Pacific University Teaching Mentors
Jeannine M. Chan, PhD
Areas I Teach: Chemistry
Protein structure - function relationships of metalloenzymes. Studies in my lab focus on the bacterial enzymes of the global nitrogen cycle, the ecology of which can have substantial impacts to both agricultural productivity and water quality. Specifically, I am investigating the mechanism of the Mo-nitrogenase, which catalyzes biological nitrogen fixation (N2 to NH3), and the biosynthesis of nitrous oxide reductase, a copper-containing enzyme which catalyzes the last step of the denitrification pathway (N2O to N2).
Stacey Halpern, PhD
Areas I Teach: Biology, Environmental Studies: Policy, Culture & Society, Environmental Policy
The impact I’ve seen teacher-scholars have on individuals and on society is the reason I’m passionate about education. To have that impact, I believe it’s essential for teachers to foster student-directed learning and critical thinking. In the classroom, I use case studies and problems that require students to wrestle with concepts and their application to scientific and policy issues. As a research mentor, I allow students the independence to explore questions and techniques while providing sufficient feedback to prevent high-risk errors. In both contexts, I believe these opportunities to practice problem-solving skills and the scientific process encourages students to consider pursuing science as a career or increases their comfort with using science in their lives as citizens. Stacey's Lab Home Page
Kerry Callahan Mandulak, PhD, CCC-SLP
Areas I Teach: Speech-Language Pathology (MS), Communication Sciences & Disorders (post-bacc)
Dr. Mandulak couldn’t be more pleased to join the faculty in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Pacific University. Dr. Mandulak’s clinical career has been focused on the assessment and treatment of children and families affected by cleft lip and palate, velopharyngeal dysfunction, and other craniofacial disorders. Her clinical interests formed the basis for her research interests pursued during her doctoral training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including applying acoustic analysis techniques for investigation of speech production and speech perception in children with repaired cleft palate. She finished her doctorate in September 2009.
Dr. Mandulak is active in the American Cleft Palate – Craniofacial Association and the Communication Sciences and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS) Advisory Board of the Council on Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD), serving as committee chair. Locally, she serves on the Medical Advisory Committee for Smile Oregon, a not-for-profit organization committed to improving care of children affected by cleft lip and palate in Oregon. In addition to cleft palate and craniofacial disorders, Dr. Mandulak is passionate about working with people who stutter. She is a member of the local stuttering support group, loves mentoring students with this specific clinical interest, and provides speech therapy whenever she can.
Outside of work, Dr. Mandulak has enjoyed exploring Portland with her husband David and sons Henry and Gus. She loves working on anything crafty, coming up with new and exciting things to cook for her family, and reading books not related to work! Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
Adelle Monteblanco, PhD
Areas I Teach: Public Health
My primary research interest is in inequality, particularly at the critical nexus of health, gender, and the environment. I hone in on this intersection through hazards and disaster studies. Currently I study extreme heat, examining its health impacts on vulnerable populations, such as pregnant people and youth. My work on extreme heat aims to contribute healthier, more sustainable, and resilient communities. While disasters and extreme heat are my main areas of research, I have also studied innovative and high-impact teaching methods that engage student learning.
Andrew Saultz, PhD
Areas I Teach: PhD in Education & Leadership (PhDEL)
Dr. Saultz’s research and teaching focus on building more equitable systems for historically marginalized students. He has seventeen years teaching experience including at the high school, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. As a professor, Dr. Saultz teaches quantitative methods, educational policy, and leadership theory. He also has extensive international teaching experience having taught English in southern Poland, spent a summer in Ecuador studying the history, culture and educational system on a Fulbright Group Program Abroad, visited schools throughout China on a fellowship to enhance global understanding and led an undergraduate trip abroad to the Dominican Republic to learn about community-based leadership. Dr. Saultz has published research on educational leadership, educational equity, and the intersection between health and education policy. He has been awarded more than $5 million in external grant support and his scholarship has been featured in various peer-reviewed publications as well as in The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education and on National Public Radio.
Dr. Saultz is an antiracist who is committed to shaping a more inclusive and just world. He has built more equitable hiring practices, instructor evaluation, and scholarships. Dr. Saultz has extensive academic leadership experience including serving for five years as the Director of the PhD Program in Education and Leadership, the Chair of the Graduate Council, the Chair of the Faculty Appeals Committee and on the University Accreditation Committee. He is also active in the community, having served on various boards including the Blanchet House, Washington County Kids, the Okemos Public School Board and the Cedar Mill Historical Society. Dr. Saultz earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Oregon State University, a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy from Michigan State University. He lives in Portland with his partner and his two sons.