Anatomy instructor introduces students to adaptive sports
Anatomy & Physiology is a difficult course, but Heath Sciences Instructor Justin Ulbright has made taking it an exciting experience for Whitworth students for 10 years and counting.
"I think my biggest strength in respect to engagement is my energy levels," he says. "I teach lecture at 8 a.m., so I have to come in pumped up each morning."
The personal connections he makes with students help keep them engaged as well. "I make it a goal to learn all of my 140-ish students by name by the third week of class," Ulbright says. "It's not easy, but I feel like it is important."
Ulbright cherishes both the relational aspect of teaching and his subject matter. "My passion for teaching A&P stems from the desire to unveil God's creation that is the human body," he says. "As a Christian scientist, I hold the belief that faith and science are complementary and not mutually exclusive."
Ulbright is also passionate about sharing his love of exercise outside the classroom. Around the time he started teaching at Whitworth, Ulbright began volunteering for ParaSport Spokane, a nonprofit sports program for athletes with physical disabilities.
"I had the desire to use my health and fitness knowledge and skill set to assist athletes with physical disabilities in achieving their athletic goals," he says. "I saw a need and felt God's call."
As ParaSport Spokane's strength and conditioning coach, Ulbright has created opportunities for Whitworth students to get involved with the organization as well. Many students have served as volunteers and interns, gaining valuable hands-on experience. And through Whitworth's Community Building Day, each year dozens of health science and nursing students have learned how to maintain the organization's wheelchair basketball chairs.