Exercise Science Faculty Members Earn Tenure
Three members of Pacific University exercise science faculty were granted tenure in March 2018. They were among six faculty members university-wide to receive the distinction.
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.