The award, presented by the Connecticut Nurses Association and Connecticut Nurses Foundation, was given to Helming on November 13 at the 2025 Awards Celebration: Celebrating Nursing Excellence in Connecticut at Amarante’s Sea Cliff in New Haven.

The Dolan award honors nursing leaders whose work has made extraordinary and lasting contributions to nursing education, research, advocacy and the advancement of the profession. It is one of the association’s prestigious Diamond Jubilee Awards, named after distinguished nursing leaders and representing the highest recognition in Connecticut's nursing community.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be recognized by my colleagues and my profession,” Helming said. “Overwhelmed is the word I use. Throughout my career as a family nurse practitioner educator, my greatest work has been ensuring students achieve strong clinical skills, knowledge, and competency, while joyfully watching them grow successfully as professional nurse practitioners and nurses. Compassion and integrity are hallmarks of my work with students, patients and colleagues. This recognition inspires me to continue advancing nursing education.”

Presented by the Connecticut Nurses Association, the award represents the pinnacle of achievement and reflects the values that shape the story of nursing in Connecticut — impact, excellence and unwavering dedication.

Helming’s recognition underscores her decades-long commitment to preparing compassionate, highly skilled nurses and advancing the standards of nursing education. Throughout her distinguished career, she has been known for her deep expertise in holistic nursing and spirituality in nursing, her passion for mentoring and advocating for students and her dedication to elevating the voices and experiences of underserved communities. Her contributions have helped shape generations of nurses who now lead, practice and advocate for improved healthcare across the nation.

For the School of Nursing, Helming’s honor highlights the institution’s long-standing reputation for innovation, leadership and excellence in nursing education. It reinforces the school’s mission to prepare nurses who are not only clinically exceptional but also ethical, empathetic and deeply committed to their communities.

Helming’s achievement adds to Quinnipiac’s legacy of leadership in healthcare education and serves as a powerful reminder of the essential role nurse educators play in shaping the future of the profession.

Helming’s 49-year nursing career reflects a lifelong dedication to education, clinical excellence and holistic care. She earned her BSN from Boston College, MSN/family nurse practitioner degree from Yale and Ph.D. in Nursing Science from Union Institute & University, where she studied spirituality in nursing.

Her clinical work spanned family and internal medicine, urgent care, student and occupational health. Helming found her calling as a nurse educator. From 2000-19, she served on the faculty at Quinnipiac, where she helped design and coordinate the master’s FNP and DNP tracks and was named professor emerita upon retirement. She later joined Goodwin University as an associate professor and continues to teach as adjunct faculty.

A certified advanced holistic nurse, Helming co-led Quinnipiac’s American Holistic Nurses Association program holistic endorsement and co-edited multiple editions of “Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice.”

Active in the AHNA and Connecticut APRN Society, she continues to advance nursing education with compassion, innovation and a holistic vision for the profession.