Robert Barker/University Photography

Dr. Janet Corson-Rikert, associate vice president for campus health and executive director of Gannett Health Services

On March 21, Dr. Janet Corson-Rikert, associate vice president for campus health and executive director of Gannett Health Services, toured the new section of the Ithaca campus’s health care facility, currently under construction.

The new addition – slated for completion in 2017 – will help realize Corson-Rikert’s long-standing vision to provide Cornell with a comprehensive, integrated approach to health services for students and public health for the campus.

Corson-Rikert will retire from Cornell in May, leaving a legacy of advocacy and care that addresses the well-being of the whole person – physically, mentally and emotionally. Her last day on campus will be April 1.

“I know Cornell students have benefited from Janet’s thoughtful leadership,” said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life. “Janet is intelligent, strategic, caring, dedicated and forward-thinking. She has been tireless in doing all she can to ensure that Gannett Health Services is in the best possible position as she departs after an incredible career. We will miss her leadership, and, more importantly, we will miss her selfless approach to her work and genuine care for others.”

Coming to Cornell in 1992 as a staff physician, Corson-Rikert was appointed executive director of Cornell’s health services in 1995 and has led the unit since.

“Janet’s background, first in practicing pediatrics and adolescent medicine and then in serving at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, gave her experience in dealing with young adults,” said Susan Murphy, Lombardi’s predecessor. “She has since transformed Cornell’s campus health services from an emergency-based model of health care response to a holistic approach that includes health promotion and prevention strategies, medical and mental health services, crisis response and recovery efforts, and campus and community engagement.”

Murphy also noted, “Janet was relentless in tackling serious challenges.” She highlighted the measures Corson-Rikert and her staff took during the H1N1 flu epidemic in 2009; the changes they implemented for Slope Day; and their approach to student mental health, ranging from advocating for the installation of steel mesh nets beneath Cornell’s bridges, to launching the Caring Community and “Notice and Respond” public education campaigns, to promoting peer-education and intervention to address high-risk alcohol and substance use, hazing, depression, sexual violence and eating disorders.

“Janet has been there for our community in some of our most challenging times, supporting our students, staff and faculty, always calm and confident in the face of difficulty,” said Mary Opperman, vice president and chief human resources officer.

Because of Corson-Rikert’s influence, “health is now recognized as central to the learning mission of Cornell,” said Timothy Marchell, director of Gannett’s Skorton Center for Health Initiatives.

Under her leadership, the Cornell Faculty and Staff Assistance Program and Student Disability Services were incorporated under the campus health umbrella, and occupational medicine services were enhanced.

“These many and varied efforts have all advanced and strengthened a seamless fabric of support for the entire Cornell community,” said Gregory Eells, director of Gannett’s counseling and psychological services.

In 2014, Corson-Rikert was nationally recognized with the American College Health Association’s Ollie B. Moten Award for her “exceptional service and commitment to her institution and to the field of college health.”

When it opens, the new health facility will support further integration of Cornell’s health care services: facilitating access to and continuity of care for students; encouraging collaboration between providers of mental health, medical, nutrition, physical therapy and pharmacy services; and expanding opportunities for student, faculty and staff partnerships in support of campus health.

Said Corson-Rikert: “I have had the great fortune to work with a remarkable group of colleagues, campus partners and student leaders, and I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish together. With the benefit of a new facility designed to support collaboration and serve evolving health care needs, I know the Cornell health team will continue to introduce innovative strategies to promote the health of students and the entire campus community. I look forward to following their progress.”