Dollinger Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from RBJ

The Rochester Business Journal presented Dr. Marilyn Dollinger, DNS FNP RN, emeritus professor at the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher University, with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2025 Healthcare Hero Awards.

The awards recognize excellence, promote innovation, and honor the efforts of individuals and organizations making a significant impact on the quality of health care in the Rochester area. Dollinger, along with 48 other awardees, was honored at a celebration on Thursday, Feb. 27. Dr. Celia McIntosh, owner of McIntosh Advocacy and Consulting, LLC, is a 2011 graduate of Fisher’s family nurse practitioner program and a 2015 graduate of the doctor of nursing practice program, and was recognized in the Advanced Practice Nursing category during the event.

Dollinger has dedicated her career to advancing nursing education and practice. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto in 1974, where she was honored with the University of Toronto Faculty of Nursing Award. She furthered her education with a Master of Science in Medical-Surgical Nursing and Education from Russell Sage College in 1985, graduating with honors from Sigma Theta Tau. In 1995, she completed a Post-Master’s Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner at St. John Fisher University, and earned her Doctor of Nursing Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo in February 2007. She holds a New York State Registered Professional Nurse license and a New York State Family Nurse Practitioner Certification.

Dollinger’s professional journey is marked by her long-standing commitment to Fisher’s Wegmans School of Nursing. Her teaching career at Fisher as an assistant professor began in 1991. From 2000 to 2008, she coordinated the Family Nurse Practitioner Track, and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2003. By 2006, she moved into the role of associate dean of academics and served as the chair of the undergraduate nursing program until 2013. She retired from her associate dean position in 2020.

In addition to her academic roles, Dollinger has extensive clinical experience having worked as a family nurse practitioner at Fisher’s Health Service from 1996 to 2001 and again from 2004 to 2008. Her career included positions as a staff nurse and critical care instructor at various prestigious institutions, including Strong Health-Highland Hospital’s Department of Family Medicine, Strong Memorial Hospital, Albany Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Toronto General Hospital.

Her dedication to global health was evident through her leadership of international nursing service trips, traveling to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Kenya, and Guatemala where Fisher nursing students and faculty provided invaluable health care services to underserved communities.

A pivotal figure in various health care and community initiatives, Dollinger served on the executive committee of the Academy for Leadership in Long Term Care and participated in the Community Stakeholders Meeting for Thompson Health. In addition, she provided her expertise for myriad local initiatives, including the Advanced Home Health Aide Advisory Committee for the New York State Department of Health, Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Seminar, the Montgomery Community Center’s hypertension screening program, and the Homeless Shelter Project at St. Mary’s Hospital.

She also remains involved in numerous professional organizations, including the Genesee Valley Nurses Association where she served in various leadership roles, including president from 2007 to 2009. She is also a founding member and chair of the Legislative Committee for American Nurses Association-New York. Additionally, she is involved in the Nurse Practitioner Association of Greater Rochester, the New York Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders, and the Finger Lakes Organization of Nurse Executives, where she has held several key positions. An active member of the Rochester Health Care Innovation Collaborative (RHIC), she contributed to the redesign of the health care system in the Rochester area, which was awarded a $26.6 million CMMI grant. She also served in various capacities on the Board of Directors for Lifetime Care, Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, and the St. John’s Health Care Corporation.

In recognition of her leadership in health care education and the nursing profession, she has been honored with the Genesee Valley Nurses Association Educator Award and the New York Organization of Nurse Executives Regional Leadership Award. In addition, she was recognized by the University of Toronto as part of their Notable 90 Alumni Honor Role in 2010. Her advocacy and leadership in nursing have also been acknowledged with the New York State Nurses Association Legislative Award and the Florence Nightingale Award for Excellence in Teaching from St. John Fisher.