Health and Human Services News

From service to scholarship

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In honor of veterans this November, the McQueary College of Health and Human Services shines a light on two of its veteran students: Andrew Falk and Samuel Durham. 

Both have transitioned from military service to academic pursuits. Falk is in the kinesiology graduate program and Durham is pursuing a Master of Public Health.

Find out more about them and their journey.

Andrew Falk
Andrew Falk

Where are you originally from?  

Falk: I’m from Strafford, Missouri.

Durham: I’m from DeRidder, Louisiana.  

When did you start your studies at Missouri State and when will you graduate? 

Falk: I began my undergraduate degree in exercise and movement science in August 2019 and graduated in fall 2023. I then started my master’s in kinesiology, focusing on sport and human performance. I’ll graduate in spring 2025. 

Durham: I started the public health program in fall 2023 and will graduate in spring 2025. 

Why did you choose to study at Missouri State? 

Falk: Springfield feels like home, making it a great place to start my academic career. MSU’s support system for veteran students was also a strong attraction. 

Durham: I was drawn to MSU while at Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC). Expanding my education and staying in Springfield were major benefits for my career. 

What motivated you to pursue your area of study?

Samuel Durham with his family.
Samuel Durham with his family

Falk: I’ve always loved health, wellness and exercise. They provide discipline and consistency, which carry into other areas of life. 

Durham: While pursuing a nursing degree at OTC in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted my perspective. I realized I could better serve by focusing on population health and wanted a career dedicated to protecting public health. 

How long have you served in the military and which branch?  

Falk: I served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years on active duty and 10 months in the reserves. 

Durham: I served in the U.S. Army for four years. 

Why did you decide to join the military? 

Falk: It was something I always wanted to do. My dad was in the Marines during the Vietnam War, which inspired me to enlist. 

Durham: My family has a history of military service and I saw my enlistment as my way of protecting our rights and liberties. 

What were your key responsibilities and rank?    

Falk: My responsibilities included looking after my Marines’ well-being and ensuring they met all required standards. When I left active duty, I was a platoon sergeant with the billet of squad leader. 

Durham: I served as a signal intelligence analyst. My responsibilities included focusing on collecting, analyzing and reporting military intelligence. 

What did you find most meaningful or rewarding about the experience?    

Falk: Leading Marines and preparing them to one day lead others and give back to the Corps was incredibly rewarding. 

Durham: From basic combat training to technical intelligence training, this experience was transformative. I was always learning and growing, which was rewarding to me.  

Andrew Falk and his fellow service members.
Andrew Falk and his fellow service members.

What military skills best help you in your studies?  

Falk: Discipline, accountability and attention to detail have been most helpful in my studies. 

Durham: My role required solving complex issues, which aids in my studies. The integrity, respect and dedication I developed in the military also help me succeed academically. 

What resources at MSU have helped you most as a veteran student?   

Falk: The Oldham Family Veteran Student Center has been a great help. While on active duty in Hawaii, they guided me in using my benefits. Working there for over two years also helped me find a supportive community. 

Durham: Public health software is costly. But I can use the open-access computer labs at MSU. So, access to software and technology has been invaluable here. 

What challenges did you face transitioning to student life and how did you overcome them?  

Falk: As a non-traditional student, I initially felt isolated, but reaching out to classmates helped me overcome it. 

Durham: Military culture differs greatly from university culture, which encourages exploration and independent thinking. I learned to think outside the box and challenge norms. 

What do you enjoy most about being a Missouri State Bear? 

Falk:  MSU has always been home for me. I get support here like a family member.  

Durham: One of the best parts of being an MSU Bear is the professional and personal relationships I’ve built within the community. 

What types of things are you involved in on campus? 

Falk: I’m an intern strength and conditioning coach with the MSU football team and a graduate assistant in the School of Health Sciences. I instruct labs in KIN-465 (Strength and Conditioning) and KIN-362 (Exercise Physiology). 

Durham: While I’m not involved in campus activities currently, I enjoy attending MSU sporting and seasonal events like Homecoming. 

What’s your future career aspiration?   

Falk: In the next two to five years, I plan to continue coaching football, combat sports and tactical athletes at the college or professional level. I aim to pursue a doctorate in sports psychology or strength and conditioning and eventually teach or conduct research in the field. 

Durham: I aspire to work as a public health specialist in epidemiology and research, ideally with a federal agency. My dream job is to serve as a health services officer in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, contributing to public health on a larger scale. 

What tips or advice can you share with future veteran students?   

Falk: Be proactive with your academic goals. You may not know your exact career path, but setting goals can guide you forward. Find like-minded people and a supportive community. 

Durham: Military skills like organization, timeliness and pride in one’s work are invaluable in academics. Apply the motivation and dedication that helped you succeed in the military to your studies. 

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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.” 

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A new effort to ensure student success

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In the last decade, some universities created online programs that offered course curricula but no student life or student affairs opportunities.

Online program students might benefit from lower fees but miss out on important aspects of college living and learning.

An interdisciplinary team of McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) faculty members and student leaders saw the need to educate the whole learner, understood the fee/funding concern and took up the challenge.

What’s the MSSIP grant?

Thanks to a MCHHS Student Success Innovation Projects (MSSIP) grant worth about $8,000, team members launched a full-year pilot project in 2023. Called “More Than the Sum of Their Credits,” the project focused on integrating high-impact learning and social connection opportunities into two of Missouri State’s online academic programs – social work and psychology.

This project originated from the belief that the quality of education for students in online programs at Missouri State is enhanced by the traditional melding of academic affairs and student affairs.

MSSIP offers funds to implement real impact projects that improve undergraduate student success. Multi-year funding is available for up to four years and a maximum of $100,000.

“It allows teams to launch projects fast. We were able to pivot quickly from ‘someday we should’ to ‘let’s get started,’” said project leader Dr. Tim Daugherty. He is a psychology professor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at Missouri State.

The other faculty members involved include:

  • Natalie Curry, clinical associate professor and coordinator of the Bachelor of Social Work program in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. Paul Deal, associate professor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. Leslie Echols, associate professor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. Dana Paliliunas, former faculty member
  • Dr. Tanya Whipple, senior instructor in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. David Zimmerman, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator of the forensic child psychology certificate program in the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences

More about the project

Through the university’s Learning Management System, the team experimented with delivering weekly club meetings, monthly events and plenty of accessible content. The content included links to career-related sites, news articles, videos to facilitate students’ understanding of their major curriculum and interviews with faculty members via Zimmerman’s “ZimTube.”

A year after the project began, Daugherty notes the team has been able to leverage lessons learned to continue offering the most effective project elements without additional funding.

Successful outcomes

“The team succeeded in reimagining high-impact practices to make them accessible and meaningful for online-program students,” Daugherty said.

The data the team collected and reflected on from this project resulted in a peer-reviewed scholarly paper that will soon be published in the Journal of College Orientation, Transition and Retention. This paper features a student co-author who worked closely with the team.

In addition, two online-program students seized the opportunity to collaborate with faculty members on clinical research during the pilot period. That opportunity was a first for the online program, and the successful students co-authored a paper presented at the APS (Association for Psychological Science) Global Psychological Science Summit in October.

“Working together, we can do great things,” Curry said. “We’re grateful that MSSIP funds helped launch these efforts.”

The team is available to consult with and support the efforts of teams in other programs wanting to take the next step.

Find out more about the MSSIP grant

Combining a love for service, teaching and research

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Missouri State University’s Dr. Kip Thompson skillfully juggles responsibilities in two distinct areas.  

He has served in the U.S. Army Reserve for more than 23 years. He has also worked as an associate professor of public health in MSU’s McQueary College of Health and Human Services for nearly a decade.

Since commissioning as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2001, Thompson has been deployed five times to various countries during his military career. 

Helping in the Middle East  

His most recent deployment was to the Middle East from October 2022 to April 2024. While stationed in Kuwait, Col. Thompson served in multiple roles, including chief of staff for the 3rd Medical Command Forward, based out of Fort Gillem, Georgia. 

“I managed a team of 50 soldiers, responsible for ensuring the delivery of essential health services across the Middle East region,” Thompson said. 

While stationed in Qatar, Thompson was the medical liaison officer between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Department of State. In this role, he was responsible for the successful handover of the medical mission to support beneficiaries leaving Afghanistan from the Army to the Department of State.

“We gave basic medical and dental care to local communities and Afghan refugees in Qatar to help them prepare to move to their new countries of residence,” Thompson said. 

For him, military service has never been just about conflict, weapons and uniforms. What matters most is the humanitarian work. 

“Yes, I’ve had to carry weapons, but as a public health professional, I focus on providing health care to those in need,” he said.

Roots of passion and purpose  

Thompson grew up in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s in biology and secondary education in 1989 and a master’s in zoology/animal biology in 1993.

Dr. Thompson with Army colleagues in Jordan.
Dr. Thompson with Army colleagues in Jordan.

In 2000, he completed his PhD in Marine Science from the University of South Alabama and joined the U.S. Army Reserve shortly after.  

“I felt a sense of duty to give back, so joining the military seemed like the right thing to do,” he said.  

While Thompson focused on fish and aquatic ecosystems early on in his career, he developed a passion for human and public health during his military service. Because of this, he returned to MSU and completed his second master’s in public health in 2014.   

At this time, he connected with faculty members, who inspired him to consider teaching. 

In May 2015, MSU offered him a faculty position in the public health program. He accepted and the rest is history. 

“It’s rewarding when students graduate and return to share how my support benefited them in their careers,” he said. “I believe every faculty member wants to know their efforts truly make a difference in students’ lives.” 

While deployed, he continues to teach online courses using Zoom and MSU’s learning management system. 

He notes it is easy to forget everything else while stationed overseas due to his hectic work schedule. Moreover, different time zones create challenges for staying in touch with students and the university.  

“But my goal is to stay connected with them even from far away,” Thompson said.  

Healing across borders  

Thompson’s commitment to serve goes beyond military duties. His dedication to improving health care reflects his belief that health is a fundamental human right. 

During his deployment to Kosovo from 2007-08, Thompson was responsible for offering a one-day clinic twice a month to different communities in need.  

During one such clinic, he and his team provided optical care to nearly 200 children in a local elementary school who struggled with blurry vision and chronic dry eyes due to heavy metal exposure in the area.

Dr. Thompson (center) with Saudi National Guard.
Dr. Thompson (center) with Saudi National Guard.

To address this, Thompson and his team provided eye lubrication to the affected children. They also gave them customized glasses, which helped them to see clearly for the first time. 

“Helping those children to regain their vision is one of my proudest accomplishments,” Thompson said. “It always reminds me why I do what I do!” 

Data-driven change in health care 

In addition to his military and teaching duties, Thompson conducts research that affects public health. 

He is currently working on two projects. The first is with Dr. Robert Niezgoda, a visiting assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences.  

The project focuses on assessing the true error rate for emergency calls based on medical emergency types at CoxHealth. 

“I’m assisting with data analysis to identify the gaps and propose a solution,” Thompson said.  

For the second project, Thompson is collaborating with the Southwest Missouri Drug Poisoning Coalition team for a drug overdose study. He helps analyze data on rates of drug overdose calls and related deaths. 

“Using data to see the pattern and find prevention methods is key to lowering overdose risks and saving lives,” he said. 

Explore the public health program