St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York, has announced a $5 million gift from B. Thomas Golisano and the Golisano Foundation to boost the growth and expansion of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at the St. John Fisher University Wegmans School of Nursing.

To be disbursed over five years, the gift, which includes $4 million from Golisano and $1 million from the foundation, will bolster the school’s efforts to positively impact more than one million health encounters for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) over the next 10 years. The gift builds on a 2018 gift from Golisano and the foundation to help create the institute, which is working to improve health equity for people with IDD by setting the standard for competent and ethical IDD nursing practice. In addition, the university has committed $5 million to the school.

“Fisher has clearly demonstrated its commitment to improving health care for people with developmental disabilities by preparing the next generation of nurses and thought leaders with field-specific skills and knowledge,” said Golisano Foundation executive director Erica Dayton. “Tom and the foundation appreciate the thoughtful approach and use of expertise to develop specialized content, activate leaders, and deploy educational materials across health systems effectively over the next five years of this award.”

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