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Dr. Catherine Fisher Collins

Dr. Catherine Fisher Collins has an earned Doctoral degree from the State University at New York at Buffalo where she also received a Masters Degree in Allied Health Education, Evaluation and Curriculum Development. Dr. Collins completed her undergraduate studies at Buffalo State College where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Vocational Technical Education and at Trocaire College, where she graduated from the Registered Nurse Program. Dr. Collins is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and the first African American nurse practitioner to graduate from the University of Buffalo’s School of Nursing Nurse Practitioner program. In addition she holds three certifications in health education.

In health career she has held professional positions in health as planning, education and administration. In education she has held positions as Assistant Academic Dean, Department Chair, Full professor, and currently she is an Associate Professor at SUNY Empire State College and Adjunct at State University of New York in Buffalo Women’s Studies Department. In those positions she works with undergraduate and graduate students in health and criminal justice. Dr. Collins has many honors among then SUNY Best Faculty Fellow, Community Services and Health Awards from the Governors of New York and New Jersey. She was the producer and host of WIVB channels 29, Health Service Information Program that aired for three years. She has over thirty awards among them: Urban League, Distinguish Alumni, AKA’s, Jaycees Attica Prison Branch, NAACP, Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Organization of Women, and Jack and Jill of America, Inc; Eastern Region.
She served on the New York State Commission of Corrections Medical Review Board, the first nurse appointed by the governor to this position, which she held for over five years. In this capacity, Dr. Collins was charged with the review of all New York State prisoners’ health complaints and deaths. 

To her publishing credit are Sources of Stress and Relief for African American Women; The Imprisonment of African American Women the winner of the 1997 Outstanding Academic and Scholarly Award,  and African American Women Health and Social Issues.  While serving as National Editor for Jack and Jill of America. Inc; she produced two publications titled Up The Hill 1999 and 2000.She is under contract for three new books entitled African American Women’s Health and Social Issues Handbook (Greenwood Publishing Group), South Africa Women Prisoners and Prisoners: African American Women (McFarland Publishing Group).

She serves as Field Reader of grants for the federal governments’ Department of Health and Human Services and Reader for Educational Testing Service, College Board’s Advance Placement Program.
In 1999 she traveled to South Africa where she lectured at the University of South Africa Law school where Nelson Mendala received his law degree. During her visit she completed research for a book and video tapped two women prisons. She has produced two South Africa videos that document her work/ visit. In 2000 she traveled to Nigeria to establish two Jack and Jill of America, Inc; chapters.
Dr. Collins is a member of several community groups including Buffalo Links, Naomi Chapters #10 Order of the Eastern Star PHA, Hadji Court #62, Daughters of Isis, NAACP Executive Board, and Buffalo Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She has served as president of the local Chapter of Jack and Jill and brought the Beautillion program that honors outstanding African Americans for their sponsorship. She has also held the following positions, Jack and Jill of American Eastern Regions’ Director (1993-1995), National Editor (1998-2000) and is the immediate past National Vice President (2000-2002).

Dr. Collins is the mother of Clyde Collins a State University at New York second year medical student and, Mrs. Laura Harris a Buffalo public school administrator. She is the sister of the late Herman Fisher Jr. daughter of the late Herman and Catherine Fisher. Dr. Collins is the sister of Fay Austin and David Fisher and attends Buffalo’s Lincoln Memorial Methodist Church.  

Part I - All containted files were microfilmed in 2004

Click here for an index of the microfilmed records at the MFRHC.

Part II - All containted files were digitized in .pdf format in 2010

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