PSU History
Patrice earned a BS in Education, an MS in Editing/Design, and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching Adult Learners at Portland State University, where she first proposed her popular capstone class for UNST in 2009.
Experience
Patrice's teaching experience began with Portland Public Schools, then as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer from 1988-1990 in the rural areas of Stann Creek and Punta Gorda, Belize, Central America.
Academic/Research Interests
Patrice first became acquainted with the world or organ waitlists in 2001, when her sister began dialysis and was listed for organ transplant. Patrice was able to donate a kidney to her sister in 2008 while employed in PSU’s teaching resource center, The Center for Academic Excellence, later renamed Office of Academic Innovation (OAI). She began teaching a capstone class on the topic of organ donation for transplant in 2010. She left her full-time position at PSU while her husband was battling cancer, which eventually ended his life in 2015. She continues to offer this course as an adjunct because of her passion about the topic of organ donation, with her ongoing goal that every individual has the discussion with their loved ones and family members on the topic of organ donation, including their wishes in the event of their death, and that the discussion happens long before there is any emergency, which is the worst time to guess or dispute a family member's wishes.
Personal Interests
Patrice is a native Portlander who enjoys traveling to visit her adult children from coast to coast. She dabbles in gardening and hiking, and treasures daily walks with her aging dog, Beamer, the unofficial emotional support animal she adopted after her husband died from cancer in 2015.