University of Puget Sound Welcomes New Faculty This Fall

Mallory Fitzpatrick

Visiting Assistant Professor, Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies

Mallory Fitzpatrick’s work examines a spooky crossroads: supernatural horror and ancient literature. She was drawn to Greek myths as a child, later studying them in their original languages. “It blew the door wide open to ancient literature, history, and storytelling,” she says. 

This fall, Fitzpatrick is teaching Classical Mythology, Intermediate and Advanced Latin, and The Ancient Novel. She looks forward to seeing class materials through students’ eyes. “It always reminds me why we keep returning to texts, art, and stories that are thousands of years old,” she says.

She’s also excited to take in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and hopes to get in some scenic hikes, along with rock climbing and leisure reading.

Ayotunde Giwa        

Visiting Assistant Professor, Public Health

Ayotunde Giwa is a public health researcher who examines how resource-constrained health systems adapt over time. He’s also developing research on financial barriers to diagnosis in sub-Saharan Africa. “That connection between public systems and people’s lived experiences continues to drive my work,” he says.

This fall, Giwa is teaching Healthcare Systems and Policy, and Health Promotion. He enjoys seeing students work through complex questions and engage with different perspectives.“I enjoy classroom discussions where students challenge an argument, bring in a perspective I had not considered, or make connections across different topics,” he says.

Giwa is a fan of Chelsea FC and playing soccer. He also enjoys music and working on song ideas of his own.

Brandon Imamshah        

Visiting Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy 

Brandon Imamshah specializes in health promotion and disease prevention in occupational therapy. He’s especially interested in lifestyle interventions as a way to prevent and manage health problems throughout a patient’s life.

This fall, he is teaching Assessments in Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapy Process with Adults 1, and a module on Work Rehab. Imamshah values teaching for the ways it prompts students — and him — to grow. That includes, he says, “Learning with and from students, supporting students in developing their foundational skills, finding meaning in what is learned, and realizing their potential.”

In his spare time, Imamshah enjoys spending time with family. His hobbies include riding his motorcycle, Muay Thai kickboxing, building and fixing things, and landscaping.

Jessica Johnson ’05, DPT’07

Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy

Jessica Johnson specializes in lower extremity biomechanics and preseason physical  assessments. Johnson’s favorite part of the field of physical therapy is problem-solving. “I love figuring out how to get people back to the activities they love,” she says.

Johnson is teaching Orthopedics I & II this fall. In her teaching, Johnson enjoys seeing the material click with students. In physical therapy, that’s when the information becomes a helpful tool for students to use in the real world. She’s also a Puget Sound alumna. “I am really excited to be on the other side and hopefully continue to pass on the values and lessons I learned when I was a student,” she says.

In her free time, Johnson loves to hike, travel, knit, and sew.

Marena Lear

Visiting Assistant Professor, Hispanic Studies 

Marena Lear focuses on contemporary Latin American cinema, film theory, and decolonial aesthetics. It’s a specialty that combines many of her interests. “I have a deep love of cinema and find it to be an exciting medium through which to examine current transnational politics and aesthetics,” she says. 

This fall, Lear is teaching Spanish 101 and Latinx Literature. She has a background in comparative literature and creative writing, and previously taught at Puget Sound as an adjunct professor. She’s excited to continue that work. “It was such an enjoyable experience, from the welcoming faculty and staff in small and tight-knit departments, to the passionate and dedicated students.”

For Lear, teaching is about connection. “I enjoy the one-on-one conversations I get to have with students,” she says.

Kenneth Lopez Perez 

Visiting Assistant Professor, Chemistry

Kenneth Lopez Perez specializes in cheminformatics, a field that combines information technology and chemistry to scale up understanding of molecules and chemical reactions. He discovered his interest in this methodology during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he found it was the only way to conduct computational chemistry research while public health restrictions were in place. His background is in chemistry and pharmacology.

Lopez Perez will teach Chemistry 110 this fall. He appreciates Puget Sound for its diverse student body, beautiful campus, and the importance it places on education. He looks forward to connecting with his students, he says, and “seeing their reactions when it ‘clicks’ all together during lectures.”

His hobbies include dancing, working out, and reading.

Andrea Muffly

Clinical Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy        

Andrea Muffly’s interests center on an emerging tool for occupational therapists: horses, or hippotherapy. She also wants to build her field’s understanding of under-researched syndromes, including Bertolotti's Syndrome. 

Muffly saw the benefits of occupational therapy when her younger sister received a variety of services, including aquatic therapy and hippotherapy. “It made me really excited to start such a diverse career,” she says.        

This fall, Muffly is teaching Functional Anatomy for Occupational Therapists, along with Advanced Technology, Ergonomics, and Work. She’s happy to work in an environment that values teaching and classroom time. “I enjoy problem-solving with students and watching them apply concepts to their patient care,” she says.

In her leisure time, Muffly enjoys gardening and spending time with her two dogs.

Yoehan Oh

Visiting Assistant Professor, Science, Technology, Health, and Society

Yoehan Oh is interested in the historical and social side of tech. Before he explored concepts like technological sovereignty, he was a software engineer with a background in electrical engineering and computer science. “Those experiences led me to become increasingly interested in the cultural, social, and political processes that shape science and technology,” he says.

This fall, he’ll teach History of Modern Science and Technology, Scientific Lives and Legacies, and Science and Politics. He enjoys following students’ curiosity into new discussions, he says. “Those moments challenge me to stay flexible, open-minded, and creative in connecting unexpected questions to our shared learning goals.”

Off campus, Oh spends time with his son, checking out libraries and parks and playing sports. “Our next adventure will be a long-overdue fishing trip,” he says.

Audrey Ragsac                

Visiting Assistant Professor, Biology

Audrey Ragsac is fascinated by biodiversity, specifically the evolutionary processes that have shaped it across time and space.         

This fall she’s teaching Unity of Life in the biology department. She was drawn to Puget Sound’s teaching focus and student-centered philosophy. “I am especially energized by the opportunity to teach biology in a liberal arts environment, where students are encouraged to make connections across disciplines,” she says.

She likes to foster a collaborative environment in the classroom. “I also love thinking creatively about teaching and finding evidence-based ways to help students engage with biology, one another, and the process of science,” she says.

In her free time, Ragsac runs road races and sings with the Federal Way Chorale. She also enjoys hiking, backpacking, and spending time on the water.

James Razumoff

Lora Bryning Redford Post-Doctoral Fellow in Archaeology

James Razumoff is an archaeologist working in the eastern Mediterranean in the late Antique and early Medieval periods. He studies how groups of people made decisions in conversation with the changing environment.

Razumoff is teaching Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology this fall. His students will develop “an archaeologist’s eye” and apply it to a case study of a Mediterranean city. “Archaeology teaches us that there is no one way to live in the world, and to take no social structure or practice for granted,” he says.

In his downtime, Razumoff enjoys traveling, leveling up his cooking skills, and getting outside to hike, sail, or scuba dive. “Otherwise, you can find me crate digging in an indie record store or at a heavy metal concert,” he says.

Andrea Schwartz        

Visiting Instructor, Hispanic Studies

Andrea Schwartz’s interests include second language acquisition and methodologies for teaching language. “I have also always been fascinated by languages and the process of language learning,” Schwartz says, “particularly how we acquire new languages and how that process shapes the way we think, communicate, and understand the world around us.”

This fall, Schwartz is teaching three classes of Spanish 101. Connecting with students enables her to learn more tools for real-world needs. “Teaching keeps me learning and growing as I reflect on what works, adapt to students’ needs, and continue to develop as an educator,” she says.

Schwartz enjoys being outdoors, whether she’s spending time with her family or staying active with sports. She also enjoys cooking, baking, gardening, reading, and listening to music.

Faria Shaikh 

Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Business and Leadership

Faria Shaikh focuses on the phenomenon of persuasion. “I’m fascinated by the fact that even small differences in how a message is communicated can meaningfully influence how people respond to it,” she says.

Shaikh is teaching Principles of Marketing and Digital Marketing this fall. She was drawn to Puget Sound’s emphasis on excellence in teaching. “I want students to leave class noticing marketing everywhere and perhaps never looking at an advertisement, brand, or social media campaign quite the same way again.”

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new places, trying different restaurants and cafés, and spending time with friends and family. She’s excited to bring her thirst for exploration to Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest.

Amy VanZandt ’06, MEd’11

Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Education

Amy VanZandt focuses on faculty development for instructors of mental health counseling, seeing it as part of a cascade of support. “If faculty are supported and served well, then students are also supported and served well,” she says.

This fall, VanZandt is teaching Assessment in Counseling, Career Development Counseling, and Clinical Mental Health Internship. She received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from Puget Sound, and has previously taught as an adjunct professor at the university. “‘Once a Logger, Always a Logger’ is something I live and breathe every day,” she says. 

VanZandt says she lives for those “a-ha” moments with students that bring together academic theory with real-world practice. 

VanZandt spends her free time with her husband, singing karaoke, and walking their cowboy corgi.

Bruce Wilson Jr. MEd’19

Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychology and School of Education

Bruce Wilson Jr. specializes in counseling ethics, and is teaching a wide range of classes this fall. That includes Psychology 101 and Human Development, as well as a co-taught class on child and adolescent counseling.

Wilson earned his graduate degree at Puget Sound, and has been in the helping professions his entire career. He’s looking forward to seeing students make the materials their own. “I love it when students are able to connect concepts from psychology or counseling and use them in practical application,” he says.

His hobbies include bird watching, cooking, gardening, and reading.

Rachel Zephir

Assistant Professor and Director of Bands, School of Music

Rachel Zephir specializes in arranging and conducting music. Zephir first learned to appreciate music from her grandmother, who was a church choir director, organist, and pianist. She “taught me at a very young age how much music can enrich your life,” Zephir said.

She is teaching Wind Ensemble and Concert Band this fall. She looks forward to being part of an immersive music curriculum in a region known for a vast offering of musical experiences. She enjoys following undergraduates as they take part in her ensembles. “They grow not only in their craft but as people,” she says.

In her spare time, Zephir enjoys hobbies that allow participation and enjoyment. That includes both playing and watching sports, as well as cooking and eating.

Additional faculty joining our university this fall are:

• Jordan Bazak, Visiting Assistant Professor, Economics
• Elizabeth Schuster, Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Education
• Ram Srinivas, Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Business and Leadership
• Keila Taylor, Visiting Assistant Professor, African American Studies