Golisano Institute Well-Represented at the Special Olympics New York Unified Health Summit

Rochester, N.Y., August 9, 2025

Celia McIntosh, Sarah Ailey, Elizabeth Dollinger, and Holly Brown standing shoulder to shoulder

Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing Director Dr. Holly Brown was proud to participate in the Special Olympics New York’s Unified Health Summit this weekend in Rochester. This day-long summit consisted of panels and presentations from healthcare professionals discussing the inequities individuals with IDD face in healthcare and how they can be addressed, providing the Golisano Institute with an important platform alongside one of the Institute’s key partners to promote the importance of IDD-inclusive training among nursing students.

Research shows significant inequalities for individuals with IDD in healthcare quality, especially in the areas of screening and diagnosis, due to a lack of training in treating individuals with disabilities.

Dr. Brown joined Wegmans School of Nursing Dean Dr. Tricia Gatlin to present Revisioning Nursing Curriculum with an Eye Towards Inclusion. This presentation discussed the Golisano Institute’s mission and the importance of teaching skills for working with patients with IDD to the nursing workforce. As nurses comprise the largest part of the healthcare workforce, by virtue of this fact, they will interact the most with patients with IDD. Equipping student nurses with training and experience is the best way to address these inequities. The presentation laid out the Golisano Institute’s “Quintuple Aim” for how to systemically address these inequalities for IDD healthcare.

Elizabeth Dollinger, a Golisano Institute Fellow from the 2023-2024 cohort and faculty member for the Wegmans School of Nursing, served as a panelist in Healthier Together: Building a Collaborative Care Team with Patients, Caregivers, and Providers. Moderated by members of Special Olympics, this panel discussion focused on the role providers play in facilitating support for patients, family members, and caregivers as a combined healthcare team and strategies for working together effectively.