CEHS appoints interim school heads
Friday, November 7, 2025
Media Contact: Kirsi McDowell | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-8320 | kirsi@okstate.edu
Three interim school heads have been appointed for the 2025-26 academic year.
Dr. DJ McMaughan
School of Community Health Sciences, Counseling and Counseling Psychology
McMaughan serves as an associate professor of public health and is the director of the Disability and Wellness Research Collaborative at Oklahoma State University.
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology, master’s in education and Ph.D. in health services research from Texas A&M University, and yet another degree in psychology from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, McMaughan is dedicated to ensuring students receive a quality education.
McMaughan’s research focuses on understanding and improving systems of care for specific populations, such as people living with autism, people of old age and gender-diverse people.
They have been recognized for research in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Aging and the Environment, Frontiers in Public Health, and BMC Geriatrics.
In addition, McMaughan serves as an associate editor for Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education and Action, as well as president of the Oklahoma Public Health Association.
McMaughan is driven by the idea of being a servant-leader for students and colleagues. McMaughn’s research is conducted through data and experience, using justice, advocacy and community engagement and improvement as motivation for the work.
Dr. Tim Passmore
School of Kinesiology, Applied Health and Recreation
Dr. Tim Passmore is a professor and a Fellow Distinguished in Recreational Therapy.
He is also involved in numerous organizations in his field, serving as the chair of the International Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education (CARTE), chair of the Recreational Therapy Licensing Committee of the Oklahoma Medical Licensing Board, a board member of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association of America (ATRA), co-executive director of the Therapeutic Recreation Association of Oklahoma, chair of the Coalition of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Facilities Rehabilitation Therapy Organizations (CRTO) and chair of Group V.
As a professor, Passmore is known to his students as a helpful and understanding presence in the classroom. Beyond teaching, Passmore has been nationally recognized for his expertise on Medicare and Medicaid regulations in relation to inpatient and outpatient health care.
Passmore’s research primarily focuses on recreational therapy and its effects on adults of all ages, as well as the impact of recreational therapy on children with cerebral palsy and adults with Parkinson’s Disease.
Dr. Mike Yough
School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Aviation
Dr. Mike Yough is an endowed professor and program coordinator for educational psychology, the director of the Motivation in Classrooms lab and the Don and Cathey Humphreys Chair for the School of Global Studies and Partnerships.
During Yough’s nine years at OSU, he has served as a co-editor for Theory to Practice: Educational Psychology for Teachers and Teaching, a member of the review boards for Theory Into Practice, Educational and Developmental Psychologist, and Frontiers in Psychology. Yough is also a Fulbright Scholar, partnering with teachers in Colombia to understand how they relate to their students and the impact on student success.
Yough’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, a master’s degree in psychology from Capella University, as well as a master’s degree in education and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Ohio State University.
Yough’s research focuses on teacher beliefs and social cognition and their effects on the motivation of students. He is especially interested in students whose linguistic and cultural backgrounds differ from those of their instructors, as well as what schooling may look like for those students.
Yough enjoys studying whether students from differing backgrounds feel as if they belong in their classrooms, what social perspectives are taken into account in educational settings, and teachers’ senses of efficacy and responsibility toward such students. Many of Yough’s studies epistemic beliefs among teachers, the experiences of international students in higher education and the biases and beliefs of students themselves.
Yough is also an active member of the Payne County Audubon Society and a proud owner of a Pete’s Pet Posse dog, Theo.