John Schmalzbauer Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Missouri State University has received a $60,000 grant from Interfaith America to enhance religious literacy in health professions education. The grant recognizes MSU’s leadership in religious literacy and cultural competence in health care.

Out of 44 applicants, MSU was one of only 15 institutions awarded this competitive grant. The university’s longstanding efforts in integrating religion and health care education played a key role in securing the funding.

Plans for the grant include creating a new graduate certificate, adding health services courses and developing online resources to improve religious literacy in health care.

The grant runs from December 2024 to November 2026.

Grant builds on earlier initiative

Missouri State began teaching courses in religion and health about 10 years ago, according to Dr. Philippa Koch, associate professor in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR).

Koch is an Interfaith America Faith and Health Fellow. She will lead the grant initiative, along with Dr. Steve Berkwitz and Dr. John Schmalzbauer from LCR and Sarah Bowman, Dr. McCall Christian and Dr. Amber Abernathy from the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS).

A $30,000 Wabash Center grant that Berkwitz and Schmalzbauer received in 2015 helped launch MSU’s first courses in religion and health, Koch said. “These efforts laid the groundwork for our current initiative.”

Since then, MSU has continued to build its interdisciplinary program. This includes creating the Medical Humanities Undergraduate Certificate in 2019 and the Mental Health and Spirituality Undergraduate Certificate in 2022.

Now, the new grant positions the university to be a leader in the growing field of religion and health, according to Schmalzbauer.

“We’re deepening our work at the intersection of faith and health to prepare future health care practitioners to serve diverse communities with cultural sensitivity,” Koch noted.

Missouri State University’s Ozarks Public Television (OPT) will broadcast the premiere of “Kehila Kedosha: Jewish Heritage in the Missouri Ozarks,” May 9 at 8 p.m., with an encore presentation scheduled for May 13 at 8 p.m.

The documentary, produced by Dax Bedell, assistant manager of TV Production at OPT, highlights the history of Jewish migration, assimilation and heritage in the Missouri Ozarks.

“The story of the Jewish experience in the Missouri Ozarks is one that has been largely untold,” Bedell said. “‘Kehila Kedosha’ aims to shed light on some of this rich history and the indelible impact the Jewish community has had in shaping our collective culture.”

“It is a narrative that resonates far beyond the Ozarks, reminding us of the profound contributions immigrants have made to the fabric of our nation,” he added.

The documentary is built around the research of MSU faculty emeritus Dr. Mara Cohen Ioannides. Cohen Ioannides has written multiple books and articles about Jewish life and identity, including “Creating Community: The Jews of Springfield, Missouri” and her most recent work, “Jews of Missouri: An Ornament to Israel.”