Faculty

Dr. Rebecca Koszalinski is the primary investigator for a Florida Department of Health funded study with a large team of investigators, including epidemiology, oceanographers, bench and nurse scientists, and nursing students in the investigation of health outcomes of harmful algal blooms, which is a significant problem to address for our Florida population. She is an expert in the use of smart technology in research including investigation of respiratory health outcomes in environmental workers. Koszalinski has several professional designations including a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurses (FAAN), Fellow of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (FARN), a founding member of the Society of Nurses, Scientists, Innovators, and Leaders (SONSIEL), an organization dedicated to growth and sustainability of nurse-led innovation and a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing (DEGN), National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE) Prior to becoming a nurse, Koszalinski was engaged in bench science in pathology labs as a histologic technician. She has previously served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing; and a returning Associate Professor at the Florida Atlantic University, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing before joining the UCF College of Nursing in August 2024.

Education

• PhD, Florida Atlantic University
• MS in Nursing Education, Florida Atlantic University
• BSN, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
• Certificate, Introduction to Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), NYU School of Global Health
• NIH Summer Genetics Institute

Selected Editorial Activities

• Community Editor, Frontier in Medicine, Healthcare Professions Section
• Second Author, Evaluating Bias in Self-Reported Symptoms During a Cyanobacterial Algal Bloom
• Review Editor, Healthcare Professions Education section, Frontiers in Medicine
• Reviewer, The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences Reviewer
• Reviewer, Research in Gerontological Nursing
• Reviewer, Applied Clinical Informatics
• Reviewer, CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing

Selected Awards & Honors

• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2025
• Distinguished Educator in Nursing (DEGN), National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE), 2025

Selected Professional Activities

• CRRN Test Writing Item Review, The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
• Appointee, Policy & Determinants of Health Innovation Committee, The American Nurses Association
• Conference Planning Committee Co-Chair, National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence
• Communications Committee Chair, National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence

Additional Languages

• Polish (limited working proficiency level)
• German (limited working proficiency level)