MCC Daily Tribune

SUNY Chancellor King Highlights Veterinary Research at Cornell University

The New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, One of SUNY’s Statutory Campuses at Cornell University, Conducting Research for the Public Good

Ithaca, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. highlighted groundbreaking veterinary research advancements at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University during a tour with Dean Lorin Warnick, campus officials, and students. During his visit, on Wednesday, Chancellor King emphasized the importance of research for the public good and its impact on supporting health and economic prosperity. As part of his campus tour, Chancellor King also visited the plant science department and met students participating in the Empire State Service Corps, a program launched by Governor Kathy Hochul that provides paid service opportunities for SUNY students throughout New York State.

“The work being done at the College of Veterinary Medicine is a powerful example of SUNY’s excellence in research and scholarship that advances the public good,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Through this research and its practical applications, there are new advancements that may help those battling liver cancer, which is one of the deadliest and most challenging cancers to address. SUNY is proud of the research taking place on our campuses, including the College of Veterinary Medicine, which will help New York State continue to serve as a national and global leader in advancing new scientific achievements and emerging industries.”

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “The College of Veterinary Medicine is a leader in cutting edge research that helps achieve real world outcomes in human and animal medicine and in public and ecosystem health. We applaud Governor Hochul and state leaders for helping ensure, through their steadfast commitment, that SUNY campuses are home to the top scientific minds in the country who provide our students with research opportunities that change the world.”

State Senator Lea Webb said, “I thank SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. for visiting our district to meet some of our talented students and researchers, including student participants in the Empire State Service Corps. Here in Senate District 52, we are very proud of the innovative and groundbreaking research happening across many sectors, including the groundbreaking advancements in Veterinary Science at Cornell’s New York State College of Veterinary Medicine.”

SUNY has five colleges, or statutory campuses, that are a part of Alfred University and Cornell University including the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and at Cornell University, the New York State College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, New York State College of Human Ecology, New York State School of Industrial & Labor Relations, and the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine.

Scientists at the College of Veterinary Medicine’s newly formed Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences are studying T-cell exclusion, a process that occurs in a rare liver cancer that rewires local microenvironments so that the body’s immune – or T – cells are blocked from fighting the disease. Researchers also discovered a drug currently used to treat a different disorder, can prevent the tumors from blocking T cells, allowing them to fight this form of cancer. The College of Veterinary Medicine is one of the leading recipients of NIH funding at Cornell and is among the top veterinary colleges nationwide in research.

“Our college is dedicated in its support of New York State through our educational and research efforts and clinical and diagnostic services,” says Dr. Lorin D. Warnick, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “We consider it a privilege to serve the people, animals, and communities of our state, and will continue to strive to improve their health and well-being at all levels.”

In addition to the liver cancer discovery, scientists at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center have been studying and informing dairy farmers on the risks of highly pathogenic avian flu that can appear in raw milk and raw cheese from infected cows. Separately, researchers at the Cornell Wildlife Health Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine are studying chronic wasting disease in NYS wild deer. The team is using mathematical models and diagnostic testing to understand disease parameters and identify ways to reduce spread.

With the support of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, SUNY has undertaken major actions to advance research efforts throughout the System, including:

In February, SUNY announced the launch of the SUNY Research Connect Portal to showcase the research profiles of nearly 7,000 SUNY researchers from 26 campuses.
In January, Governor Hochul announced that the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research, the first-ever independent AI research center at any public university in the United States, would be established at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
In November 2025, Governor Hochul announced an investment to construct a new biofabrication research and imaging facility on the State University of New York at Buffalo campus that will help discover new medicines and cures to save lives.
Also in November 2025, Governor Hochul announced the major expansion of the State University of New York at Albany's RNA Institute to advance world-class research, training, and workforce development.
In October 2025, Governor Hochul announced the launch of the SUNY Brain Institute, a multi-campus initiative focused on expanding SUNY's groundbreaking neuroscience research.
In September 2025, Governor Hochul established the Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, further catapulting New York's national leadership in groundbreaking research that saves lives, grows the economy, and improves national security.
In July 2025, SUNY launched the SUNY Research Leadership Academy to advance inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) fields.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum

Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
03/26/2026