Faculty Feature: Chris Zarski He/Him/His

Teaching close to home — and close to students

Chris Zarski has a three-minute commute to work, knows every student's name by the end of the first week, and keeps every graduation card he's ever received. He reads them once a year.

"It reminds me of the difference that being a supportive and caring instructor can have on the lives of a student," he says.

That kind of close-knit connection is exactly what drew Chris to Augustana — and what has kept him here. As Associate Teaching Professor and Augustana Campus Coordinator for the Master of Science in Physical Therapy program, Chris is embedded in students' lives from the very beginning. He attends every class a first-year MScPT student takes, spending close to 20 hours a week with cohorts as they grow from nervous newcomers into confident future clinicians.

Building something from scratch

Chris's roots in rehabilitation medicine go back to something simple: he liked talking to people and hearing their stories. Physiotherapy, he found, was a natural fit — part personal connection, part problem solving. When he began his career, he always found ways to stay involved in teaching, whether through back-care workshops at the hospital or interprofessional education sessions.

In 2009, he got the opportunity that would shape the rest of his career. Video conferencing was still in its infancy when Chris was tasked with developing Augustana as a satellite campus for the MScPT program. There was no template to follow — the program would become the first rehabilitation satellite program in Canada.

"Everything that we had to implement and plan for had never been done before," he says. With the support of patient early cohorts and a dedicated team of colleagues, the model they built eventually became a template for dozens of other medical and rehabilitation programs across the country.

It's a legacy Chris is quietly proud of.

The long game

Teaching, Chris will tell you, is about playing the long game. The day-to-day can be demanding — coordinating a master's program across multiple campuses means navigating different schedules, learning styles, lab equipment, and exams, all while keeping the experience equitable for students wherever they're based.

But then graduation comes.

"The handshakes and hugs at graduation are what I enjoy the most," he says. "Finding out where they are working, how they are applying what they learned, and ultimately who they will become — that is so rewarding."

He's also looking ahead. From exploring new assessment approaches that better connect learning objectives to real skill-building, to expanding the possibilities of telehealth and virtual rehabilitation for patients in remote communities, Chris stays energized by the questions still to be answered.

What Augustana feels like

Ask Chris what makes Augustana different, and he doesn't hesitate: it's the community.

Over the years, his cohorts have shared potlucks, backyard barbecues, and lawn games. They've celebrated together and leaned on each other. A few years back, he organized a 10-year reunion for one graduating class — 11 of the 12 alumni showed up in person, and they FaceTimed the one who couldn't make it.

"The cohort becomes a family for many of the students," he says. "Lifelong friends, future wedding party members, people who genuinely care about each other."

That sense of care is the same thing Chris tries to pass on to every student he works with. His advice to them is straightforward: be kind to yourself and your patients.

"Patients will always be able to tell when you care," he says. "You can't fake that — and it matters more than knowing the correct treatment to apply."

In three words, Chris describes Augustana as: Family. Supportive. Caring.