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  • McQueary College of Health and Human Services

A nod to excellence

May 14, 2025 by Sewly Khatun

A Make Your Missouri Statement banner on campus.

Passionate faculty and staff are at the heart of McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS), making an impact every day through their dedication and service.  

On April 24, the college came together to celebrate these exceptional individuals at its 2nd Annual Awards Banquet. 

Their contributions go beyond personal achievement — they enrich the learning environment and strengthen support systems that define the MCHHS community. Each honoree embodies the college’s core values, serving as an inspiring example for others to follow.  

“The banquet was such a fun way to connect with colleagues and recognize the hard work happening across our college,” said Dr. Sarah Murray, assistant professor and program director of nutrition and dietetics.  

List of awards 

 Foundation Recipients Award 

  • Teaching Award: Natalie Allen, clinical associate professor, nutrition and dietetics 
  • Research Award: Dr. Amy Hulme, associate professor, biomedical sciences 
  • Service Award: Dr. Randi Ulbricht, associate professor, biomedical sciences 

Office Orchestrator Award

This award recognizes a staff member who goes above and beyond to create a welcoming, supportive college environment. 

  • Missi Lafarlette , academic administrative assistant II 

Community Impact Award

This award recognizes a faculty or staff member for impactful community engagement that reflects the public affairs mission. 

  • Kelly Dudley, clinical assistant professor, social work 

Outstanding Academic Advisor 

This award recognizes a staff member for excellence in advising. 

  • Jessica McShan, academic advisor II 

Outstanding Faculty Advisor 

This award recognizes a faculty member for excellence in advising. 

  • Dr. Robert Niezgoda, visiting assistant professor, public health 

Bearwise Education Excellence Award 

This award recognizes a faculty member for innovative, inclusive teaching and outstanding mentorship that inspires student engagement and learning. 

  • Dr. Traci Garrison, clinical associate professor, occupational therapy 

Outstanding Service Award 

This award recognizes faculty or staff for exceptional service that goes beyond expectations and positively impacts the workplace. 

  • MCHHS information technology department 

Teamwork Trailblazers Award 

This award recognizes a group that demonstrates exceptional collaboration, teamwork, idea-sharing and commitment to a common goal. 

  • MCHHS Student Success and Advisement Center staff 

Dean’s Awards 

  • Dean’s Recognition for Service: Dr. Sarah Murray, assistant professor and program director of nutrition and dietetics 
  • Outstanding Service to MCHHS: Dr. Letitia White Minnis, MCHHS associate dean 
  • Outstanding Student Engagement: Nicole Gorley, senior instructor and lab coordinator, biomedical sciences 
  • Outstanding Support to MCHHS: Teri Trickey, director of catering, Chartwells 
  • Outstanding Community Partnership: Burrell Behavioral Health 

Roy D. Blunt Life Science Professorship 

This endowed award, established through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, supports faculty in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. It recognizes excellence in teaching, research and scholarship advancing the life sciences. 

  • Dr. Amy Hulme, associate professor, biomedical sciences   

Research Fellow 

This new appointment provides support and mentorship to new faculty, centered on the development of a scholarly agenda. 

  • Dr. Leslie Echols, associate professor, psychology 

“I was so surprised and honored to receive the Dean’s Recognition for Service, especially since I helped plan the event and thought I knew the program inside out!” Murray said. “Serving as the Dean’s Fellow for the past two years has been an incredible opportunity to learn about leadership and the administrative side of our college.” 

For White Minnis, receiving the Outstanding Service to MCHHS Award fills her with both gratitude and humility.  

“It affirms my efforts to support others and contribute to our college community. I’ve had the good fortune of working with people who inspire me to serve with purpose and carry that commitment forward with the same dedication that brought me here.” 

Retirements

Besides recognizing outstanding contributions from faculty and staff, the banquet also offered a heartfelt moment to honor those whose long-standing dedication helped advance the college. This year’s retirees honored for their dedication and years of service included: 

  • Dr. Roberto Canales, faculty emeritus 
  • Dr. Susan Dollar, faculty emeritus 
  • Dr. Anne Marie Hunter, faculty emeritus 

Explore MCHHS

Filed Under: MCHHS Events, Occupational Therapy Tagged With: Biomedical Sciences, faculty, Letitia White-Minnis, MCHHS Student Success and Advisement Center, Nutrition and Dietetics, Physician Assistant Studies, Psychology, public health, Sarah Murray, Social Work

Shining a spotlight on student research

May 13, 2025 by Sewly Khatun

Psychology majors Allie German (left) and Chance Barber (right) presented their research on personality, media use and stress response.

Innovation, discovery and a spirit of exploration were on full display at this year’s McQueary College of Health and Human Services’ (MCHHS) 29th Annual Student Research Symposium.  

The event took place on April 24 in the Plaster Student Union. It featured 53 abstracts with contributions from 147 student researchers across undergraduate and graduate programs. 

Participants represented a wide range of disciplines, including athletic training, biomedical sciences, dietetics and nutrition, exercise science, physical therapy, psychology and speech-language pathology. 

“Our Student Research Symposium is a long-standing tradition that highlights our commitment to academic excellence,” said Dr. Letitia White Minnis, MCHHS associate dean. “The symposium provides students with valuable opportunities to share their research findings, engage with faculty mentors and other community members and contribute to knowledge that advances their field of study.” 

The research projects presented explored current issues across the health and human services spectrum. They included injury prevention, women’s health and performance, nutrition education, clinical innovation and the application of emerging technologies in health care. 

The symposium also recognized the dedication of faculty mentors, whose encouragement and insights help students turn their ideas into impactful research.  A special recognition goes to the MCHHS Student Research Symposium Committee for organizing and sustaining this important academic tradition. 

Learn more about MCHHS

Filed Under: Athletic training, MCHHS Events, speech-language pathology Tagged With: Biomedical Sciences, Exercise Science, Letitia White-Minnis, Nutrition and Dietetics, Physical Therapy, Psychology, research, students

A life of excellence in sports and service

February 4, 2025 by Sewly Khatun

Lily DeSpain

Lily DeSpain’s life is filled with adventure, dedication and service.  

The 2024 Missouri State University alumna has made waves in the pool as a swimmer for the Naval Academy and Missouri State. She is also currently a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and studying medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as part of her Health Professions Scholarship from the army. Her goal is to become a military doctor. 

“Becoming a military doctor combines my two greatest passions: serving others and practicing medicine,” DeSpain said. “The Army needs doctors, and I’m honored to step into this role.” 

A swimming champ

Lily DeSpain - a swimming champ
Lily DeSpain in the pool

A native of Springdale, Arkansas, DeSpain grew up in California and Beijing, China. She graduated from Haas Hall Academy in Arkansas, then studied at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, with both of her older sisters.  

After three semesters at the academy as a student and swimmer, she chose to enter the transfer portal and accepted an offer to join Missouri State in spring 2022. At Missouri State, DeSpain excelled in both academics and athletics. She graduated magna cum laude in May 2024 with a degree in cell and molecular biology and minors in biomedical sciences, chemistry and Chinese.  

As a member of Missouri State’s Swimming and Diving team for two years, she set Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) records in the 400-yard individual medley (4:14.92), 400-yard freestyle relay (3:18.87) and 800-yard freestyle relay (7:12.19). She won seven MVC Championship gold medals, five of which came in last year’s title meet, to lead the Bears to their seventh and eighth consecutive MVC crowns.  

DeSpain made the All-MVC first team and MVC Scholar-Athlete team in both seasons at Missouri State. She was named the 2024 MVC Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

For her record-setting swimming career and impact as a student-athlete, DeSpain was named one of the top 30 honorees for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year award.  

According to DeSpain, she is incredibly humbled to receive this honor. 

“Every achievement reminds me of the people who supported me. It’s about teamwork and perseverance,” she said. “Missouri State gave me everything I needed — support, inspiration and the chance to grow.” 

Finding purpose in service 

Despite her busy schedule as a student-athlete, DeSpain made time to engage in volunteer work and extracurricular activities.  

On campus, she volunteered as a peer tutor and participated in the Pre-Medical Committee. She also served as president of Tau Sigma National Honor Society and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Lily DeSpain - a future military doctor
Lily DeSpain at UAMS.

To learn more about the medical field, DeSpain gained hands-on experience as a phlebotomist and contributed to impactful research through a HIV research lab group. In addition, she volunteered in local hospitals.

“Helping others has always been my goal, whether through swimming, service or medicine,” she said. 

Military and service: a family affair 

DeSpain is part of a family dedicated to serving their country. Her mother served in the Air Force as a translator and her father is a former FBI agent. Her sisters are Navy submarine officers. 

“Service is in my blood,” she said. “I wanted to follow their example and make a difference.”  

DeSpain hopes her story inspires others to follow their passions, no matter what the challenges.  “Don’t be afraid to dream big,” she said. “With hard work and support, anything is possible.” 

Explore School of Health Sciences

Filed Under: MCHHS Alumni Tagged With: Biomedical Sciences, Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Health Sciences

Sharing research with excellence

December 12, 2024 by Sewly Khatun

Danny Vlasin (right) and another male hold up his winner's mock check.

Four graduate students represented McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) with pride and poise at this year’s 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. 

The Missouri State Graduate College hosted the competition on Nov. 8, showcasing graduate students’ research. They had to present their research orally in three minutes or less. 

Danny Vlasin, a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice student, won first place. His research highlighted the potential of a new drug called Remimazolam.  

His ability to simplify complex research while highlighting the drug’s transformative potential made his work stand out.  

“This win reflects the dedication and effort of my entire team, including Christian Thomas and Jenna Scheer, in this project,” Vlasin said. “We’re excited to share our research and provide valuable insights into new findings in anesthesia care that affect many lives.” 

For winning, he gets to represent Missouri State at the regional competition during the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools conference in April next year. 

Modernizing anesthesia 

Vlasin’s winning thesis title is “Remimazolam: A New Medication for Procedural and General Sedation.” Remimazolam (Byfavo) is a safer sedation with faster recovery times. It is a more effective alternative compared to traditional anesthesia medications.  

He chose to research this drug for his doctoral project to address critical gaps in anesthesia safety and improve patient care. His research involved a comprehensive literature review of clinical trials. His study revealed highly favorable results for using Remimazolam in both procedural sedation and general anesthesia.  

“I want to educate the public and health care professionals about this awesome new medication,” Vlasin said.  

In his presentation, he stated: “The next time a doctor asks how to proceed with the care of a loved one, respond with this question: ‘Hey doc, have you heard of Remimazolam?’”

The other presentations by MCHHS Bears

From left to right: Ako Rostampour, Olivia Johnson and Emma Liimatta.
From left to right: Ako Rostampour, Olivia Johnson and Emma Liimatta.

These MCHHS students also delivered commendable presentations at the competition: 

  • Emma Liimatta, cell and molecular biology: “How Does the Protein RAD23 Aid in Repairing DNA?”
    Her research explored critical molecular mechanisms that may advance cancer treatments and genetic therapies. 
  • Olivia Johnson, biomedical sciences: “The Similarities Between Viruses and Vampires: Approaches to Triumph over Them”
    She drew fascinating parallels between infectious diseases and vampire folklore, offering a fresh perspective on combating emerging health threats. 
  • Ako Rostampour, cell and molecular biology: “Let’s Run to Outrun Alzheimer’s”
    His work shed light on innovative strategies for understanding and addressing Alzheimer’s disease. 

Congratulations to all four students for their outstanding achievements and contributions to advancing knowledge in health-related areas. 

Explore programs in MCHHS

Filed Under: MCHHS News Tagged With: Biomedical Sciences, Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Anesthesia, students

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