Amber Kolesar

Dr. Amber Kolesar is a Lecturer at Duquesne University School of Nursing since 2016, with a focus on critical care, medical-surgical nursing, and food insecurity in college students. Her work emphasizes enhancing undergraduate nursing education and global immersion experiences.

• PhD in Nursing from Saint Louis University (2023)
• MSN in Nursing Education from Duquesne University (2016)
• BSN from Duquesne University (2008)

Her research explores food insecurity among college students, with a phenomenological dissertation in 2023, and strategies to improve nursing student learning. She initiated a mini food pantry at the School of Nursing and collaborates on service-learning trips to Central America, including Roatan, Honduras.

Dr. Kolesar has published extensively on nursing education, food insecurity, and global health, including peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations. She integrates interdisciplinary clinical experiences into student training, emphasizing social justice and community-based interventions.

• 2023 Honoree, Cameo of Caring (Education)
• 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award, Duquesne University
• 2017 Participant Favorite Poster, Greater Pittsburgh Nursing Research Conference
• 2009 First Place - UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Fair

She mentors nursing students in clinical settings and facilitates service-learning initiatives, including global immersion programs with Pharmacy students. Her grants include a Sigma Research Award for her dissertation on food insecurity.