In addition to teaching theory, she also specializes in gerontology, research, and community health. She is the coordinator of her local Parish Nurse program, and provided leadership in developing the college's Nursing Care of Older Adults course, which won first place in a national competition sponsored by the Association of American Colleges of Nursing and the Hartford Foundation for Gerontological Excellence. Kolcaba has published extensively on the patient outcome of holistic comfort, including an award-winning Web site called The Comfort Line.