Keck Graduate Institute Podcasts

In this episode of the KGI podcast, Dr. Anna Hickerson, associate professor and program director for KGI's Master of Science in Medical Device Engineering program, talks about her background, the med device program, and the industry's future.

This is the fifth episode in our series of special podcasts for KGI’s 25th anniversary. In this episode, Dr. Stephen Kingsmore discusses reviewing the first 10 years of genome-informed healthcare for children and predicting the next 10 years. This was recorded on January 19, 2023, in Claremont as part of KGI's Speaker Series.…

In this episode of the KGI podcast, we sat down with Dr. Barbara Fortini, associate professor of genetics and the program director of the one-of-a-kind Master of Science in Human Genetics and Genomic Data Analytics (MSGDA) program, to discuss her background, history of the MSGDA program, and why it is important.…

In this episode of the KGI podcast, one of KGI's founding faculty members, Dr. James Sterling, program director of the PhD in Applied Life Sciences program, discusses his various roles at KGI and talks about the PhD program and the future of a doctorate degree.

KGI welcomes Senior Director and Instructor of the Postbaccalaureate Programs Dr. Joon Kim to the podcast to discuss the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate and Postbaccalaureate Pre-PA Certificate programs.

KGI joins Dr. Cynthia Martinez, Dean of the School of Community Medicine, for a second podcast to discuss KGI's ground-breaking Master of Science in Community Medicine program. The fully online, two-year program is revolutionizing how we educate future physicians, healthcare providers, and health professionals in the sciences and technologies that …

This is the fourth episode in our series of special podcasts for KGI’s 25th anniversary. In this episode, we listen to KGI's Dr. Kiana Aran talk about her journey to freedom through science. Dr. Paul Grint moderates the talk. This was recorded on November 1, 2022, in San Diego as part of KGI's Speaker Series.…

This is the third episode in our series of special podcasts for KGI’s 25th anniversary. In this episode, we share a delightful conversation between KGI President Sheldon Schuster as he talked with integral founding members of the institute: Bonnie Busenberg, Stephen McCormack, Bob Curry, and Greg Dewey. The group reminisced about the early days at …

In this episode of the KGI podcast, we feature KGI Board of Trustees member Dr. Carol Nacy, who gave an Industry Talk to the KGI community on October 13, 2022. Nacy is a founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Sequella, Inc., a privately-held pharmaceutical company that discovers and develops treatments for life-threatening infectious diseases. …

This is the second episode in our series of special podcasts for KGI’s 25th anniversary. In this episode, we hear from former KGI School of Community Medicine Dean Dr. David Lawrence on the future of healthcare. The discussion was recorded on October 7, 2022, during KGI’s Founder’s Day celebration. KGI appointed former Kaiser CEO Dr. David M. Lawre…

This episode kicks off a series of special podcasts for KGI's 25th anniversary. In this episode, we hear from KGI Board of Trustee members Dr. Ross Grossman, Teresia Bost, and Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff on the future of biotech and the life sciences. The discussion was recorded on October 7, 2022, during KGI's Founder's Day celebration. Grossman serv…

In this episode of the KGI podcast, we talk with Emily Quinn, the newly appointed program director for the Master of Science in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling program.

KGI talks with Dr. Cynthia Martinez, newly appointed Dean of the School of Community Medicine. “Everything about the mission and vision of the School of Community Medicine is reflected in my personal lived experiences,” Martinez explained. “I am coming full circle as I get to apply my Bachelor of Science in Biology and my experience working in heal…

KGI talks with Christy Eskes, newly appointed Program Director of the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program. Eskes has worked in various roles in PA education since 2009 as a Didactic Coordinator, Program Director, and Associate Program Director. She briefly stepped away from full-time PA education in 2016, continuing to work cli…

Listen to this special podcast with Dr. Megan Prosser, the new Dean of the Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences. Dr. Prosser talks about her educational background and experiences and shares her ideas for the future of the Riggs School.

In this Industry Talk, we speak with Mimi Nguyen, a Regulatory Health Project Manager in the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Technology Innovation in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She helps manage and organize strategic initiatives, pilot projects, and cross-cutting working groups. Add…

In this Industry Talk, Zach Myers, JD, Partner at Wilson Sonsini, talks about formation, financing trends, and strategies for life sciences companies. He has been recognized as a “go-to” attorney for Southern California’s private and public companies in the technology and life sciences sectors—especially biotechnology and medical device companies—i…

In this industry talk, Dr. Allyson Berent talks about "A Parent’s Journey Through Drug Development and Wearing Many Hats". Berent is the Chief Science Officer for the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics and the Chief Operating Officer for GeneTx Biotherapeutics, developing a novel antisense olignonucleotide for the treatment of Angelman s…

In this industry talk, we hear from Lori Westin, Partner at Wilson Sonsini, as she discusses intellectual property and patent strategies for the emerging growth company. Westin possesses a PhD in Biology from Boston University and a JD from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She has extensive experience that includes serving as a senior research s…

In this episode, we talk with KGI Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Dr. Joel West. In January of 2022, West surpassed 20,000 citations on Google Scholar for his research on Open Innovation. Open innovation is the practice of a company opening its research and development department to opinions and ideas within, and outside, the organizat…

In this industry talk, Chris Garabedian, Chairman and CEO of Xontogeny LLC, discusses his career and gives advice to KGI students. Since 2009, Garabedian has been one of KGI’s most engaged champions. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the KGI Corporate Relations Board, has sponsored multiple TMPs, and has hired several KGI alumni. Ga…

In this Industry Talk, Andrey Zarur, PhD, discusses "Conquering COVID: Gaps in Global Vaccine Strategy”. Zarur co-founded GreenLight Biosciences in 2008 to develop advanced biological solutions to overcome some of the biggest challenges faced by the human race, including sustainable food production, response and preparedness for pandemics, and glob…

KGI Professor Dr. Animesh Ray and Associate Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences Dr. Jeniffer Hernandez have been selected as 2021 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Transformative Research Award recipients as part of the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. This fund supports inherently risky and untested proje…

In this summer speaker series, we hear from Ankit Lodha, MBS ’13, Director Data Science Portfolio Management, Janssen Research & Development. Lodha executes various AI/ML models in supporting the execution of clinical trial portfolios. He worked on the COVID-19 vaccine program to build a data-driven COVID-19 Vaccine Development approach for Janssen…

In this Industry Talk, KGI featured Douglas Jackson, who serves as the President/CEO of Project C.U.R.E. Each week, Project C.U.R.E. delivers approximately four semi-truck loads of donated medical supplies and equipment to desperately needy people around the world. Since 1987, Project C.U.R.E. has delivered equipment and supplies to hospitals and c…

This Industry Talk features Bonnie H. Anderson, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Veracyte, a leading genomic diagnostics company that leverages deep genomic insights to transform care. Ms. Anderson’s career spans over 30 years in regulated diagnostics and life science markets. She cofounded Veracyte in 2008 and served as the company’s Pr…

Dr. Barbara Fortini joins DNA Today host Kira Dineen to discuss the growing career opportunities in genomic data analytics. Fortini is the program director for KGI's Master of Science in Human Genetics and Genomic Data Analytics program. She also teaches their genetic counseling students. Her research interests focus on colorectal cancer, the third…

We're excited to share the audio from a webinar presented by KGI Dean of Research Larry Grill on December 14, 2020. The webinar focused on the body’s immune response when it’s infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the different types of vaccines that fight virus diseases, and how AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Moderna are developing their COVID-19 va…

As a partner with KGI, the Biocon Academy recently celebrated seven years of imparting knowledge to more than 700 students in the life sciences sector. On November 25, they hosted a special webinar featuring KGI's President Sheldon Schuster and other experts from the biotech industry. Speakers for the session included: Sheldon Schuster, President, …

In this episode, we are featuring KGI student government leaders Erik Wehse, Divij Gulati, and Narine Kareptyan. Through the interview, they discuss how they became interested in science and healthcare, their KGI experience, how COVID-19 has impacted their learning, and their career aspirations. We encourage you to connect with KGI Student Governme…

As part of KGI's Industry Talk series, this episode features Rob Tenerowicz, Senior VP of Global Supply and Planning at BioMarin. Rob Tenerowicz joined BioMarin in September 2011 and serves as Senior Vice President, Global Supply and Planning. His responsibilities include supply chain, engineering, program management, and strategic network planning…

As part of KGI's Industry Talk Series, our most recent guest was Neelu Gibson. Gibson serves as the Worldwide Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Medication Management Solutions (MMS), at BD Medical. She is proud to lead a dynamic team of global professionals in creating and executing regulatory strategies and submissions facilitating the availabil…

This KGI Industry Talk features Ravneesh Sachdev, the Vice President and Head of Business Development at Sage Therapeutics, based in Cambridge, MA. Sage is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing novel therapies with the potential to transform the lives of people with debilitating disorders of the brain, including Zulresso™, the first F…

As part of KGI's Industry Speaker Series, Trustee Ross Grossman interviewed two Regeneron leaders: Dr. Lisa Purcell, Senior Manager, Clinical Sciences, Immunology and Inflammation, and Dr. Alina Baum, Senior Staff Scientist. Lisa Purcell joined Regeneron in 2008 and is a Clinical Scientist in Immunology and Inflammation. She received her PhD from M…

In this event, KGI Dean of Research Larry Grill interviewed David Robinson, Deputy Director, CMC Vaccines Development and Surveillance at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Robinson and his team work with internal and external partners to develop and execute CMC strategies and harness advances in science and technology that enable vaccine dev…

As part of the Pandemic Solutions: Virtual Speaker Series, KGI Professor Animesh Ray interviewed a panel of professional data scientists. The data scientists are from companies that are members of an industry group called PHUSE, a global community of professionals passionate about the advancement of clinical information. PHUSE has expanded from its…

As part of the Pandemic Solutions: Virtual Speaker Series, KGI’s Rajesh Parti interviewed Dr. Steven Galson, Senior Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs and Safety at Amgen. Dr. Galson has more than 20 years of experience in government service, including two years as acting Surgeon General of the United States. Previously, he served as direc…

As part of the Pandemic Solutions: Virtual Speaker Series, KGI's Bernard Tyrrell interviewed Brian Hill, Director of Supply Chain at Gilead Sciences. Hill has years of experience in the biotechnology industry, previously holding high-level positions at such companies as AbbVie and Abbott Labs. Hill holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Ill…

As part of the Pandemic Solutions: Virtual Speaker Series, KGI School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Dean Martin Zdanowicz interviewed Dr. David Lawrence, Dean of the KGI School of Medicine and former CEO and Chairman of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Lawrence worked in Public Health and Human …

As part of the Pandemic Solutions: Virtual Speaker Series, KGI's Sue Behrens interviewed Dr. Dafni Bika, Global Head of Pharmaceutical Technology and Development at AstraZeneca. Dafni is a Pharmaceutical Executive with 25+ years of experience in Pharmaceutical Development and Global Operations. She is currently SVP and Global Head of Pharmaceutical…

As part of the Pandemic Solutions: Virtual Speaker Series this summer, KGI President Sheldon Schuster interviews Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in this episode. Mazumdar-Shaw is the Executive Chairperson and Managing Director of Biocon Limited, a globally recognized biopharmaceuticals company in India and the country’s leading biotech enterprise. Ms. Mazumdar…

In this episode, KGI Professor Larry Davis interviews Becca Schell, an expert in the field of regulatory affairs who currently serves as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist at GlycoMimetics. Becca received a bachelor’s in neuroscience at Scripps College and then earned her MBS degree at KGI in 2016. She’s also the daughter of KGI President Sheldon Schu…

In this episode of the KGI podcast, we're excited to share a recording from a biotech and healthcare webinar featuring KGI trustee Lydia Villa-Komaroff and KGI School of Medicine Dean David Lawrence. They share advice from their career journey and discuss exciting innovation happening today in industry.…

The goal of this April 13 webinar was to provide a platform for KGI Trustees Jim Widergren and Ross Grossman to share advice with prospective and current students. To learn more about KGI, visit https://kgi.edu.

Robert Plush is the Head of Partnerships at ScaleHealth, a biotech accelerator and healthcare innovation hub. Robert is an Entrepreneur in Residence and Advisory Board member for the Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. In addition, Robert consults with several start-up medical device compa…

KGI is proud to offer: Wellness Wednesdays every Wednesday, Wellness Workshop every Monday, and Meditation Sundays every Sunday! These are times for KGI students, faculty, and staff to slow down from our busy, fast-paced lives and tune into ourselves! To learn more, visit https://kgi.edu/wellness.

In this episode, KGI Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Ivan Alber interviews Christy Billock, who is the founding program director of KGI’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program. For more info on the program, visit https://kgi.edu/otd. This episode is part two of a two-part series. Part one was released Wednesday, March 18, 2020.…

In this episode, KGI Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Ivan Alber interviews Christy Billock, who is the founding program director of KGI’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program. For more info on the program, visit https://kgi.edu/otd. This episode is part one of a two-part series. Part two will be released Thursday, March 19, 2020.…

In this episode, Sue Behrens, KGI’s Director of the Amgen Bioprocessing Center interviews Kristi Haskins. Kristi is the North America Bioprocess GTS team lead at JSR Life Sciences and she visited the KGI campus recently to talk with students. To learn more about KGI bioprocessing, visit kgi.edu/meng.…

Today we are reposting an episode of the Pharmacy, IT, & Me podcast. This episode features an interview with Robert Stein, a Professor of Practice in KGI’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. To learn more about KGI's pharmacy program, visit https://kgi.edu/pharmd.