Jason Wingert, Ph.D., P.T.
Professor of Health & WellnessContact Information
Jason Wingert, Ph.D., P.T., is a professor of Health and Wellness at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He received his master's degree in physical therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his PhD in Movement Science and post-doctoral training in Neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Wingert worked as a pediatric physical therapist before earning his doctorate. His clinical experiences fueled his research, which quantified sensory deficits in young people with cerebral palsy and related those sensory changes to specific central nervous system abnormalities using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Dr. Wingert has received several awards for his teaching and research, including the UNC Asheville award for excellence in teaching in the social sciences and the Young Investigator award from the Child Neurology Society for his research. Dr. Wingert also directs UNC Asheville's Sensorimotor Laboratory, where he and his team recently completed a large clinical research study on balance, proprioception, and aging. Most recently, Dr. Wingert has been investigating the cognitive factors underlying the challenges to learning about evolution.
Education
- Ph.D. in Movement Science from Washington University in St. Louis with an emphasis on neuroscience of sensorimotor systems
- Master's Degree in Physical Therapy from University of Missouri-Columbia
Courses Taught
- HS 234 Anatomy and Physiology I
- HS 235 Anatomy and Physiology II
- HS 327 Kinesiology and Biomechanics
- HS 294 Human Physiology
- HS 373 Genetic and Evolutionary Principles of Health
- HS 455 Pathophysiology of Chronic Illnesses and Conditions
- HS 459 Senior Seminar in Health Sciences
- HS 499 Undergraduate Research
- NEUR 480 Neuroscience Seminar
- LA 478 Cultivating Global Citizenship
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Wingert JR, Bassett GM, Terry CE, Lee J. (2023) The effects of religious views and creationism on teleological reasoning, acceptance, and understanding of natural selection: A preliminary mixed-methods study. Evolution Education Outreach, 16 (10). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12052-023-00186-6#citeas
- Wingert JR, Bassett GM*, Terry CE*, Lee J. (2022) The impact of direct challenges to student endorsement of teleological reasoning on understanding of natural selection: an exploratory study. Evolution: Education and Outreach.15 (4). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-022-00162-6
- Denslow S, Wingert JR, Hanchate AD, Rote A, Westrich D, Sexton L, Chang K, Curtis, J, Jones WS, Lanou AJ, Halladay JR. (2022) Rural-urban outcome differences associated with COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Carolina. PLOS-One. In press.
- Denslow S, Rote A, Wingert JR, Hanchate AD, Lanou AJ, Westrich D, Chang K, Sexton L, Halladay JR. (2022) Race, ethnicity, and comorbidities associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection-fatality in North Carolinians. North Carolina Medical Journal. In press.
- Jones JC, Bassett GM, Lescalleet JL, Wingert JR. (2021) Acceptance of CRISPR-based technologies for clinical application: A Thematic Analysis of Attitudes on Novel Gene Therapies in Health Science Undergraduates. Journal of Biological Education. DOI: 10.1080/00219266.2021.1909640.
- Wingert JR, Jones JC, Swoap RA, Wingert HM. (2020) Mindfulness-based strengths practice improves well-being and retention in undergraduates: A preliminary randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health. DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2020.1764005
- Wingert JR, Hale RE. (2020) Teaching evolutionary principles in health promotion: A pilot study. Pedagogy in Health Promotion. 7(1) 60-70.
- Wingert JR, Corle CE, Saccone DF, Lee J, Rote AE. (2020) Effects of a Community-based Tai Chi Program on Balance, Functional Outcomes, and Sensorimotor Function in Older Adults. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics. 38(2):129-150. doi.org/10.1080/02703181.2019.1709600
- Wasileski SA, Peterson K, Mathews LG, Lanou AJ, Clarke D, Bailey E, Wingert JR. (2016) Why we should not ‘go it alone’: strategies for realizing integrative learning in SENCER curricula. Science Education and Civic Engagement. Winter;8(1):55-65.
- Rote AE, Pineda E, Lanou AJ, Wells O, Wingert JR. (2016) Accuracy of Self-Perception and Body Mass Index Compared to Actual Body Fat Percentage in Athletes and Non-Athletes. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. Apr;56(4):443-9.
- Wingert, JR, Welder, C, Foo, P. (2014) Hip joint position sense and kinesthesia decline in older adults: the effects on postural sway and dynamic balance. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Feb; 95(2): 253-61. PMID: 23994251.
- Wingert JR, Wasileski SA, Peterson K, Mathews LG, Lanou AJ, Clarke D. (2014) The Impact of Integrated Student Experiences on Learning. Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Feb;14(1):42-58.
- Damiano DL, Wingert JR, Stanley CJ, Curatalo, L. (2013) Contribution of hip joint proprioception to static and dynamic balance in cerebral palsy: a case control study.Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation. Jun; 10(1): 57. PMID: 23767869.
- Sadowsky CL, Hammond ER, Strohl AB, Commean PK, Eby SA, Damiano DL, Wingert JR, Bae KT, McDonald JW. (2013) Lower Extremity Functional Electrical Stimulation Cycling Promotes Physical & Functional Recovery in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. Nov; 36(6): 623-31. PMID: 24094120.
- Wingert JR, Wasileski SA, Peterson K, Mathews LG, Lanou AJ, Clarke D. (2011) Enhancing integrative experiences: Evidence of student perceptions of learning gains from cross-course interactions. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Aug; 11(3): 34-57.
- Wingert JR, Sinclair RJ, Dixit S, Damiano DL, Burton H. (2010) Somatosensory-evoked cortical activity in spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Human Brain Mapping. Nov;31(11):1772-85. PMID: 20205249
- Burton H, Dixit S, Litkowski, P, Wingert JR. (2009) Functional connectivity for somatosensory and motor cortex in spastic diplegia. Somatosensory and Motor Research. Dec;26(4):90-104. PMID: 20047510
- Wingert JR, Burton H, Sinclair RJ, Brunstrom JE, Damiano DL. (2009) Joint-position sense and kinesthesia in cerebral palsy. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Mar;90(3):447-53. PMID: 19254610
- Wingert JR, Burton H, Sinclair RJ, Brunstrom JE, Damiano DL. (2008) Tactile sensory abilities in cerebral palsy: deficits in roughness and object discrimination.Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. Nov;50(11):832-8. PMID: 18811710
- Burton H, Sinclair RJ, Wingert JR, Dierker DL. (2008) Multiple parietal operculum subdivisions in humans: tactile activation maps. Somatosensory and Motor Research. Sep;25(3):149-62. PMID: 18821280