Six Pacific Faculty Members Earn Tenure

Six members of the Pacific University faculty were granted indefinite tenure in March, after approval from the Board of Trustees. Among them are three exercise science faculty members in the College of Arts & Sciences, as well as three faculty members in the College of Health Professions.

Jennifer Bhalla PhD is an associate professor of exercise science who joined the Pacific faculty in 2013. She also has been an assistant coach of the women's soccer team. She holds a bachelor of science in exercise science from Rutgers University, where she was an academic All-American in soccer, as well as a master of science in exercise and sport studies from Smith College and a PhD in sport and exercise psychology from the University of Virginia. She currently is working on her master of public health in health promotion in a joint program from Portland State University and the Oregon Health & Science University. Her research interests center on developing safe and health physical activity environments for all participants, and she has collaborated on research studies and papers on positive youth development, cultural and parental influence on sport participation, and the experiences of African-American women in sports. She is past-president of the Oregon Society for Health and Physical Educators. In 2011, she received the Research Writing Award from the Research Consortium of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. In 2012, she was inducted as the first female athlete into her high school's Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Rebecca Concepcion PhD is an associate professor of exercise science who taught at Pacific from 2008 to 2012 and returned to Pacific in 2015 following a professorship at St. Mary's College of California, where she developed a health promotion degree-track. She holds a master's degree in exercise and sport science, with a concentration in sport and exercise psychology and a minor in public health, as well as a PhD in nutrition and exercise science, from Oregon State University. Her scholarship centers on physical activity and cognitive function, as well as the way in which psychosocial factors influence physical activity engagement. She has conducted research into the role of physical activity and psychological wellness with underserved groups, including survivors of domestic violence and women in transition from substance abuse rehabilitation programs to the workforce. She is experienced in curricular development and is currently focusing such efforts on empirical support of writing-in-the-discipline instruction as a means to improve students' learning of disciplinary content. In addition to these teaching and research activities, she has served in an elected position on the Board of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. 

Kathryn Dolphin PhD is an associate professor of exercise science who joined the Pacific faculty in 2012. She is a Pacific alumna who studied exercise science here as an undergraduate before earning her master's degree in exercise and sport psychology and PhD in behavioral health and health education from The University of Texas at Austin. Her background in psychophysiology centers her research on the interaction between the psychological and physical processes. Her scholarly interests include stress and resilience, the influence of social, cultural, and built environments on health behavior choices, and positive youth sport development.  In addition to teaching and research, her service has been dedicated to being a member of the Institutional Review Board and advising the Exercise Science Club. She also devotes time to coaching and providing trainings to encourage positive sport psychology for a local youth soccer club. Nationally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Health Behaviors. 

Leonardo Bobadilla PhD is an associate professor and director of the forensic track at Pacific's School of Graduate Psychology in the College of Health Professions. He previously served as an assistant professor at Western Carolina University. He completed his pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Federal Correctional Center in Butner, N.C., earned a PhD in clinical psychology from Florida State University, and completed a post-doctoral residency at the Sex Offender Treatment Program at Oregon State Hospital, where he remained as a staff psychologist. His research and clinical work focuses on psychopathy, physical aggression and sexual violence and has published various peer reviewed articles and chapters in the area. 

Wendy Hanks PhD is the director of the School of Audiology in Pacific's College of Health Professions. She joined the Pacific faculty in 2013 after previously serving as director of the the Doctor of Audiology Program at Gallaudet University, and as a faculty member at Towson University and Brigham Young University. She has also worked as director of audiology in a hospital setting and private practice. She holds a bachelor of science in educational psychology and a master of communication disorders, both from Brigham Young University, as well as a PhD in audiology from Wichita State University. As a transplant to the area, Dr. Hanks enjoys exploring the wonders of Oregon and spending as much time as possible with her grandchildren. She will continue to be a fan of all BYU sports, especially football, but is now a fan of Boxer football, too. 

Rebecca A. Reisch, PT, PhD, DPT, OCS is an associate professor in the School of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training in Pacific's College of Health Professions. Her areas of interest include women's health physical therapy, research, statistics, evidence-based practice, and orthopedic physical therapy, as well as international physical therapy practice and service learning. She teaches research, statistics and evidence-based practice, assists with and coordinates several second- and third-year classes, and lectures on women's health topics in classes in the School of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training and elsewhere in the College of Health Professions. Prior to her current faculty position, she served as academic coordinator of clinical education for 10 years and started Pacific's international internship program. She currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy and has reviewed manuscripts for several other journals.