A Legacy of Listening
Honoring Dr. Mary Jane Sullivan with the Golisano Health Leadership Award
May 15, 2026
Long before Healthy Athletes became a familiar part of Special Olympics New Hampshire’s State Summer Games, there were people working quietly behind the scenes to build it from the ground up.
People who saw a need.
People who believed athletes deserved better access to healthcare.
People willing to create something that didn’t yet exist.
Mary Jane Sullivan was one of those people.
This year, Special Olympics New Hampshire is proud to honor Dr. Mary Jane Sullivan with the Golisano Health Leadership Award, recognizing her decades of leadership, advocacy, and commitment to improving healthcare access for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Building Healthy Hearing in New Hampshire
In 2004, Special Olympics New Hampshire launched its Healthy Athletes initiative as part of a national movement focused on improving access to healthcare for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
One of those disciplines was Healthy Hearing.
At the time, there was no established Healthy Hearing program in New Hampshire.
Then came a phone call.
Dr. Gil Herer, the national director of Healthy Hearing, reached out to the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at the University of New Hampshire looking for an audiologist to help lead the effort.
Ironically, Dr. Herer had once been one of Mary Jane’s professors at George Washington University in the 1980s.
The connection would help spark more than two decades of impact.
From New Hampshire to Mexico City
To prepare for the role, Mary Jane traveled to Mexico City for specialized training to become New Hampshire’s Healthy Hearing Clinical Director.
From there, she began building the program alongside Special Olympics New Hampshire—coordinating screenings, recruiting volunteers, mentoring students, and helping athletes gain access to hearing healthcare that might otherwise have been out of reach.
Over the next 20+ years, Healthy Hearing screenings became a regular part of Summer Games and other Special Olympics events across the state.
On average, approximately 100 athletes were screened during each event.
A Classroom Beyond Campus
For Mary Jane, Healthy Hearing wasn’t just about screenings.
It was also about education.
Students from the University of New Hampshire’s Communication Sciences and Disorders department became a central part of the program each year, working alongside licensed audiologists to provide screenings and learn through hands-on clinical experience.
And according to Mary Jane, the students gained just as much as they gave.
They learned clinical skills, yes—but they also built relationships, confidence, and a deeper understanding of the athletes they served.
Year after year, they returned.
Making It Work, Wherever “It” Was
Healthy Hearing didn’t always happen in ideal conditions.
In fact, it often required creativity, flexibility, and a little problem-solving magic.
Unlike some screenings, hearing evaluations require quiet and carefully controlled environments—a challenge during large sporting events.
Over the years, screenings were held in donated medical vans, under tents on the fields at the University of New Hampshire, and inside gymnasiums transformed into temporary clinical spaces.
No matter the setup, the goal stayed the same: make care accessible for athletes.
And somehow, the team always made it work.
A Family Commitment to Inclusion
For Mary Jane, this work became something even bigger than a professional commitment.
It became a family effort.
Her mother and sister regularly helped with athlete sign-in during events, while her father, an optometrist, volunteered with Opening Eyes.
Healthy Athletes became more than a program. It became part of family life—a shared commitment to inclusion, care, and community.
The Impact of Healthy Hearing
Through Healthy Hearing, athletes received screenings designed to identify possible hearing concerns and connect them with follow-up care when needed.
But the impact reached far beyond the screenings themselves.
The program helped raise awareness around hearing health, provided valuable clinical experience for future audiologists, and reinforced an important truth: healthcare access matters for athletes, too.
Because communication matters.
Connection matters.
Being able to fully participate in sport and everyday life matters.
Honoring a Lasting Legacy
Today, Healthy Hearing in New Hampshire continues under the leadership of current Clinical Director Lori Pinkham, with many longtime volunteers continuing the work Mary Jane helped build.
Her legacy can be seen in every athlete screened, every student volunteer inspired, and every clinician who chose to get involved because of the example she set.
The Golisano Health Leadership Award recognizes individuals who are changing healthcare systems and improving access to care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For Special Olympics New Hampshire, Dr. Mary Jane Sullivan embodies exactly that mission.
And after more than two decades of listening, leading, and advocating, her impact continues to echo far beyond a single screening.
