Urszula Pustułka-Piwnik

Dr. Urszula Pustułka-Piwnik serves as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Rehabilitation in Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Physical Education in Krakow since 2007.

She earned her Master's degree in Movement Rehabilitation from the University of Physical Education in Krakow, completed postgraduate studies in "Psychology of attitude and behavior change" at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Warsaw, and received her PhD in Physical Culture Sciences from the University of Physical Education in Krakow. Her dissertation focused on "Psychological and environmental determinants of burnout syndrome in physiotherapists".

Dr. Pustułka-Piwnik specializes in rehabilitation, particularly in psychiatry and neurology. Her research interests include physiotherapy approaches for mental health conditions, neurological rehabilitation techniques, and the psychological aspects of rehabilitation work. She has made significant contributions to understanding burnout syndrome among physiotherapists and has explored alternative rehabilitation methods such as hippotherapy (horse riding therapy) for disabled individuals.

Her research trends show interdisciplinary integration between physical rehabilitation techniques and psychological approaches, with particular emphasis on therapeutic applications for disabled populations and mental health contexts.

• AWF Rector's Awards for organizational activities (2001, 2002)

As an educator, Dr. Pustułka-Piwnik coordinates and teaches several specialized courses including "Functional diagnostics and programming of physiotherapy in psychiatry," "Clinical physiotherapy in psychiatry," and "Rehabilitation programming in internal diseases in psychiatry." She has supervised approximately 25 master's theses and 10 diploma theses.

Her professional activities include membership in non-profit organizations such as the Polish Association of Occupational Therapy, Lesser Poland Branch, PTReh, and PTF, demonstrating her commitment to interdisciplinary rehabilitation approaches and community engagement.