Rate My Professor Karl Kozlowski

Karl Kozlowski, PhD, FACSM, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Associate Dean in the School of Behavioral and Health Studies at Canisius University in Buffalo, New York. As a first-generation college graduate raised in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood, he earned a BS in Coaching Sciences, an EdM in Higher Education Administration, and a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences, all from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Physical Activity and Public Health through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009. Dr. Kozlowski began his academic career as an adjunct instructor in exercise science at the University at Buffalo, where he also interned and later certified as an athletic trainer. He joined Canisius University as full-time faculty, advancing to his current leadership roles. His teaching expertise encompasses undergraduate and graduate courses in health behavior, exercise principles, wellness, physical activity, exercise science, human motion, athletic injury, sports medicine, and therapeutic exercise. He emphasizes lifelong learning, integrating clinical cases, current events, news, science, technology, and social media to encourage students to explore the underlying mechanisms of phenomena.

Dr. Kozlowski's research focuses on exercise as a non-pharmaceutical treatment for disease, injury, and disability, including the diagnostic utility of exercise testing, benefits of high-intensity functional exercise, and applications for patients with post-concussion syndrome and children with autism spectrum disorder. Collaborating with Canisius University's Institute for Autism Research, he developed a high-intensity exercise program incorporating bodyweight exercises, games, and team activities to enhance physical performance and social skills in children with autism, leading to measurable outcomes and plans for a randomized controlled trial and free exercise manual. His Google Scholar profile lists interests in exercise, autism, concussion, sports medicine, and physical activity, with over 1,300 citations. Key publications include "Exercise Intolerance in Individuals With Postconcussion Syndrome" (Journal of Athletic Training, 2013), which received the 2014 Clint Thompson Award for Clinical Practice Advancement; "Feasibility and Associated Physical Performance Outcomes of a High-Intensity Exercise Program for Children with Autism" (Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 2020); "Effects of energy gel ingestion on blood glucose, lactate and performance measures during prolonged cycling" (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2020); "Exercise and Brain Injury, Part 1: Local and Systemic Pathology Following Concussion" and "Part 2: The Utility of Exercise as a Rehabilitative Intervention" (International Journal of Athletic Therapy & Training, 2014); and "The Underutilization of Lifestyle Modifications in Primary Care Medicine" (Exercise Medicine, 2019). Honors include Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (2025), School of Education and Human Services Faculty Scholarship Award (2018), and induction into the Canisius University DiGamma Honor Society.