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Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing

By preparing the next generation of nurses and thought leaders and a network of health care professionals who care for people with developmental disabilities, St. John Fisher has demonstrated a commitment to making a significant impact on improving access to quality inclusive health care for people who are underserved.-- Tom Golisano

The Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing is the first institute of its kind in the country. It is dedicated to promoting positive change in developmental disability nursing to continuously advocate for this underserved population. Through collaboration with one another, world-wide thought leaders, and community-based organizations, it will will have local, national, and international impact, leveraging expertise to develop more nurse leaders in developmental disability nursing practice.

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Latest News

New Curriculum Prepares Nurses to Care for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

Pittsford, NY-- Nov. 18, 2021-- A new and first of its kind curriculum designed for integration into existing primary care nurse practitioner residency programs to improve the health care experience for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been developed by nursing faculty at the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at St. John Fisher College's Wegmans School of Nursing.

The online, modularized curriculum features an in-depth overview of health care topics and best practices in the field of IDD care specifically designed for nurse practitioners engaged in primary care residency programs. The curriculum focuses on practice areas where health outcomes are dramatically different for patients with developmental disabilities such as reproductive health, or where enhanced skills can reduce complications and stress, as in behavioral health.

It is being piloted in the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency program at Highland Family Medicine, based in Rochester, New York, and will then be distributed to similar residency programs nationwide. 

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New Fellowship to Develop Next Generation of Developmental Disability Nursing Experts

The Golisano Institute's inaugural fellowship program started June 14-18, 2021, to develop nursing thought leaders who support and promote the health and wellbeing of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Participation in the fellowship program is funded in full through the support of Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation.

“The goal of this fellowship is to create nursing leaders in education, practice, and service who will advance inclusive practices, foster innovation, promote health, and support self-determination of patients with IDD,” said Dr. Dianne Cooney Miner, founding director of the Golisano Institute. “We believe that a nursing workforce equipped with this expertise will help to close the health disparities gap that currently exists among people with IDD across the lifespan.”

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Fisher’s Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing Announces International Partnership

Pittsford, NY -- May 15, 2021-- Officials from the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at St. John Fisher College and the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), in Waterford, Ireland, announced today a formal partnership to advance the Institute’s mission of transforming the way nurses treat the unique needs of individuals with developmental disabilities (DD).

Photo: Dr. Dianne Cooney Miner, dean of the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher College and founding director of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, Dr. John Wells, head of WIT’s School of Health Sciences; Ann Costello, executive director of the Golisano Foundation; and Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of the College, offered remarks about the partnership and signed an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

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Tom Golisano Gives $5.8 Million to St. John Fisher College for Creation of Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing

Photo: Ann Costello, Executive Director of the Golisano Foundation, Gerry Rooney, President of St. John Fisher College.

Pittsford, NY-- Oct 30, 2018 -- The creation of the Golisano Institute was announced today by St. John Fisher College, Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation thanks to a $5.8 million gift that included $5 million from Tom Golisano and $800,000 from the Golisano Foundation. 

The Golisano Institute is designed to transform the health care and support of individuals with developmental disabilities. It is fully integrated into Fisher’s Wegmans School of Nursing, the largest enroller of nursing and mental health counseling students in the Rochester, NY region. The School of Nursing, which consistently achieves rankings as a top nursing program in the region, state, and nation, will draw upon relationships with professional nursing associations, and partnerships with international nursing schools such as the Waterford Institute of Technology in Waterford, Ireland.  It will also capitalize on the network of Golisano Children’s Hospitals and community health centers as well as the Foundation’s collaboration with Special Olympics Health to extend the Institute’s reach. 

The Institute is led by Dr. Dianne Cooney Miner, founding dean of the Wegmans School of Nursing.

Video of Announcement – St. John Fisher College Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing Work - Oct 30, 2018


Ongoing research conducted by the Special Olympics has revealed that there are significant health disparities between individuals with developmental disabilities and the general population.  The study revealed that a greater number of individuals with developmental disabilities face health issues such as tooth decay, bone deformation, and obesity. Some of those issues go untreated or undiagnosed due to the limited availability of health care services, leading to even more serious and often life-threatening conditions.  The research also points to the fact that many health care providers are inadequately trained or not trained at all to provide care and support to this population.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the barriers facing individuals with developmental disabilities is their provider’s lack of knowledge and understanding of their unique needs and challenges.
  • The Golisano Institute will deliver an internationally recognized and technology enriched curriculum for developmental disability nursing education through on-the-ground and online micro-credential formats, as well as the use of avatars and the state-of-the-art simulation lab in the School of Nursing. 
  • It will lead the effort to enhance nursing curricula in the care of individuals with developmental disabilities at the national and global level to ensure that entry level and advanced practice nursing graduates are fully prepared to care for this special population.
  • Hospitals, health centers, schools, advocacy groups, and families around the country and across the globe will also have access to a strong network of community clinical nurse specialists who will advise them on providing care for individuals with developmental disabilities.
  • The Golisano Summer Fellows Program will offer specialty training in developmental disability health care and policy to develop the next generation of thought leaders who will care and advocate for this unique population. 
  • Current health care professionals will be exposed to best practices through a biannual national symposium bringing together expertise from health systems and health practitioners, specialty organizations along with other Golisano supported institutions including the Special Olympics.

Related News & Resources

New Curriculum Prepares Nurses to Care for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities - Nov 18, 2021

Golisano Institute launches nursing fellowship - Monroe Post - Dec 14, 2020

Press Release - New Fellowship to Develop Next Generation of Developmental Disability Nursing Experts - Dec 8, 2020

Summit Creates Network of Developmental Disability Nursing Experts - Sep 2, 2020

Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, Waterford Institute of Technology Partner to Advance Health Care for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities - Feb 2020

Fisher’s Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing Announces International Partnership - May 15, 2019

Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at St. John Fisher College

PR Newswire News Release

Golisano, foundation give $5.8M to St. John Fisher for disability nursing institute, Oct 30, 2018 - Democrat and Chronicle

Golisano, foundation give $5.8M to St. John Fisher for disability nursing institute, Oct 30, 2018 - Democrat and Chronicle PDF

New institute at Fisher nursing school aims to help patients with disabilities, Oct 30, 2018 - 13WHAM TV

Tom Golisano donates $5.8 million to SJFC for developmental disabilities nursing program, Oct 30, 2018 - WXXI

Golisano Foundation gifts $5.8M for developmental disabilities nursing program, Oct 20, 2018 - WHEC TV

Golisano gift helps Fisher launch Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, Oct 30, 2018 - WROC TV YouTube