Rocklein | School of Nursing | Queen's University

Dr. Kate Rocklein PhD, DNP, RN, CCNE, CCEMTP (Emer)

Position(s)

Associate Professor

Contact Information

ResearchGate link

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kate-Rocklein

Kate Rocklein earned her BNSc at Queen’s University (Kingston), MScN and DNP at Loyola University (New Orleans), PhD from Rush University (Chicago), and Certificate in Higher Education Teaching from Harvard University (Cambridge). Dr. Rocklein also holds earned designation as a Canadian Certified Nurse Educator (CCNE), a national mark of excellence in the field of nursing education.

Dr. Rocklein was a civilian flight-certified emergency and trauma nurse specialist for the United States Army prior to faculty appointments in Nursing and Operational Medicine within the University of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee systems. In 2020, Kate was appointed Chief Nursing Officer of Columbia/Presbyterian’s 220-bed COVID hospital during New York City’s worst pandemic surges to date.

Since 2010, Kate has provided subject-matter expertise on combat polytrauma (TBI) and neurotrauma-related suicide to two of three American presidential cabinets, Senate Committee on Armed Services, Army Vice Chiefs of Staff and Surgeons General, and co-architected bipartisan-sponsored blast injury legislation adopted into 2025 defense appropriations.

As a nurse scientist committed to radical collaboration, Dr. Rocklein’s portfolio reflects over $13 million in affiliated interdisciplinary federally-funded research: co-designing patented ultra-miniature resuscitative critical care modalities (IFMK) for far-forward combat casualty care, analysis lead on other highly-nuanced and sensitive research, and directing joint-initiative TBI data capture for the US Department of Defense and Veterans Administration. Dr. Rocklein is a funded CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC researcher and Jonas Foundation Veterans Health Scholar, whose collaborations with physician co-investigators address suicidality in emergency medicine and nursing, and traumatic responses in civilian and military critical care clinicians.

In addition to leading and supporting colleagues through accreditation and re-accreditation cycles, Dr. Rocklein was instrumental in developing multiple innovative nursing degree programs. Her expertise in curricular design, educational measurement, and academic-regulatory intersections is evident from national-level consultancies in clinical program evaluation and regulation.

Kate has served on numerous efforts to promote equity, justice, and inclusion in higher education, and is a fierce advocate for military families affected by suicide and combat trauma, serving as advisory board member to the Harvard/MGH/USSOCOM partnership on blast-related brain injury in Special Operations Forces and Chief Science Advisor to the Froede-Larkin Initiative on blast-related suicides in multinational Special Operations Forces (SOF).

Dr. Rocklein was officially recognized as an exceptional critical care clinician by the US Army medical and special operations commands for achievements in trauma practice and public service; while at Tennessee, she was recognized multiple times for outstanding teaching, service, and scholarship; for leading her field by investigating suicide fatalities in Special Operations personnel, in 2021 Rush University recognized Dr. Rocklein with the Christman Award for Research Excellence. Nominated jointly by Queen’s University School of Nursing and Queen’s Athletics leadership, in 2023 Dr. Rocklein was honoured by her peers with the Queen’s University Alumni Association Global Citizenship Award for lifetime achievements in distinguished service to humanity.

Dr. Rocklein is a proud former rugby hooker and staunch supporter of Queen’s Rugby and women’s rugby throughout the United States and Canada. She lives in Kingston with her children.

Shared Links

https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/alumnireview/stories/what-nurses-do

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