An expert in campus and public health with more than a decade of experience leading university health programs will join Cornell to oversee its student health services.

Sharon McMullen, currently director of University Health Services at the University of Notre Dame, will assume the position of assistant vice president of student and campus life for health and well-being, effective Jan. 1, 2020.

“Sharon will provide strategic direction and management oversight for Cornell Health, and will work collaboratively and creatively with the broader campus community to enhance our vision for and dedication to well-being at Cornell,” Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life, said in an Oct. 4 announcement. “Sharon brings substantial college health leadership experience to the position.”

Cornell Health provides medical and mental health services on the Ithaca campus, serving more than 80% of students each year – a total of nearly 120,000 in-person and virtual health care visits annually.

McMullen will oversee its more than 200-person staff supporting medical services, counseling and psychological services, occupational medicine, student disability services, administrative services and the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work alongside with, and in support of, the excellent team at Cornell Health – a national leader in college health,” McMullen said.

Dr. Kent Bullis, Cornell Health’s executive director for more than three years, will return to a physician role within the medical department.

At Notre Dame since 2014, McMullen oversaw the overall vision and day-to-day administration of health services to 8,000 undergraduate and 4,000 graduate and professional students.

“We strive to care for the whole person, ensuring that you are physically, spiritually, emotionally and socially well,” she wrote in a director’s message on the department’s website.

Previously, McMullen was founding director of Campus Health Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, where she held several positions starting in 2007, including as a registered public health nurse.

McMullen was selected as a 2019 fellow of the American College Health Association, where she holds leadership positions including secretary of the Emerging Public Health Threats and Emergency Response Coalition, rising co-chair of the Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Advisory Committee and member of the College Health and Wellness Consulting Group.

Among her professional interests, McMullen cites using data to advance public health, promoting vaccines for the common good and using the power of policy to shape health. Her work on latent tuberculosis infection was published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

McMullen earned a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Pennsylvania, a bachelor’s in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University and a bachelor’s in English from St. Joseph’s University.

“Sharon’s extensive knowledge and experience was evident throughout the search process and during her time on campus,” Lombardi said. “We are excited to welcome Sharon to Cornell.”