Janet Corson-Rikert wins award for exceptional service

Janet Corson-Rikert
Corson-Rikert

Dr. Janet Corson-Rikert, associate vice president for campus health and director of Gannett Health Services, has received the American College Health Association’s Ollie B. Moten Award for Outstanding Service to One’s Institution for her “exceptional service and commitment to the field of college health.”

The award honors association members who have made a significant impact on the institution of higher education in which they work.

Corson-Rikert is a “transformative leader” for “an exemplary university health service that provides superb clinical care, crisis response, active public health, and campus and community education,” said Susan Murphy, vice president for student and academic services, in her nomination letter. “Cornell University is a different community” because of Corson-Rikert’s visionary leadership and long service, Murphy added.

President David Skorton said Corson-Rikert has helped make Cornell a national leader in university health services and a model for addressing such challenges as high-risk alcohol use, hazing and student mental health. “Her commitment to a public health approach to these persistent challenges has earned her the admiration of her colleagues on campus, in the wider community and nationally,” he said.

Known as a mentor, colleague and friend to many on the Cornell campus, Corson-Rikert was described as “inspiring, selfless and compassionate” and as “an advocate for all and what is fair and just” by colleagues who wrote in support of her nomination. Corson-Rikert is also known by her colleagues for her financial stewardship of institutional resources and her advocacy for improved access to comprehensive health care services, including collaboration between counseling and medical services.

That advocacy includes Corson-Rikert’s efforts, over more than a decade, to create a new health services facility, which is in the planning stages and targeted for completion in 2017. “This project will enable us to elevate the care of our students and will be a lasting legacy to the extraordinary leadership of Dr. Corson-Rikert,” said Tim Marchell, director of mental health initiatives at Gannett Health Services.

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