’s degree

Kyle Meadows talking with his coworkers at CoxHealth.
Kyle Meadows, left, is on track to complete his bachelor’s degree in spring 2021 and his master’s degree in 2022.

His investigation led him to Missouri State University’s health services degree in the department of public health and sports medicine.

The degree was attractive because it offered a clinical services option for students who were already allied health professionals with an allied health associate degree.

The health services program provides a foundation of knowledge in health care, health care systems, global health, legal issues, grant writing, leadership, and much more.

“The MSU program is focused on leadership and quality education. This degree will give me a lot of opportunities.”

“It allows you to use the allied health degree as your first two years as long as you have the Missouri general education requirements. It made me a junior when I started the program,” he said.

Meadows was also attracted to MSU for its cost and reputation. So he enrolled one last time at OTC to complete his Core 42, then transferred to Missouri State.

He loves the program.

“The curriculum is focused on what I do every day. That speaks a lot for that program. I tout it to everyone. I tell everyone in my field to take that path. It’s a fantastic program and I really enjoy the curriculum. I keep many of the PowerPoints from classes,” he said.

The online courses have made it feasible for Meadows to go to school and continue to work fulltime.

His next move

Meadows is the system educator for the paramedicine department at CoxHealth.

“We train about 5,000 first responders across Southwest Missouri: Police, Fire, SWAT, EMT’s, Paramedics, Nurses, and community members. We are also one of only four training centers in America for the U.S. Special Operations Combat Medic program based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. We have around 300 personnel and operate our own dispatch center,” he said.

The education aspect of his job excites Meadows and he will continue to further his career with that once he completes his bachelor’s degree in spring 2021.

While it took him a while to figure out exactly what he wanted to do, he chipped away at his goal — sometimes one course at a time.

“My first class was in 2004 and my last class in a master’s degree will be 2022,” he chuckled. “If I could go back and give myself some advice, I would not have finished the fire science degree. I would have gone straight to MSU. The MSU program is focused on leadership and quality education. This degree will give me a lot of opportunities.”

Helping those in need

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In March 2020, when it became clear that COVID-19 was impacting lives in the Ozarks, Jaime Gnau placed a call to Ozarks Food Harvest.Gnau is a dietitian at the MSU Care Clinic. In May 2020, she graduated with a master’s degree in health promotion and wellness management.

That degree gave her the organizational and leadership skills to launch a food box initiative at the clinic.

“I had a diabetic patient that came in and he was scared to go to the grocery store. He was scared to leave his house. We started doing phone visits to stay connected with him. He didn’t have enough food and it was impacting his blood sugar. I felt so helpless,” Gnau said.

Taking action

Jaime Gnau hauling food boxes.
Jaime Gnau bringing in food supplies at the MSU Care Clinic.

Gnau transformed that feeling into action.

She contacted Ozark Food Harvest and asked if she could get nutritious food to hand out to food-insecure patients.

“I told them the contents I would like to have. Food that is low in sodium, balanced with fruits and vegetables, whole grains over refined grains. I told them how many we would need based on what I assumed would be the need. They stepped up to the plate,” she said.

“My degree in health promotion and wellness management has helped me as far as the academic side. There was a lot of focus on theory and research and that has helped me immensely. It’s a strong program.”

The need exceeded her expectations.

Between March 27 and September 9, staff at MSU Care Clinic parceled out 14,093 pounds of food to their patients.

That translates into 11,744 meals.

The partnership is continuing.

“I am proud of our team. It’s been great. If you are hungry, it’s hard to do anything. I am glad we’ve been able to help with food insecurity. It’s a climbing problem with COVID,” she said.

Big hearted, but not yet a Bear

This is a second career for Gnau.

The Ozark native spent 13 years as a radiologic technologist, but she longed for more.

“I got into health care to help people. In that position I didn’t get that fulfillment. We were told to get people in and out as fast as we could. I couldn’t develop relationships with people,” she said.

So in 2013, Gnau decided to switch careers. She enrolled in Missouri State’s dietetics program.

“I love that Missouri State has the community focus. It resonated with me to be a Bear,” she said. “This is exactly where I want to be.”

She graduated in 2017 and completed her one-year internship in 2018.

Then she decided to pursue a master’s in health promotion and wellness management. The degree would expand her skillset and enhance her degree in dietetics.

“What I really enjoyed was it was flexible enough for me to work part time and take care of my family,” Gnau said. “The faculty were very helpful in helping me complete the process and supporting my goals. It fit really well within my experience as a dietitian. A lot of responsibilities of health educator align with nutrition.”

She landed a job before graduation — at Missouri State.

Gnau wears three hats: she’s a clinical instructor in the biomedical sciences department, a dietitian at the MSU Care Clinic, and clinical coordinator for the dietetic internship program.

“I love that I get to teach and remain in clinic,” Gnau said.  “It’s the best of both worlds.”

Earn a master’s degree in health promotion and wellness management