Throughout her career, Cuozzo has remained dedicated to healthcare. As a nurse practitioner, researcher, educator, author and distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (FAIHM), Cuozzo has gained extensive industry knowledge and experience leading to the creation of her own practice.

“I cannot imagine my career path being any different than it was because every experience I’ve had led to the culmination of starting my own practice,” said Cuozzo. “You just cannot put a price tag on professional and personal experiences outside of the classroom. You never know how these moments and the people you meet along the way will help shape your future.”

Becoming the first nurse practitioner in Connecticut to earn FAIHM credentials, Cuozzo established herself a leader in the healthcare field.

“It is very exciting to know that I am the first nurse practitioner in Connecticut to earn FAIHM credentials," she said. "I attended a two-year fellowship program with the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. This entailed online coursework within a cohort, in-person sessions in California and clinical immersions. With distinguished credentials, I hope I can help pioneer the growth of integrative medicine in the state of Connecticut and beyond.”

Cuozzo broadened her clinical expertise in acute care and teaching undergraduate nursing students. She also worked in pharmaceutical research for several years, strengthening her communication skills by authoring a variety of publications.

“I believe I was born with an innate desire to help people,” said Cuozzo. “I realized my potential as a clinician when I excelled in advanced-level classes in a robust high school science curriculum, where I was fortunate to learn from outstanding teachers. This propelled my pursuit of a career in healthcare.”

As a graduate of Quinnipiac’s adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner program (MSN), Cuozzo credits Quinnipiac for bolstering her success and passion for healthcare.

“I had a wonderful experience at Quinnipiac,” she said. “My professors were top-notch. My time at the university rounded out my education. I felt very capable and prepared as a new graduate nurse practitioner in the clinical setting. Quinnipiac nurse practitioners have a great reputation in the community.”

Amid her career, Cuozzo unexpectedly found herself in the role as a patient. She had contracted Lyme Disease and other co-infections from an insect bite while hiking, which was not revealed by conventional testing.

“Ten years ago, I found myself in an unfamiliar role as a patient, a consumer of the system in which I had spent decades working,” she said. “I was sent home after a long hospital stay, still unwell, my condition deemed a medical mystery. I felt powerless. I had no definitive plan for restoring my health and felt controlled by my medical insurance.”

Cuozzo’s experience as a patient led her to seek out advanced education in the specialty of integrated medicine.

“I inherently knew there was a root cause to my condition,” said Cuozzo. “From this intuitive lead, I embraced an integrative approach. By embracing the tools needed to heal mind, body and spirit and strengthen well-being, I achieved comprehensive wellness. As a testament to the empowerment of investing in my health, just three years after beginning my healing journey I successfully hiked 19,341 feet to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro!”

Now owning her own practice, Cuozzo has become an advocate for taking a holistic approach to healthcare.

“I have designed Cuozzo Health to be a pioneer in the paradigm shift of healing practices that teach patients how to take their power back,” she said. “So much of today’s healthcare industry is designed around telling the patient what they need or what they can or cannot do. While the current medical model can often be reactive, having a proactive approach offers the best opportunity to achieve and preserve a patient’s health, maintaining long-term quality of life.”

In addition to structuring her practice around integrative medicine, Cuozzo emphasizes the importance of the provider-patient relationship.

“Wellness is the destination and healing is the journey,” said Cuozzo. “I partner with them as they take each step. In turn, my patients become happier, healthier, more productive members of the community. It required me to look at medicine and patient care from a different lens, which takes a lot of courage in a protocol-driven industry."

As a leader in this industry, Cuozzo looks forward to advocating for the adoption of integrative medicine practices.

“Integrative medicine combines natural remedies with conventional western medicine to simultaneously treat mind, body and spirit,” she said. “Cuozzo Health’s model of personalized integrative care removes protocols by focusing on the individual, combining the best of natural and conventional medicine, restoring balance and allowing healing to take place. As more people become aware that this model exists and more people embrace it and experience positive outcomes, it is my hope that integrative care becomes mainstream and more widely accepted by insurance.”

For students who are pursuing careers in healthcare, Cuozzo encourages individuals to be their patient’s advocates and supporters.

“We all want our patients to live their best, healthiest, most fulfilling lives,” said Cuozzo. “It is our job to give them their power back. Be open to being your patient’s coach, teammate and cheerleader. The biggest compliment you can get as a clinician is that your patient does not need your services anymore, because they have healed and have learned how to maintain that balance of their own accord. That should be our only goal.”