Cornell Receives Mammoth $35M Gift for Game-Changing Wildlife Health Center
A generous donation of $35 million by philanthropist K. Lisa Yang, a Cornell alumnus, will establish and name the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health within the University's College of Veterinary Medicine. This center will focus on addressing the critical intersections of wildlife health, the well-being of domestic animals, human health and livelihoods, and the broader environmental framework sustaining all life on our planet.
Listen to this story on Vet Candy
Incredible donation
This record-breaking contribution, the largest in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) history, represents a significant advancement for the formerly named Cornell Wildlife Health Center, inaugurated in 2020. The center's objective is to foster multidisciplinary collaboration for tackling global wildlife conservation issues.
Yang, a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees and a lifetime member of the Cornell University Council, expressed her belief in the initiative, stating: "Endowing the Center for Wildlife Health signifies the importance of safeguarding wildlife, conserving our natural environment, and adopting responsible economic practices for the sustainability of our planet for future generations."
Yang emphasized Cornell’s unique position in driving substantial change towards the greater good, thanks to its broad-based strengths and commitment to universal objectives.
The endowment will enable the center to broaden its scope, translating scientific research into practical policies and actions, nurturing future leaders in wildlife health, and enhancing student experiential learning opportunities.
Wildlife Center Projects
Under the leadership of Dr. Steven Osofsky, the Jay Hyman Professor of Wildlife Health and Health Policy, the center aims to unite experts from diverse disciplines across the university, all dedicated to wildlife health and conservation.
The team comprises over 25 professionals, emphasizing impactful work and forging extensive partnerships both within the U.S. and globally. These collaborations aim to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, utilize conservation to boost economic opportunities, and alleviate poverty.
Dr. Osofsky highlighted the center's core mission: to assist humanity in making informed, holistic decisions about land and ocean use, public health policy, and environmental conservation. He affirmed the center’s commitment to leveraging this substantial gift towards restoring environmental stewardship essential for human survival.
The center's ongoing projects include Osofsky's research in southern Africa, aiming to balance wildlife and livestock needs through integrated land-use planning and migratory corridor restoration.
Additionally, Martin Gilbert, associate professor at the college, focuses on tracking diseases like canine distemper virus in big cats across Asia, a critical factor in species survival. Other priorities involve addressing wildlife health threats in New York and enhancing the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Living Legacy
This funding will bolster various initiatives, including the new Cornell K. Lisa Yang Wildlife Health Fellows Program, creating opportunities for veterinarians, researchers, and students. It will also launch the Catalyzing Conservation Fund, offering seed money for vital wildlife health initiatives spearheaded by the vet school staff. Moreover, the gift supports the Cornell Wildlife Health Center Student Support Fund, facilitating veterinary students’ participation in both on-campus research and off-campus experiences.
In addition to her contributions to Cornell, Yang, a Columbia University MBA holder and a retired investment banker, has significantly supported various institutes. She was the primary donor for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School and co-founded the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at Harvard University in 2019. Yang has also been instrumental in establishing six interconnected centers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on autism research and other scientific fields.
Yang is an active member in several advisory councils, including the ILR School Dean’s Advisory Council, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Administrative Board, and the advisory council for the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, which she endowed with a $24 million gift in 2021.
