NSME welcomes new faculty members

Meet four assistant professors, lecturers joining the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering this fall

By California State University, Bakersfield

August 22^nd, 2022

This fall, California State University, Bakersfield's School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering welcomes four new full-time faculty members: an assistant professor and a lecturer in both the Department of Nursing and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Learn more about each of them below.

Denise Gilliland

Denise Gilliland’s work in the medical field has taken her from her home state of California to Maryland, Maine, New Jersey and Alaska. This fall, she returns to the Golden State as she joins CSUB’s nursing department as an assistant professor.

“I am thrilled to be working with CSUB faculty, as I have found the team to be very supportive, professional and welcoming,” Gilliland said. “I am also excited to work for CSUB because of its commitment to diversity, global awareness and life-long learning.”

After attending Mt. San Antonio College, Gilliland worked for 20 years as a respiratory therapist. She later decided to pursue nursing, earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Maryland and her master’s in nursing education from American Sentinel University. She is now continuing her education in a Ph.D. nursing education program at Liberty University.

Gilliland previously worked as an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she saw firsthand health disparities in rural parts of the states.

“A huge part of this was due to the fact that there were only a small percentage of Alaska Native nurses,” Gilliland said. “My research is focused on the lived experiences of Alaska Native student nurses and the barriers they face with recruitment and retention in the rigorous nursing programs in Alaska.”

As a member of CSUB’s nursing faculty, Gilliland will teach gerontology nursing and fundamentals of nursing. She will also continue to be an advocate for minority nursing students and encourage their recruitment and retention at CSUB.

Gilliland and her husband of 26 years have two children by birth (their daughter, Amber, is an obstetrician in New Zealand, and their late son, Marcus, was a 1st Lieutenant in the Air Force before he passed three years ago). They also have six adopted children, all biological siblings, ranging in ages from 14 to 22. Two cats, Nala and Simba, round out the family.

In her free time, Gilliland plays the cello and flute. She is looking forward to joining one of CSUB’s music groups.

Dr. Mary Mack

Bakersfield native and CSUB alumna Dr. Mary Mack is returning to the nursing department where she previously earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing, this time as a full-time lecturer. She said she is excited to return to her alma mater as a faculty member.

“Not only do I have a love for teaching, but this is also an amazing opportunity,” Dr. Mack said. “I am grateful to work alongside my former professors as well as previous coworkers.”

Dr. Mack started her career as a registered nurse in 2015 and has since earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Brandman University in 2020.

“I am a big advocate for preventive healthcare,” Dr. Mack said. “My doctoral project involved health prevention education and teaching patients in underserved areas how to read nutrition facts labels, educate them on their prescribed medications, and other ways to decrease cardiovascular risk.”

She will continue to work part-time as a nurse practitioner at an outpatient clinic while teaching at CSUB.

“(Nursing) is a great love of mine and overall a rewarding career,” Dr. Mack said. “I am excited to share my passion and experience with the students.”

Many members of Dr. Mack’s family also work in the medical field, including her pharmacist younger sister. Their mother, Dr. Kary Mack, is also a nurse practitioner and previously taught at CSUB as a nursing clinical instructor.

“She is my role model and a huge inspiration to me,” Dr. Mack said of her mother. “She is originally from Hong Kong. She came to the United States when she was in her mid-twenties. She has worked very hard her whole life (being a mother, working full time and obtaining her doctorates). She is part of the reason for my success and why I strived for higher education.”

When she’s not teaching students or seeing patients, Dr. Mack enjoys staying active through yoga, hiking and weight training. She also likes traveling, reading and thrift-shopping.

Dr. Lance Talbert

Dr. Lance Talbert has been part of CSUB’s chemistry and biochemistry department since he joined the faculty as a full-time lecturer in the fall of 2019, but this year he returns to the department as an assistant professor.

“I have already been teaching here for three years and am excited to begin my career as an assistant professor at CSUB,” Dr. Talbert said. “I love the faculty in the department and look forward to collaborating with them on more research projects in the future.”

Originally from Highland, California, about three hours southeast of Bakersfield, Dr. Talbert earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands and both his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of California, Riverside.

Dr. Talbert’s expertise is in analytical chemistry and chemical education. He is looking forward to starting an environmental chemistry project examining phthalate esters, known endocrine-disrupting compounds.

“While some phthalates have been banned due to their negative health effects, this does not retroactively remove phthalates from existing objects or the environment,” Dr. Talbert explained. “The goal is to characterize and quantify some of the more abundant phthalate esters, such as those commonly found in makeup and those that help with the flexibility of plastics. This will be accomplished by examining the soils around the Central Valley.”

As a lecturer, Dr. Talbert worked with Dr. Marina Shapiro on a chemical education project examining the effectiveness of virtual reality and simulation activities to improve student success in the general chemistry courses. He will continue to work on these projects too.

“These are very important to helping students succeed in their future careers, whether in STEM or other disciplines,” Dr. Talbert said. “I am interested in continuing in the development, implementation and assessment of more engaging learning environments in general chemistry lecture and laboratory courses.”

Dr. Talbert will primarily teach lower and upper division courses in the analytical chemistry sequence and other analytical instrumentation courses. He will also regularly teach introductory chemistry classes and physical chemistry.

Off campus, Dr. Talbert enjoys playing video games to clear his mind and enjoy the immersive storytelling. He finds it often allows him to come back to a problem more energized and with a fresh set of eyes. He and his wife, Michelle, also tend to a slowly growing plant collection.

Dr. Jeffrey Crisman

Originally from Central Illinois, organic chemist Dr. Jeffrey Crisman will join CSUB’s chemistry and biochemistry department as a full-time lecturer this fall. After graduating with his Ph.D. from Arizona State University, Dr. Crisman spent time working in the cannabis industry but eventually found himself drawn to teaching following his time as an adjunct instructor at Lake Land College in Illinois and the University of Nevada, Reno.

“After my last job in California, where I was doing research and development, I realized I had little desire to remain in (the cannabis) industry due to a number of reasons,” Dr. Crisman said. “So, during the pandemic, I decided to do what I always wanted and that was to teach full time.”

Dr. Crisman will teach foundational chemistry and organic chemistry classes and looks forward to working with students in the lab and teaching them research techniques they will use in their future academic or working careers.

“I am extremely excited to be a part of CSUB,” Dr. Crisman said, adding that he enjoys the university’s smaller class sizes and focus on students.

Having previously lived in Oakland while working as a research and development chemist, Dr. Crisman is looking forward to getting the California experience in a small-town environment here in Bakersfield.

“I was raised in and prefer small towns, so living in Oakland was certainly not my cup of tea due to the large population,” he explained. “Bakersfield size is much closer to what I prefer. I like Bakersfield’s proximity to national parks, the ocean and many other natural resources. Its proximity to L.A. is nice if you want to do things such as take in a concert.”

In his free time, Dr. Crisman enjoys hiking, camping and cooking. He has a Siamese cat named Alfred after chemist Alfred Nobel and an English Springer Spaniel named after the chemist’s mistress, Sophie.

Promotions

The nursing department has also promoted Candice Banducci and Ernesto Hernandez to assistant professor this year. Both joined the faculty as full-time lecturers last fall. Learn more about Banducci and Hernandez in last year's introductions!