Physician Assistant Studies Faculty and Staff

Prof. Davis is the Director of the School of PA studies. Prior to becoming the Director Prof. Davis served as the Associate Director, the founding Director of the Global Health Care Track, led the Skills and OSCE curriculum, served as the interim clinical coordinator, and taught in both the Didactic and Clinical phases of the program. Prof. Davis now teaches in her areas of passion in PA professional policy and advocacy, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Global Health; as well as in her professional areas of expertise in sexual health and surgery.

Prof. Davis is an alumni of the Pacific School of PA studies and returned to teach in 2011. She practiced in pediatrics in a tribal health facility, emergency medicine in a critical access hospital, neurosurgery in a level 2 trauma center, urgent care and rural family practice prior to becoming an academic. Her areas of research interest include Interprofessional and Global Health education, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in PA Education. Prof. Davis is passionate about the PA profession and has served for 9 years (and counting!) as an Oregon House of Delegates Representative for the AAPA House of Delegates: One of her proudest moments was casting one of the unanimous votes for Optimal Team Practice! She has also served a six year term in executive leadership for the Oregon Society of Physician Assistants in the President Elect, President, Immediate Past President roles. She has spent untold hours serving representing PA’s on national and state level committees, and believes that is what passion does!

Outside of her passion for education and the PA profession – she loves all things farmers markets, fresh produce and PICKLES!!

Prof. McLellan is the Director of Academic Education and Didactic Faculty for the School of PA Studies.  She has served as principal didactic faculty at two other PA programs before joining the Pacific University School of PA Studies in 2017. Prof. McLellan has been a PA since graduating from the Midwestern University – Arizona PA Program in 2006. She practiced several years in obstetrics/gynecology in various practice settings including an urban underserved clinic as the sole on-site provider. She also practiced in breast surgical oncology, and she now practices at a local free clinic providing gynecologic care.  Her areas of research interest include assessment and professional development. Prof. McLellan is passionate about giving back to the PA profession; she has spent many years serving on national PA education committees as well as state level committees. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and animals. Pets bring her great joy, and she loves to meet and spend time with other's pets as much as possible.

Melanie joined Pacific University in 2017 and has been with the PA program since 2021. She is responsible for recruitment and retention of preceptors for Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (PA Student Clinical Rotations) and also provides instructional and marketing support for the program. She graduated from the University of Oregon with bachelor’s degrees in history and romance languages, and has a master’s degree in adult education from Indiana University. She has over 15 years of experience working in adult and higher education, including nearly a decade spent teaching and building skills in curriculum and lesson materials design in Tokyo, Japan. Her professional interests include User Experience design (UX), instructional design and adult learning theory. Outside of work, she also enjoys learning about new things (current topics: macramé, history of medicine, and growing houseplants), volunteering for her local community library, watching murder mysteries, and spending time with her dogs.

Professor Brooks joined the clinical faculty in the School of PA Studies in 2021. In his current role, Professor Brooks oversees the clinical phase curriculum and provides support to students, preceptors, and clinical sites throughout the clinical year. Professor Brooks has over 10 years of experience as a practicing PA in Emergency Medicine and Urgent Care, and he continues to practice clinically. Prior to becoming a Physician Assistant, Professor Brooks had careers in Child Development, Mental Health, and Research Psychology. His areas of interest include Development Through the Lifespan, Emotional Determinants of Health, and Mindfulness. In his free time, Professor Brooks enjoys travel, gardening, making music, and most outdoor activities.

Professor Churey has been an Assistant Professor in the School of PA Studies since 2023.  He has been a PA since 2014 since graduating from Midwestern University in Arizona.  Before joining the faculty he practiced in emergency medicine and worked in urgent care and still practices part time. Outside of medicine he is an enthusiastic Buffalo Bills fan and enjoys running, hiking, traveling and making sure his two dogs have the best life!

Megan is the Coordinator of Clinical Administration and hopes to take on larger roles in the future after she becomes accustomed to her new role.  Her background is in healthcare as a licensed hearing aid specialist, and before that, veterinary sciences.  She graduated from the University of Portland with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and then from Ozarks Technical with a certification in Hearing Aid Sciences.  Outside of work, Megan enjoys spending time with her husband and two small dogs.  They together enjoy boating on Hagg Lake, cooking, and getting their homes and lives ready to adopt children.

Prof Kee currently leads the Pathophysiology and Neurology modules during the didactic phase of the PA program. Her clinical experience is in Urologic Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Stanford Health Care. Her areas of clinical interest include urothelial carcinoma and cystoscopic procedures. She has enjoyed the change of pace moving from clinical practice to academics, and the opportunity to regularly find a flow state in her faculty role at Pacific University. Outside of her professional pursuits, Prof Kee is generally chasing a busy toddler. In her former life, she enjoyed yoga, running, horseback riding and traveling with her husband.

Professor McGown works at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center which is a federally qualified health center. This opportunity allows him to reach a diverse population of patients with barriers to care and allows him to work at a high scope of practice. He began precepting for Pacific students in 2014 and became a faculty member in 2019.

Originally from Massachusetts, he has spent time in Hawaii and North Carolina before coming to Oregon to attend Pacific’s PA program. Professor McGown enjoys spending time with family and friends, surfing, camping, hiking and playing soccer.

Professor Olsommer is the Director of Skills and Simulation for the School of Physician Assistant Studies and leads the Physical Exam Skills, EKG, Simulation, Ultrasound, Nephrology, and emergency Medicine curricula. She also lectures broadly in other modules, including Pulmonology, Musculoskeletal, Gerontology, GU/Reproductive Health, and Surgery/Hospital Care. She has 15 years of experience as an Emergency Medicine PA, practicing in community hospitals, critical access hospitals and trauma centers and holds an Emergency Medicine CAQ. Prior to becoming a PA, she was an Occupational Therapist for over 15 years, specializing in adult neuro-rehabilitation. Professor Olsommer practices as an emergency medicine PA at a Level I trauma center in Portland. Her areas of interest are emergency medicine, curriculum development focusing on vulnerable populations and DEI in PA practice and education, POCUS, EKG and case-based learning. Outside of the classroom, Professor Olsommer enjoys gardening, travel, biking, her cats, and true crime documentaries. She is a volunteer medical provider at the Borland Free Clinic and volunteers for the Oregon Society of Physician Assistants.

Prof. Pestka has worked for Pacific University’s School of PA studies since 2016. She is currently Didactic Faculty in the School of PA Studies, and previously held positions as Clinical Faculty and Academic Coordinator. She teaches in Derm/EENT, GI, Genitourinary/Sexual Health, and the Graduate Project. Prof. Pestka has over 10 years of experience as a PA across different areas in clinical medicine including travel medicine, urgent care, occupational health and internal medicine. Her areas of research include student professionalism, Global Health, justice, diversity, equity and inclusion in PA Education and Practice. Professionally, Prof. Pestka is passionate about education, and she has worked with the Oregon Society of Physician Assistants for several years on their Continuing Medical Education (CME) Committee, both as a Co-Chair and member of the committee. In her free time, she can often be found hanging out with her family and two doodle-dogs, as well as traveling both domestically and internationally.

Sheryl Sanders is an anatomist who teaches for the Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant Programs.  She also manages the Human Anatomy Lab.

Diane joined the PA program in 2006. Diane negotiates and maintains affiliation agreements with clinical rotation sites and develops the rotation schedule for the entire clinical year. Alongside the Clinical Faculty, she analyzes student patient encounters to ensure that the school continues to provide a viable rotation experience at each clinical site.