Health and Human Services News

MCHHS awards 742 degrees during spring commencement

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The McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) awarded 742 degrees at the spring 2022 commencement.  

“Congratulations to all of our MCHHS graduates,” said Dr. Mark Smith, dean MCHHS. “I am proud of all the hard work you have done and wish you all luck in your future endeavors.”  

Department graduation numbers 

MCHHS leadership changes

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Some changes are coming to Missouri State University’s McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) leadership team this fall.

Dr. Sarah McCallister, department head of kinesiology, will retire at the end of the year. Dr. Colette Witkowski, department head of biomedical sciences (BMS), will move back to a faculty position.

“Both Sarah and Colette have been amazing leaders and advocates for the college, their respective departments and most importantly, MSU students,” said Dr. Mark Smith, MCHHS dean.

“In my short time at MSU, I have learned from them both tremendously and am exceptionally grateful to have had them be part of an excellent college leadership team as we navigated the many challenges caused by COVID-19.

“Their experience, insights and honesty will be hard to replace. I wish them all the best as they take on new challenges and opportunities.”

Dr. Sarah McCallister

McCallister is retiring from Missouri State after 22 years of service, which included 15 years as department head of kinesiology.

McCallister contributed to the kinesiology department, the college, university and community in many ways. In 2018, she was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

She was recently described by the kinesiology faculty as a servant leader who supported faculty and staff and cared deeply about her department and students.

Dr. Colette Witkowski

Witkowski has decided to return to faculty after serving as BMS department head for 15 years.  She contributed to the department, the college, university and community in a lot of ways over the years.

She is a strong role model and advocate for women and girls in the sciences. She serves as the lead organizer of the Expanding Your Horizons  conference. The conference brings middle school girls to campus to learn about science with hands-on activities, exposing them to related career opportunities.

Structure Update

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Although the MCHHS Student Success and Advisement Center might still look unfinished, the work is nearing completion.  

The wood slat ceiling was recently completed, and the rest of the ceiling was painted dark grey. Keeping the ceiling exposed adds an industrial look and the high ceilings make the space look more open.  

The door frames are currently being installed and the glass will follow soon after. Once that’s complete, the rest of the flooring can be laid in the waiting area. The suite should be ready to move into by late June. 

 Furniture is on order and once that’s delivered, the Student Success and Advisement Center will be a wonderful welcoming spot for students across the college. 

Developing skills for the future of healthcare

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The healthcare industry is always evolving. New machines and tools are being created and best practices continue to be altered. 

Missouri State’s School of Anesthesia is hoping to stay ahead of the curve on these changes within healthcare by providing students with the best educational resources.  

This year, the anesthesia department offered its first ever Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) workshop to the students in the program.  

“The use of ultrasounds is being incorporated into our practice now,” said James Keaton, CRNA, clinical assistant professor. “We thought it would be a good idea to offer our students the opportunity to get some experience using them.”  

The importance of POCUS 

Being able to effectively monitor patients is one of the most important jobs of a Nurse Anesthesiologist. 

It is important for students to get as much practice in POCUS as possible because everyone’s anatomy is slightly different. Experience will enhance students’ knowledge immensely. 

“By using ultrasounds, we are able to quickly and effectively assess a patient’s condition,” Keaton said. “We can look at someone’s heart and airways to assess how their body is functioning and alter the anesthetic accordingly.” 

Because of its usefulness, POCUS will now be included on the certification exam.  

“The national accrediting body recently announced that students will be required to learn and understand the use of POCUS in our field, so it’s important for us to start that training for our students now,” Keaton said. 

Outstanding first workshop 

Seventy-six students in the anesthesia program were able to go through the POCUS training during the workshop.  

Twenty-four students from departments around the college volunteered their time to get ultrasounds taken of them. 

“The cooperation between departments around the college was amazing. It gives students a better idea of what we do and the program we offer,” Keaton said.  

The workshop was held in the nursing simulation lab in O’Reilly Health Sciences Hall, one of the amazing facilities on the MSU campus.  

This educational opportunity would not have been possible without the generosity of several companies who lent their machines to the program for the weekend. 

Those companies include: 

    • Butterfly iQ. 
    • GE. 
    • Phillips/Braun. 
    • Sonosite/Fujifilm. 

Learn more about the School of Anesthesia