Story by Ryan Gauthier, rjgauthier@health.missouri.edu

For Nathan Dare, Mizzou was love at first sight. When the Puxico, Missouri, native first visited campus in 2007 to attend a football game, he knew he would be a Tiger for life.

“I was immediately hooked,” Dare said. “Mizzou was really the only university that piqued my interest.”

Nearly two decades later, Dare will address his peers as the student speaker during the College of Health Sciences’ Professional/Clinical Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 18, in Jesse Auditorium. As he completes his PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Science, Dare caps off nine years of studies at Mizzou and three total degrees; he also completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Health Science in 2019 and a Master of Occupational Therapy in 2021.

Dare’s time at Mizzou has been defined by more than academic achievement. He has also served as a student, instructor and researcher, often simultaneously.

“I don’t think I would have predicted being in this position when I started,” he said. “OT was always the path I was on, and then the PhD was just kind of icing on the cake.”

A passion for occupational therapy took root early for Dare, shaped in large part by a desire to support families navigating neurodevelopmental conditions. Growing up in rural Missouri gave him a unique perspective on the challenges posed by limited access to health care and resources.

“Getting the opportunity to evaluate that from a systematic and from a health perspective as an occupational therapist is something that really gives me value,” he said. “I hope that contributes to the overall wellness of rural Missourians in the future.”

Dare’s doctoral research focuses on the “iron triangle” of health care in rural communities, where it can be extra challenging to balance cost, quality and access. His work explores how rural families are (or aren’t) counted in health care data and how alternative delivery models such as telehealth can improve care while reducing barriers like transportation.

Among his most formative experiences was his time in the Missouri Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, an interdisciplinary training program that provides intensive training for graduate students and postdocs in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities.

“It was foundational,” Dare said. “Getting to work with pediatricians, psychologists, PTs, social workers — all focused on a population I care deeply about — helped shape what I want my future to look like as a clinician and researcher.”

Dare credits much of his success to the mentors who guided him along the way. He said he couldn’t have done it without the support of Bill Janes, his longtime advisor, Tim Wolf, who encouraged him to pursue a PhD, and countless other faculty and staff from the College of Health Sciences and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment.

“They really provided me opportunities that I never imagined having this early on in my journey,” Dare said.

After graduation, Dare isn’t going far: He has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship with the Mizzou Department of Health Sciences, where he’ll continue his research and teach undergraduate courses.

While his strong background in occupational therapy could lead him back to an OT department in the future, Dare said Health Sciences is a great fit because of the inherently interdisciplinary nature of his work.

“My research relies on clinical work, but also public health, health administration and more,” he said. “I feel more at home in a department like Health Sciences because of that intersection.”

As he prepares his remarks for the commencement stage, Dare acknowledges challenges ahead for health care professionals. While he acknowledges those challenges, Dare said there are still plenty of reasons to feel hopeful about the future.

“Starting a career in today’s health care ecosystem is not easy,” he said. “But we have a unique opportunity to create change, and Mizzou’s core values — respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence — give us the tools to do just that.”