People Group Archives: Chronic Diseases

Piotr Lagod is a postdoctoral scholar in the Human Health Outcomes of Exposure to Environmental Toxins Lab. His current research focuses on the negative health outcomes associated with harmful algal blooms, specifically blue-green algae and red tide, and investigates possible multisystemic adverse effects. In this research, he collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to correlate symptoms […]

Kaitlyn Rechenberg is an associate professor at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing. She is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner and pediatric mental health specialist with 10 years of clinical experience working with adolescents and young adults. She is an expert in conducting interventional research with adolescents and young adults living with chronic […]

Marissa “Mari” Mackiewicz is an assistant professor at UCF’s College of Nursing and a nurse scientist whose work focuses on ensuring all older adults have access to healthcare. Her research interests include substance use disorders and unmet oral health needs in older adult populations. Prior to joining UCF, Mackiewicz held post-doctoral positions at the University […]

Lecturer Ashley Faulkner served as an ICU nurse for eight years and an adjunct faculty member at UCF for a year prior to joining the full-time faculty in 2024. A double alumna of the UCF College of Nursing, she is excited to work with the undergraduate nursing students and UCF faculty. Education Selected Professional Activities

Professor Susan Mac Leod Dyess has more than 30 years of academic, clinical, and administrative experience and is a nationally recognized leader in interprofessional education, curricular design, and holistic nursing. She is known for her solution-oriented leadership and impactful community-based participatory action research. Her work integrates caring science, human-centered design, and systems thinking to transform […]

Associate Professor Rebecca Koszalinski investigates the relationships between air, water, the environment, and health outcomes and leads the interdisciplinary Human Health Outcomes of Exposure to Environmental Toxins Lab at UCF’s College of Nursing. Her harmful algal bloom research seeks to evaluate significant health care implications of potential toxin exposures. She is currently the primary investigator […]

Lecturer Latonia Green has held a variety of clinical appointments as a registered nurse, head nurse and nurse manager at hospitals in Tennessee and Florida. Most recently, she served as a nurse manager at AdventHealth East Orlando, directing and managing 24-hour clinical operations of two observation and medical telemetry units. After earning her DNP degree, […]

Assistant Professor Jennifer Crook is a nationally recognized nutritional epidemiologist and nurse scientist whose work investigates how nutritional insecurity becomes biologically embedded to drive inflammation, symptom burden and cancer disparities. Her research integrates omics‑based biomarkers, nutritional epidemiology and community‑engaged methods to develop clinically actionable tools that advance equitable cancer outcomes. In a previous faculty role […]

Hannah Spencer is an instructor at the Cocoa Campus of the University of Central Florida College of Nursing. A board-certified pediatric nurse, Spencer has a wide array of experience in pediatric nursing including acute care, outpatient chronic care management, and pediatric pulmonology/sleep medicine with a specific focus on severe asthma and cystic fibrosis. She is […]

Hyojung “Kay” Kim is a lecturer teaching nutrition at UCF’s College of Nursing. Her research interests lie in nutritional epidemiology, primarily focusing on the relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin B6, and inflammation-related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and liver diseases, using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. She also conducts research on the […]