Mitchell Hubsher, DC, CCSP, DABCO, ND is a senior lecturer and supervising clinician at the University of Bridgeport School of Naturopathic Medicine.
Why did you choose naturopathic medicine?
After practicing as a chiropractor for 15 years, Dr. Hubsher suffered a back injury that forced him to close his practice. He went to law school (which he loved) but found that a career in law would not fulfill him. With a yearning to return to healthcare, Dr. Hubsher began looking into programs. In doing so, he came across the University of Bridgeport and the world of naturopathic medicine.
Holding a natural and preventative health philosophy as an integral part of practice, Dr. Hubsher describes the career change from chiropractic medicine to naturopathic medicine as easy. In fact, he discovered that he had been incorporating naturopathic tenets into his practice all along.
In 2005, the University of Bridgeport offered Dr. Hubsher an opportunity to teach physical medicine. “I never thought in a million years that I would be teaching nor that it would have a passion for it. But my alma mater needed some help, and I was willing to give it a try. I found out that I love teaching! I love the interaction with my students and being on a college campus. I love being at the heart and soul of naturopathic medicine.”
What can students learn from you?
“I currently teach orthopedic assessment, therapeutic exercise and sports medicine, physiotherapeutics, jurisprudence, outreach medicine, and general life experience. I also supervise an in-house drug and alcohol rehab clinic and a community-based HIV clinic. In addition, our outreach clinics are open to the general public. Students learn how to provide quality medical care in underserved and underfinanced communities, with an emphasis on HIV and drug addicted populations.”
Finding fulfillment as an ND and educator
“As a naturopathic educator, I am passionate about my interactions with my students and my patients. I have developed a specialty in educating students in outreach practices to underserved communities. I love working with naturopathic students because they have a tendency to think outside of the box and are passionate in their approach to naturopathy.”
What advice do you have for prospective ND students?
“Have a passion. If you’re not passionate about naturopathic medicine, if you don’t have a strong philosophy and a strong love of the medicine, then you’re not ready to practice the medicine. Strong naturopathic students tend to have excellent critical thinking skills, a thought process based in a strong philosophical understanding of their profession, and they are people who tend to be very well researched in their studies. They are also greatly aided in their endeavors if they can learn to think outside of the box.”
