She was born in Zagreb. She graduated at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb in 1982. Four years later, she completed postgraduate study and obtained master degree in a field of hygiene and technology of foods of animal origin.  In 1999, she defended her doctoral dissertation.
She was elected on 15 March 2011 in the academic title of full professor in the area of biomedicine and health, field of veterinary medicine – veterinary public health and food safety. She has been attending seminars, workshops and courses related to her profession and has continued her education in the field of food microbiology. She finished education in the field of animal welfare for slaughter. She has led and participated in the scientific research projects within the framework of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education and Science of the Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EU FP5, FP7 and SEE-ERA.NET projects.
She is a head and associate at the courses within the undergraduate and graduate studies, specialist studies and doctoral study at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb. She carries the module at the graduate study of Agroecology at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. She is an associate at the University Center for Forensic Sciences in Split and head of module at the postgraduate specialist study Food Management too.
Prof dr Kozačinski is a regular member of the Croatian Academy of Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Croatian Food Agency Scientific Committee and chair of the Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards. She is expert editor of the scientific and professional journal “Meat”.