Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Kicielinski obtained her medical degree from Penn State College of Medicine. She went on to complete her neurosurgical residency training at the University of Alabama Birmingham, where she was twice the recipient of the James "Buddy" Nobles Jr Resident Education Award for resident of the year.

During residency, she also completed a Masters of Science in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama Birmingham. Spending two years in Boston at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, she undertook a specialized fellowship in open and endovascular cerebrovascular neurosurgery under Drs. Christopher Ogilvy and Ajith Thomas. During that time she served as a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School.

After joining MUSC in 2019, she was voted Faculty of the Year by the MUSC neurosurgery residents in 2021 and again in 2023. She has been invited to present her research at national meetings and serves in multiple positions within organized neurosurgery, including Treasurer Women In Neurosurgery national joint section and serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Her research interests are in blood vessel disorders of the nervous system, resident education, patient-physician communication during critical situations, and palliative care.

She was attracted to MUSC for the world-class expertise in cerebrovascular disease, with a focus on taking care of patients, pushing boundaries, and serving as a leader in the field. She serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at MUSC and the Division of Neuroendovascular Surgery.