Dr. Lorin Warnick will end his tenure as dean of Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine when his second term concludes on June 30, 2026. Warnick has led the college since 2016, after serving as interim dean in 2015.
Cornell Provost Kavita Bala has launched a national search to find his replacement. Andrew Karolyi and Gary Koretzky will co-chair the search committee.
During his time as dean, Warnick guided the college through major shifts in the veterinary industry, including clinic consolidations and rural care shortages. He helped launch the Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship in 2019, which now prepares students for the business realities of veterinary practice.
In 2021, the college introduced its first new department in two decades—the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health—to address global challenges like food security, disease threats, and biodiversity loss. That same year, Warnick played a critical role in setting up Cornell’s COVID-19 Testing Laboratory, which became a national model and helped keep Tompkins County’s per capita death rate among the lowest in New York.
The college has raised over $304 million in new gifts and commitments under Warnick’s leadership. That includes funding for new research centers like the Riney Canine Health Center, the Duffield Institute for Animal Behavior, and the Yang Center for Wildlife Health.
Warnick also oversaw educational growth. The veterinary class size has expanded to 128 students, and the college’s Master of Public Health Program—launched in 2017—now enrolls 80 students annually. He prioritized scholarship fundraising, helping to nearly reach a $40 million goal aimed at reducing graduate debt. Since the start of the college’s 2018 strategic plan, its debt-to-starting-salary ratio has dropped from 2-to-1 to 1-to-1.
Facility upgrades during Warnick’s tenure included the completion of a major expansion in 2017, a new equine barn, and a $19.5 million addition to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center. Prior to recent federal shifts, the college had also seen a 58% increase in NIH awards.
Warnick, who has taught at Cornell since 1996, plans to return to research and education after his term ends. A professor of ambulatory and production medicine, he has focused his work on antimicrobial resistance in dairy cattle.
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