Brown Receives International Accolades
April 9, 2026
Dr. Holly Brown, executive director of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing, received the ISPN Diversity and Equity Award given by the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN).
The ISPN Diversity and Equity Award recognizes an ISPN member who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in providing culturally sensitive mental health services to individuals, families, and/or groups.
“As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I have had the privilege of serving youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the better part of the last two decades. From this perspective, I have seen the glaring gaps in care facing this community, which has sparked my curiosity and drive to discover ways to improve healthcare for a population that has been historically underserved,” said Brown. “I hope that people read about the work the Golisano Institute is doing and join us in the effort to eliminate health inequities for people with IDD; I hope they recognize there’s an opportunity to make care accessible for all the people that they serve.”
Founded in 1999, the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses works to unite and strengthen the presence and voice of specialty psychiatric-mental health nurses and promote equitable quality care for individuals and families with mental health problems. In addition, the society works to enhance the ability of psychiatric-mental health nurses to work collaboratively on issues facing the profession, provide expanded opportunities for networking and leadership development, and impact healthcare policy to facilitate effective use of human and financial resources.
Brown joined the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing in fall 2019 as the associate director and also serves as an associate professor in the Wegmans School of Nursing. Additionally, she maintains part-time clinical practice as the senior psychiatric nurse practitioner at Hillside, serving youth diagnosed with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health conditions and their families.