Dr. Rebecca Ryznar is a molecular biologist, educator, and research leader whose work focuses on the biological mechanisms governing stress, trauma, and resilience. As a Professor Molecular Biology at Rocky Vista University, she contributes to medical and graduate education across both the College of Medicine and Master of Biomedical Science Programs. Her teaching emphasizes the connection between foundational molecular mechanisms, disease development, modern diagnostics, and emerging therapeutic approaches. In addition, as Director of the Physician Scientist Track, Dr. Ryznar leads a longitudinal research training program for medical students. She mentors students throughout the scientific process, including developing research questions, critically evaluating the literature, designing studies, interpreting data, preparing abstracts and manuscripts, and presenting scholarly work. Through this role, she helps future physicians develop the skills needed to understand, conduct, and apply research in clinical medicine.

In addition to her teaching and mentorship responsibilities, Dr. Ryznar conducts her own research and collaborates with clinicians, scientists, and research teams outside the university. Her collaborative work includes projects in trauma research, stress physiology, immune signaling, epigenetics, mitochondrial biology, and resilience.  Her research is grounded in psychoneuroimmunology and translational trauma science. She investigates biomarkers associated with stress adaptation, resilience, and recovery, including cortisol, cytokines, neuropeptides, mitochondrial factors, and markers of DNA damage. Her work has included studies involving medical students, first responders, trauma surgeons, and individuals exposed to acute or chronic stress. A central goal of her research is to understand why people exposed to similar stressors or injuries may experience very different biological and clinical outcomes. Her recent scholarship has examined cortisol awakening responses, inflammatory and neuroimmune biomarkers, acute stress adaptation, trauma simulation, physician stress, and potential molecular predictors of recovery following severe injury. She has presented her work nationally and internationally and has published across the fields of stress biology, trauma, resilience, and medical education.

Outside of her professional work, Dr. Ryznar enjoys playing music, writing, travel, nature, and exploring emerging ideas in consciousness and the biological foundations of human behavior.