About the Golisano Scholars

The Golisano Scholars received funding from the Golisano Institute for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Nursing to further their educational studies and contribute to thought leadership and scholarship in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism.  

Marcie McMahon DNP, RN, PMHNP-C 

Dr. Marcie Mc Mahon is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) who completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the Wegmans School of Nursing at Fisher in December 2023 with funding from the Golisano Institute for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Nursing.  An Inaugural Fellow in the Golisano Institute for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Nursing Fellowship, her DNP project focused on supporting adolescents with autism through the developmental stage of puberty. Dr. McMahon’s dedication to the field extends beyond academia. She maintains a clinical practice as a PMHNP working in a school-based program supporting youth with IDD and/or autism with co-occurring mental health conditions in Rochester, N.Y. She is a full-time faculty in the Wegmans School of Nursing, teaching courses in the undergraduate nursing program and the psychiatric mental health graduate program. Dr. McMahon’s DNP Scholarly Project, which began as her Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Fellowship project, has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Nurse Practitioners and for presentation at the Eastern Nursing Research Society 2024 conference.

Katie Rowles, DNP, RN, PMHNP-C 

Dr. Katherine Rowles is a dedicated Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and advocate for children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and autism. She completed her doctoral program at the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher University with funding from the Golisano Institute for Intellectual and Developmental Disability Nursing in December 2022. Her DNP project focused on implementing best practice recommendations for transitioning adolescents with IDD into adult primary care services. Dr. Rowles’ project included an educational presentation for pediatric health care providers on the importance of a planned transition to adult care for this population and the tools to facilitate a seamless transition. She is a full-time faculty member and is the coordinator of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)  Program at the Wegmans School of Nursing, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate programs. Dr. Rowles maintains a clinical practice as a PMHNP, providing mental health services for children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism.