Member Details

Dorothy Kozlowski is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Neuroscience Program. She served served as the founding Chair of the Department of Health Sciences from 2011-2013, the Director of the Neuroscience Program from 2016-2018 and as Interim Dean of the College of Science and Health from 2018-2020. She served as the President of the Chicago Society for Neuroscience from 2014-2018 and received its “Career Achievement Award” in 2020. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Knox College, M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, and completed postdoctoral fellowships in Neurosurgery at UCLA and Neurobiology at Northwestern University. Her teaching and research focus is in neuroscience. Specifically, Dr. Kozlowski is interested in how the brain tries to repair itself following traumatic brain injury through neuroplasticity. She, her students, and collaborators also study how to enhance brain repair through therapeutic approaches such as physical rehabilitation, stem cell transplantation or pharmacological agents. They also study the consequences of repeat concussion. Her research has been published in a variety of journals and book chapters, and has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Defense. Dr. Kozlowski teaches courses in neuroscience in the Biology Department, Neuroscience Program and liberal arts program. She received the Excellence in Teaching Award from DePaul in 2010 and the “Educator of the Year” award from the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, an international organization, in 2011. In addition to teaching and research Dr. Kozlowski conducts concussion education presentations to youth in the Chicago area to promote playing sports safely and is actively working to bring attention to the role that brain injury plays in victims of domestic and interpersonal violence.