Graduate Students

Tina Burdsall

Tina received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, her master’s degree in Sociology from Portland State University, and is now working towards her PhD. She has been working with Dr. Matthew Carlson on the Oregon Health Plan Lottery Study. This study is using the unique research situation created by Oregon's public insurance lottery design to look at what effects there are for low-income individuals who were selected for Medicaid coverage in Oregon versus a similar group who were not selected for coverage. Tina's interests are in medical sociology and health disparities in both experience and outcomes for low-income individuals. She is interested in research design and both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. She is an active member of the PSU Sociology Club, a Co-Chair of the Pacific Sociological Association’s Student Affairs Committee and a lifetime member of Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society. You can reach Tina at tdb@pdx.edu.

Jordan Folks

Jordan Folks graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Oklahoma with a BA in Sociology in the fall of 2009. Jordan is currently pursuing his MS in Sociology. His main research interests are in environmental sociology, particularly environmental justice and sustainability. Jordan is currently working on a thesis which analyzes environmental inequality in the Portland metro. The quantitative research project will assess whether or not racial minority and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by extreme environmental hazards and toxins. Jordan is currently a Teaching Assistant for [Sociology of] Minorities and is also a Research Assistant on a grant through the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at PSU. He is currently assisting research on social sustainability in the city of Portland. Previously, Jordan was a Research Assistant for PSU?s Center for Health and Social Inequality Research (CHSIR) where he researched the environmental and social problems stemming from oil sand extraction near Fort McMurray, Canada. Jordan may be contacted at jfolks@pdx.edu.

Frank Goulart

Frank is interested in the role of organized labor in relation to globalization and ecological crisis. His research examines the closure of a worker-owned paper mill in Oregon and explores the challenges to achieving regional social sustainability in an era of global capital. Broadly, his interests are in the labor and environmental movements, class, power, theory, and political and economic sociology. Frank’s background is in both business and sociology, and upon entering PSU’s program he was awarded the Laurels scholarship for academic merit and the promotion of diversity. He has worked in public health, supporting county-level research and policy, is currently an information systems consultant to a global metals recycling firm, and has taught courses in computer languages and systems design. After receiving his masters Frank plans to pursue a PhD in sociology. He can be reached at fggoulart@yahoo.com.

Katy Griffin

Katy Griffin received her Bachelor's degree in Development Sociology from Cornell University in 2007, with a minor in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Katy is currently working toward the completion of her Master's degree in Sociology from PSU. Her research utilizes a feminist lens to conduct a gendered analysis of an original ethnographic case study. This study was conducted in a Sri Lankan village residing in the buffer zone of a governmentally protected area. Katy examines natural resource use and management through qualitative interviews. She focuses on household division of labor and the potential impact on mitigating strategies involved in Human Elephant Conflict (HEC). After graduating from PSU Katy hopes to continue her work on HEC through the addition of a comparative transnational component, while also pursuing her Ph.D. Katy can be contacted at griffin.katy@gmail.com.

Heather Guevara

Heather L. Guevara received her B.A. in Psychology from Bethany College in 2001 and her M.S. in Sociology from Portland State University in 2006. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. She is a full-time instructor of sociology at Portland Community College where she serves as the Sociology Subject Area Committee Chair and is an active member of the Sylvania Diversity Council. Her master's thesis examined the transition experiences of new first-generation graduate students. Her interests include: scholarship of teaching and learning, sociology of education, transitions in higher education, qualitative research, non-traditional college students, and community college organization and administration. Heather may be contacted at hguevara@pdx.edu.

Jennifer Loomis

Jennifer Loomis received her B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Spanish from Colorado State University in 2005. She graduated with her M.A. in Sociology from Colorado State University in 2010. While at Colorado State she collaborated with Engineers without Borders on a potable water project in rural El Salvador. She worked as a research assistant for the Center for Fair and Alternative Trade (CFAT) and the Center for the Study of Crime and Justice (CSCJ) in addition to being a teaching assistant. Her thesis was a case study of a local organic farmers? market in the Andean region of Peru. She sought to develop recommendations to improve demand at the market, contributing to the economic development of small organic farmers in the area. Her research interests are medical sociology, environmental sociology, and disaster studies. Jennifer may be contacted at jloomis@pdx.edu.

María Janeth Mosquera Becerra

Janeth graduated in Social Work at the Valle University (Cali-Colombia) and worked for five years in ACUAVALLE, a public utility company in an educational program having to do with the rational use of water in urban contexts. Then, she got a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the Federal University of Pernambuco (Recife-Brazil). Upon her return to Cali, she joined three projects at Valle University in the Faculty of Health. In 2006, she got a Master´s Degree in Epidemiology at the Valle University. As a student and later as an epidemiologist, she joined the Epidemiology and Public Health Group -GESP (http://www.grupogesp.org) - and worked simultaneously in the FES-Social Foundation Health Division as researcher and at the Valle University as professor. In 2009 she won a Fulbright scholarship. Her current goal is to carry out doctorate studies in sociology with which she intend to strengthen and further integrate the fields she work in: health, environment and urban contexts. More specifically, she is interested in aspects related to health inequalities in urban territories combining qualitative and quantitative methods. You can contact Janeth at maria7@pdx.edu

Recent publications:

Mosquera J, Parra D, Gomez LF, Sarmiento OL, Schmid T, and Jacoby E.  An Inside Look at Active Transportation in Bogotá: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. In Press. Acceptance Date: June 22, 2011

Hallal P, Gomez L, Parra D, Lobelo F, Mosquera J, Florindo A, Reis R, Pratt M, Sarmiento OL.
Lessons Learned After 10 Years of IPAQ Use in Brazil and Colombia. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 2010, 7(Suppl 2), S259-S264

Gómez L, Mosquera J, Jacoby E. Salud, Vida Activa y Ambientes Urbanos: Las ciudades vuelven a ser importantes. In Obesidad qué Podemos Hacer. Una Mirada desde la Salud Pública. Francisco Mardones Santander (Ed). ED UC. Santiago de Chile. 2009

Mosquera J, Gómez OL, Méndez F. Impact perception on health, social and physical environments of the municipal solid waste disposal site in Cali. Rev. Salud Pública, 2009:11 (4)
Parra D, Gómez L, Pratt M, Sarmiento OL, Mosquera J, Triche E. Policy and Built Environment Changes in Bogotá and their Importance in Health Promotion. Indoor and Built Environment, 2007;16: 344-348.

Maura Pisciotta

Maura Pisciotta received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies from Gonzaga University. She is currently a Master’s candidate at Portland State University. Broadly, her interests include health, gender, and sexuality. Maura's current research examines how the media frames gender and sexuality in representations of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. She is a member of PSU's Graduate Students of Sociology Association, The Pacific Sociological Association, and Sociologists for Women in Society. Maura can be contacted at maura.pisciotta@pdx.edu.

Matthew Town

Matthew Town is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He graduated from Black Hills State University with a Bachelor's in Sociology and Oregon State University with a Master's in Public Health with an emphasis in Global Health. Matthew is pursuing his Ph.D. at Portland State University. Prior to returning to school full time, Matthew worked as a Program Director for the Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. His work focused on sexual and reproductive health as well as cancer health disparities among American Indians and Alaska Natives. His areas of interest include indigenous health, health disparities, global health, medical sociology and his research interests focus primarily on community-based participatory research. Matthew is a member of the Native Research Network, American Public Health Association, Pacific Sociological Association, International Network of Indigenous Health Knowledge and Development, and the Portland Area Indian Health Service Institutional Review Board. You can contact Matt at mtown@pdx.edu.

Kimberli Ulmer

Kimberli Ulmer graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor's in Human Development and Family Studies, a Master's in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis on Human Development and Sociology, and a Master's in Sociology. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Portland State University and working as an instructor to fulfill her graduate assistantship. Her area of interest is primarily medical sociology from a global perspective with an emphasis on inequality and health disparities within and across nations using quantitative methodology. You can contact Kim Ulmer at ulm@pdx.edu.

Dylan Waller

Dylan Waller received his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from San Francisco State University.  He is currently working towards his master’s degree in Sociology at Portland State University. Dylan’s current research focuses on the experiences of transgender people while undergoing gender therapy. This project reflects his interests in queer and transgender issues, identity formation and applied sociology.   Beyond his coursework, Dylan is a founding member of PSU’s Graduate Students of Sociology Organization, has worked as a research assistant, and is currently a teacher’s assistant. After his thesis defense Dylan hopes to continue on to a doctoral program in sociology where he will continue to research queer and transgender identity in a way he hopes will contribute to the communities he studies. You can reach Dylan at Waller.Dylan@gmail.com.

Elizabeth Withers

Elizabeth received her bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oregon, her master's degree in Sociology from Portland State University, and is now working towards her PhD. She has been working with the Portland State Literacy, Language and Technology research group on a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) examining tutor-facilitated digital literacy acquisition in hard to serve populations. This three year project is focused on evaluating the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) which is utilizing Learner Web technology at different sites in California, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, and Texas. Elizabeth’s interests are in medical sociology and racial and class-based health disparities with a focus on differences in the effects of education and digital literacy. She is interested in research methodologies and in particular mixed methods research designs which she is hoping to utilize in her dissertation research. She is also an active member of the PSU Sociology Graduate Student Organization (SGSO). You can reach Elizabeth at elizabew@pdx.edu.

Jena Zarza

Jena Zarza received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Irvine. She is currently working toward her Master’s degree in Sociology at Portland State University. Jena’s current research focuses on the framing of feminist theories and gender issues in introductory level sociology textbooks. She is a founding member of PSU’s Zeta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honors society. Beyond her academic commitments, Jena develops her professional skills by working as both a research assistant and a teacher’s assistant. She hopes to pursue her primary research interests of education, gender, and Latino/a sociology in a doctoral program in sociology. You can contact Jena at JenaAZarza@gmail.com.