Meet the Staff

  • Suzanne Avila, M.A.

    Grant Specialist/IACUC Coordinator

    Suzanne Avila is a grant specialist and also serves as the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) coordinator. She is a fourth-generation Azusan, her family residing in Azusa since 1920. Avila has years of experience writing, managing, and implementing community improvement grants, securing millions in federal, state, and private grant funds. She holds a bachelor’s in geography from California State University, Fullerton, and a master’s in leadership and organizational studies from Azusa Pacific.

  • Martha Bellin, RN, BSN

    Institutional Review Board (IRB) Coordinator

    Martha Bellin came to APU after 27 years in research support and oversight at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, where her responsibilities included assisting biostatistics research, protecting human subjects in research, monitoring protocols for data safety, coordinating marrow and blood transplants, and overseeing regulatory services at multiple levels. Bellin is an eager lifelong learner who also enjoys travelling, canoeing, and camping, especially near rivers. View Bellin’s CV.

  • Marta Cenac-Mehedinti, M.Sc.

    Director of Sponsored Research

    Marta Cenac-Mehedinti gives special attention to pre-award processes. She focuses on encouraging and supporting university faculty in their pursuit of external grant support, and oversees university-wide initiatives to improve external funding.

  • Amy Cheung, B.A.

    Grants Management Assistant

    Amy Cheung provides research and grant administrative support to the director of grants management. She has experience in grant-related activity and research data management at UCLA. Amy holds a B.A. in Psychology from Biola University and is pursuing an M.S. in Child Life at APU.

  • Mark Eaton, Ph.D.

    Director, Center for Research on Ethics and Values

    Mark Eaton seeks to promote faculty engagement and scholarship around ethics and human values and their applications to contemporary society. Eaton leads the effort in identifying excellent faculty projects to be awarded special CREV fellowships each year. The CREV faculty fellowships amount to one or two course releases for up to three persons per year, and the highly desirable Beverley Hardcastle Stanford Fellowship provides a one-semester release from all teaching for one faculty member. Eaton is a professor in the Department of English, and earned a Ph.D. in English from Boston University. Learn more about Eaton or view his CV.

  • Verónica A. Gutiérrez, MFA, Ph.D.

    Director of Undergraduate Research

    As director of undergraduate research, Verónica A. Gutiérrez seeks to strengthen the culture of scholarship at APU by promoting, facilitating, and celebrating excellent research among students and faculty mentors throughout all undergraduate disciplines. Gutiérrez facilitates APU’s internal programs through which undergraduate students apply for research travel grants and special research experiences with faculty in the summer. She is also an associate professor of Latin American history in the Department of History and Political Science. She earned an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Colonial Mexican History from UCLA. Learn more about Gutiérrez or view her CV.

  • Donald Isaak, Ph.D.

    Executive Director

    As executive director, Donald Isaak provides leadership and vision for the Office of Research and Grants while he seeks to (a) promote a culture of scholarship at APU, (b) advance faculty scholarship, research, and publication, (c) expand external funding for research, scholarship, and special programs, and (d) celebrate accomplishments among the APU community of scholars. Isaak has a Ph.D. in geophysics from UCLA. He chaired APU’s Department of Mathematics and Physics for 10 years and served as associate dean and interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for nine years. Learn more about Isaak or view his CV.

  • Alexander Jun, Ph.D.

    Qualitative Research Consultant

    Alexander Jun is a professor of higher education at Azusa Pacific. He teaches courses in qualitative research methods and diversity and social justice. Full-time APU faculty are encouraged to contact Jun regarding individual or group qualitative methods consultation. Learn more about Jun or view his CV.

  • Yvonne Rodriguez

    Administrative Assistant

    As administrative assistant to the Office of Research and Grants, Yvonne Rodriguez plans, advertises, and manages all luncheons, events, workshops, and retreats. She also coordinates graduate student travel grants and tracks financial activities for the office.

  • Xiao-Qing (Sharon) Wang, Ph.D.

    Director of Graduate Student Publications

    As director of graduate student publications, Sharon Wang manages the thesis and dissertation publication process while guiding students to successful completion of their APU graduate degrees. Wang has a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, and nearly 15 years of teaching experience in American higher education. Her experiences include advising graduate students on thesis proposals, designing survey questions, collecting and analyzing data, and writing statistical findings. She also served as a final thesis evaluator and Institutional Review Board (IRB) chair, and taught research methods, statistics, and ethnography. View Wang’s CV.

  • Josephine (Jody) Wong, MBA, CRA

    Director of Grants Management

    Josephine (Jody) Wong assists APU faculty members and researchers in administrating their sponsored grants and contracts. For the past year she has been assisting project investigators and project directors in managing more than 30 sponsored projects endowed with more than $25 million in funding from federal and state governments, the private sector, foundations, and foreign countries. She holds a Master of Business Administration, as well as bachelor’s degrees in accounting, computer information systems, and psychology, from Arizona State University. View Wong’s CV.

  • Chong Ho (Alex) Yu, Ph.D.

    Quantitative Research Consultant

    Chong Ho (Alex) Yu, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, part of the School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences. His research has resulted in multiple publications and presentations on the philosophical foundations and best practices of quantitative research, in addition to many contributions in his area of expertise, the psychology of religion. His specialties include data mining, exploratory data analysis, and psychometrics. Full-time APU faculty are encouraged to contact Yu regarding individual or group quantitative methods consultation. Learn more about Yu or view his CV.