Dani Kozak Joy

Professor Dani Kozak Joy, DNP, RN, APNP, AGNP-C, MEDSURG-BC, CNEcl, CNE, has been a licensed practical nurse since 2008, a registered nurse since 2009, an adult-geriatric nurse practitioner since 2014, and a nurse educator since 2017.

Prof. Joy has experience in medical/surgical nursing, critical care nursing, and emergency nursing; she practiced as a nocturnal hospitalist medical provider for seven years, focusing on internal medicine and critical care medicine. Her telehealth medical provider experience has allowed her to see and prescribe to patients in eight different states.

Her MSN thesis focused on the dangers of polypharmacy in the geriatric population, and her DNP evidence-based practice study/dissertation focused on infection prevention with patient-performed preventative interventions.

Prof. Joy’s passion for nursing stemmed from her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother (three of the best nurses she has ever known). She grew up aspiring to follow in the footsteps of greatness. Both her great-grandmother and her grandfather passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s; as a result, caring for geriatric and Alzheimer’s patients is where her passion lies. After the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional love was found in educating, nurturing, and inspiring future nurses, particularly on the subject of public health. Prof. Joy prides herself in teaching students to be excellent patient advocates while also optimizing their own physical and mental health to avoid burnout.

Prof. Joy attended a Hope Without Borders medical mission trip in 2014 to Tanzania, Africa, where she helped to assess and treat over 300 patients on Mount Kilimanjaro; she also provided medical care to children at a local orphanage. In 2018, she attended a medical mission in Nuzvid-Usha Bala Nagar, India, where she assisted in performing surgical procedures with her husband and a group of surgical care providers. Additionally, Prof. Joy is a proud Wisconsin Nurses Honor Guard volunteer and a Wisconsin Emergency Assistance Medical Practitioner volunteer.

• Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) — Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wis. (2009)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) — University of Phoenix (2011)
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) — Concordia University Wisconsin (2014)
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) — Concordia University Wisconsin (2015)

• NSG 3010 Principles of Pharmacotherapeutics in Nursing Practice
• NSG 3012 Nursing Practice I: Improving Adult Health Outcomes
• NSG 4020 Nursing Practice V: Improving Health Outcomes of Populations

• Carthage College 2023 — Excellence and Innovation in Didactic Teaching Award
• University of Phoenix 2023 — Student Nomination for Faculty of the Year
• Carthage College 2022 — Excellence and Innovation in Clinical Teaching Award
• University of Phoenix 2020 — Three Student Nominations for Faculty of the Year

• “Postoperative Infection Prevention in Total Hip and Knee Replacements w/Preop Chlorhexidine Use” 2015
• “Polypharmacy in Geriatrics” 2014