Public Service Award

Presented by the UT National Alumni Association

Dr. Mary F. Kollar is clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing. Dr. Kollar’s contributions to the education of future nurses and the welfare of the medically underserved in Knoxville and beyond are extensive. Since 2000, she has been providing health care to the homeless at least one day a week at the Volunteer Ministries People’s Clinic. In 2001, she began volunteering once a week at the Vine Middle School Health Clinic, a clinic managed by the College of Nursing. Dr. Kollar also donates her time each year to Operation Health Check, which serves more than 700 UT faculty and students. She provides physical therapy to children in the Special Olympics and volunteers extensively through Knoxville’s Remote Area Medical. Her commitment to the community has not gone unnoticed: She is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Clinical Excellence Award given by the Tennessee Organization of Nursing Executives, as well as the Community Service Award by the local chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. Dr. Kollar effectively combines her clinical expertise with learning opportunities, overseeing students’ practice at the various clinical sites and making a huge difference in the health of the community and the education of nursing students.