About the Author

William Cushwa, PhD

William (Willy) Cushwa has been a biology instructor for the past 30 years. He completed his BS degree (Biology) and requirements for a secondary teaching certificate at Virginia Tech. Willy then earned an MS degree (Animal Science) from UC-Davis, with a focus on animal physiology and quantitative genetics. He moved back to Virginia and taught high school science classes for two years. Willy then returned to UC-Davis and completed a PhD degree (Genetics) with a focus on molecular genetics.

In 1995, Willy became a faculty member at Clark College in Vancouver, WA. For the past 28 years, he has taught an introductory Human Biology course. In 2015, he created his first OpenStax-based Human Biology textbook, which was well-received. In 2022, he began a project to complete a new, comprehensive human biology textbook that is competitive with traditional offerings. He also created a companion website with numerous learning and self-assessment resources.

Willy advocates Open Education Resources and is pleased to make a PDF file of this most recent textbook, "Human Biology—An Introduction to the Body's Organization, Structure, and Function," available to students at no cost.