Our featured McQueary College of Health and Human Services faculty member is Dr. Molly Lancaster. She is an assistant professor in the School of Health Sciences.
Let’s get to know more about her.
Where are you originally from?
I was born in California but grew up in Missouri. I attended kindergarten in rural Shell Knob, and then Crane for first grade before moving to St. Louis, where I also attended college. I spent my childhood summers on Table Rock Lake with my grandfather about an hour south of our campus. I attended graduate school in California and spent 15 years in Los Angeles before returning to Missouri.
What brought you to Missouri State University and how long have you been here?
I was drawn to Missouri State for its commitment to student-centered learning. It’s amazing to be at a teaching focused institution and in close proximity to my childhood upbringing in the Ozarks. In fall 2024, I returned to the region to share what I learned in California and apply my prevention science training to advance health equity across rural communities in Missouri.
Where else have you worked before joining Missouri State?
I have over 10 years of teaching experience and have worked in public health practice across California and globally before returning to Missouri. I taught at Santa Monica College, California State University-Dominguez Hills and the University of Southern California. I also worked as a public health researcher and practitioner at an HIV clinic in Hollywood, as well as the University of California Davis Medical Center. I have extensive consulting experience in grant writing, strategic management consulting and change management in private sector and public serving spaces. I’ve also worked as a health educator in Uganda, Gabon and the United States.
What’s your educational background?
I completed my Associates of Arts degree from St. Louis Community College-Meramec before transferring to Fontbonne University to complete my bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in biology. I completed my PhD in Preventive Medicine from Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, where I was a TL1 Fellow in Translational Science with a certificate in clinical, biomedical and translational investigations. I’m also a master certified health education specialist with over 13 years of experience in both domestic and global health education.
What inspired you to pursue your field of study and higher education?
My family was a huge inspiration to me. My mother and grandmother were both nurses, and originally, I was planning to pursue a Doctor of Medicine career. However, I realized that I wanted to pursue research and focus on the prevention of disease and illness. This led me to pursue a doctorate in preventive medicine and health behavior research.
What topics or research questions are you most passionate about in your field?
My research agenda focuses on rural health and what I call “Servant Research” – research in service to underserved communities. Traditional academic research often centers on the researcher’s questions and career needs; Servant Research flips that script by asking communities what they need and building research agendas around those priorities. It’s about showing up, listening and putting our skills to work for the people we study alongside rather than just about.
I’m passionate about community-based participatory research, drowning prevention on Table Rock Lake and democratizing access to research skills both within and beyond traditional academic walls. For example, my current Safe Waters project grew directly from conversations with community members about a problem they identified – preventable drownings in our local waterways. We’ve built a Community Advisory Board, so residents have real decision-making power in how the research unfolds. I just received a $15,000 grant for this project from the Open Research Community Accelerator.
I also coordinate an All of Us Research agenda, which aligns perfectly with my equity-focused approach. Through the National Institutes of Health, All of Us is building one of the most diverse health databases in history, ensuring that medical research finally reflects the full spectrum of who we are, not just the populations traditionally studied. It’s exciting to share that resource with students and our community.
This year, I’m also developing a Rural Health Toolkit to empower rural communities to advance health equity from within, because lasting change happens when communities have the tools to lead their own solutions.
What courses do you teach?
I teach PBH 754 Health Policy Seminar; a data-science class called PBH 735 Software Applications and Data Sources in Public Health; and PBH 783 International Health and Infectious Disease – all within the Master of Public Health (MPH) program. I lecture frequently in the biology department for classes related to immunology, microbiology and pathogenic microbiology.
What do you enjoy most about working with MCHHS students?
Our students are ambitious and highly intelligent students. Our MPH program in particular has a large international student population, and students bring a diverse set of viewpoints to the classroom. I enjoy deploying active learning and flipped classroom environments, where students learn through discussion, hands-on activities and critical thinking through experiential learning. The students across McQueary exemplify the values of our public affairs centered institution, which is exactly aligned with my professional goals of health equity within public health specifically.
What’s your teaching philosophy?
I believe students learn best when they are active participants in their education rather than passive recipients of information. In the classroom, I work to strengthen feedback loops with students, refine my use of technology and ensure that every course I teach connects public health theory to the lived realities of the communities we serve.
What do you do for fun or leisure?
I’m an avid gardener and permaculture enthusiast. I’m a member of my local gardening club and enjoy growing native perennials, as well as fruits trees and organic vegetables. This year, I want to cultivate more cut flowers to bring the outdoors inside during the growing season. I also plan to incorporate a new water feature into my garden this year to enhance the sensory experience of sound along with garden sights.
What might surprise people about you?
I’m a neurodivergent scholar. While I’m energized by teaching, I’m really an introvert at heart who enjoys quiet time and reflection to recharge as well. My experience as a neurodivergent scholar informs my commitment to creating learning environments where all students can thrive.
