Dental Hygiene Faculty

Director, School of Dental Hygiene Studies
503 352-7252

Amy Coplen worked as a clinical dental hygienists for six years, earned her master's degree, then developed online patient simulations for genetics education.

Associate Professor & Clinical Education Coordinator
503 352-7242

Gail Aamodt is an Associate Professor & Clinical Education Coordinator whose areas of expertise include learner-centered education, team development and education opportunities for dental hygiene educators.

Holly Erenfeld
Assistant Professor
503 352-7249

Holly Erenfeld graduated from Oregon Health and Sciences University in 2002 and has 17 years of clinical experience as a dental hygienist.  She completed her master’s degree in dental hygiene from The Ohio State University, focusing on education and leadership.   She has been an instructor at Pacific University’s Dental Hygiene clinic for 10 years and joined as a full-time faculty member in 2018. 

Assistant Professor
503 352-7244

Lesley Harbison has been practicing dental hygiene for almost 20 years. In 2016 she returned to school to advance her dental hygiene knowledge and career.

Assistant Professor
503 352-7246

Melody graduated from Pacific University’s Dental Hygiene program in 2013 and has
8 years of clinical experience working with Kaiser Permanente.

Assistant Professor
503 352-2680

Kathy Moore has more than 30 years of clinical experience as a dental hygienist and is an active member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Dental Education Association.

Associate Professor, Mobile Dental Clinic Coordinator
503 352-7373

Wilber Ramírez-Rodríguez is a licensed dental hygienist in the state of Oregon and Washington and has been a licensed dentist in Perú since 2001.

Instructor & Clinical Operations Coordinator
503 352-2683

Alison Santoro, RDH, BSDH is a full-time clinical instructor who completed her entry-level dental hygiene education at Pacific University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Health. She also completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science, and a minor in Coaching from Pacific University prior to enrolling in Pacific’s Dental Hygiene Program, and played softball for Pacific during her undergraduate schooling. She has 4 years of clinical experience as a dental hygienist working in a private dental office, and is an active member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Dental Education Association.

Clinical Applied Instructor
503 352-7251

Mónica is a graduate of the School of Dental Hygiene Studies at Pacific University. She joined Pacific University as a part-time clinical instructor in August 2017 and became a full-time co-faculty member in July 2018.

Assistant Professor
503-352-7242

Kristen Simmons has more than 30 years of extensive experience driving impactful change and transformation in diverse and rapidly changing healthcare environments. 

Assistant Professor
503 352-7245

Kristen Thomas has worked as a dental hygienist in a managed care organization and now is a full-time faculty member.