Roberta Berrien announced yesterday that she will resign as executive director of University Health and Counseling Services (UHCS), following the lead of more than two dozen staff members who left the center under her leadership.

The move will take affect following a three-month transitional period that will last until the end of the semester, Philomena Mantella, senior vice president for enrollment and student life, said in an interview last night.

Berrien’s decision to resign comes on the heels of an independent review of the center’s services that Mantella said she initiated in April. From its findings, Mantella said the next step is for UHCS to “evolve into a model of combined medical and behavioral healthcare to enhance its overall offerings.”

Berrien “has made the determination that she has done what she can do and that it’s time to move on,” Mantella said.

At least 23 staff members have resigned from UHCS since a restructuring process began three years ago, The News reported last year. The restructuring combined the university’s medical and counseling services into one management system and moved both services into a new facility on Forsyth Street.

In the first wave of departures, many of the initial 15 staff members to resign cited poor employee-management relations with Berrien and reported problems that included her failure to solicit employee feedback.

Last September, a Faculty Senate committee that convened to investigate conditions at UHCS released a preliminary report that recommended the center establish strong student-healthcare bonds, but stopped short of making any recommendations regarding staffing levels.