KGI: Innovation in Applied Life Sciences & Healthcare

In this episode of the KGI podcast, Dr. Joel West, professor of innovation and entrepreneurship and program director for KGI's Master of Business and Science program, talks about his background, the MBS and CBM program, and the industry's future.

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 matter today—and are already changing how healthcare will be provided tomorrow.

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 KGI, recalled memories of the founding President, Hank Riggs, and talked about the struggles, victories, and, ultimately, KGI's future.

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. Before Sequella, Nacy was EVP and Chief Scientific Officer at EntreMed, Inc. She left EntreMed to establish Sequella, Inc. and was part-time Chief Scientific Officer for Anergen, Inc., a California company focused on autoimmune diseases. There, she worked with the Management Team to position the company for acquisition by Corixa Corp. Before her business experience, Nacy was a career scientist and science manager for 17 years at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In 2002, Nacy was named a Top 50 Innovator in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur of the Year by Women in BIO in 2004, and the state of Maryland named her in its Top 100 Business Women in 2005.

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. Lawrence as Dean of the KGI School of Community Medicine on March 17, 2020. He stepped down from that role in March of 2022 after a successful two years that included launching the brand-new Master of Science in Community Medicine program. While serving as the CEO and Chairman of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals from 1991 to 2002, Lawrence focused the nation's attention on the issue of patient safety and the need for reform in healthcare delivery systems. Lawrence served on the KGI Board of Trustees in 2019. He retired from Kaiser Permanente in 2002 after his 10-year tenure as CEO and Chairman. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente in 1981, Lawrence worked in Public Health and Human Services in Multnomah County, OR; on the faculty of the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the School of Medicine; as an advisor to the Ministry of Health of Chile; and as a Peace Corps Physician in the Dominican Republic and Washington, DC.

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 served as the Chief Human Resources Officer at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals from 2002 until his retirement in 2013, later returning to that role in April 2015 until his second retirement in May 2016. He previously held senior Human Resources roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Prudential Financial, and UBS. Bost serves as General Counsel at health technology company 54gene, overseeing legal, compliance, and cybersecurity functions. 54gene advances the state of healthcare through large-scale discovery and translational research, advanced molecular diagnostics, and clinical programs for the benefit of Africans and the global population. Villa-Komaroff is a molecular biologist, an executive, and a diversity advocate, in addition to being founder and principal of Intersections SBD Consulting. She is also the Chair of the KGI School of Community Medicine Board of Governors. The three panelists are joined by moderator Bonnie Anderson, CoFounder and Executive Chair of Veracyte. Bonnie is also a KGI Trustee Emeritus and Most Influential Honoree.

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 health education to help and support our students as they go and make a difference.” KGI's School of Community Medicine has an innovative, integrated approach that prepares future physicians and other healthcare professionals to care for underserved and underrepresented communities. The school provides students with the skills to reduce disease burden, improve health, and prepare them for the significant scientific and technological changes already underway in healthcare. “I see synergies within our academic programs at KGI as well as growth opportunities in workforce development initiatives by the state to offer continuing education and certificate units for healthcare professionals and physicians,” Martinez stated. “It is an exciting time to be at KGI, and I am thrilled to be in this new role!”

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 clinically and providing annual lectures to PA students regarding PA laws and regulations. In November 2020, she came to KGI as the Director of Didactic Education, playing an integral role in multiple aspects of program development as a member of the founding faculty. In July 2022, Eskes was selected to be the Program Director and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the program, including ongoing assessment for accreditation maintenance.

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. Additionally, Nguyen has done work in technology transfer, strategic planning, and program building. Nguyen received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Business and Science with a focus in Clinical and Regulatory Affairs from KGI. 

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—in complex, high-value transactions. Myers' practice allows him to work with startups to large public clients. He represents private companies connected with university spin-outs and venture capital financings, helping companies raise millions of dollars needed to fund, grow, and expand their businesses. He has assisted numerous clients that have gone public, listing on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ markets. Notably, Myers has represented some of Southern California's hottest and most successful companies from formation, through venture capital financings, to initial public offerings, and through sales.  

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 syndrome, asrare neurogenetic disorder. Berent graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002 and completed a residency in veterinary internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, followed by a fellowship in interventional radiology and endourology at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University. Since 2009, Berent serves as the Director of Interventional Endoscopy Services at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. 

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 scientist in Advanced Technologies at Nanogen, Inc.; a research associate in the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute; and a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, CMB, at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. She is the primary author of numerous scientific and legal publications and is an inventor on seven issued U.S. patents on microchips and DNA amplification technology. Westin is a Partner at Wilson Sonsini, where she focuses on intellectual property, life sciences, litigation, patent litigation, patents and innovations, and post-grant reviews.  

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 organization. This practice is supposed to help break down the traditional silos between researchers, experts, and departments. 

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. Garabedian has a robust track record of leadership in industry, including serving as CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics prior to founding biotech accelerator Xontogeny. As evidenced by his multiple board appointments, he is a sought-after expert and has a prolific record for contributing to companies and organizations to support the advancement of science and the development of the biotech industry.  

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 global access to effective human health. He has been a co-founder and senior executive in more than a dozen companies in the healthcare and clean energy sectors. Prior to starting GreenLight, Zarur was Managing Partner at Kodiak Venture Partners, an early-stage, technology-driven venture fund based in Boston. Zarur carried out graduate doctoral studies in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Immunology at Harvard-MIT.

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 projects that can potentially create or overturn fundamental science, technology, and medicine paradigms. For the project, the team is developing a computer assessment procedure for predicting the structure of antibodies that could effectively neutralize a previously unknown antigen or a novel virus that might emerge in the future. In the podcast, Ray and KGI Associate Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences Dr. Jeniffer Hernandez sit down to talk about the project and its implications for society.

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 and operationalizes across multiple high priority areas, for example, creating best-in-class R&D data science platforms and datasets by selecting the highest priority questions to pursue and systematically deploying Data Science capabilities, while being a key catalyst in forming strategic external partnerships to accelerate ongoing efforts. Lodha has more than 10 years of global healthcare experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and business. Prior to joining Janssen, he was a Team Lead at Takeda, where he led and executed multiple strategic initiatives across research, CRO management, clinical development, mergers and acquisitions, and operations. Preceding this role, he worked at Amgen in clinical systems & analytics organization within R&D; areas of focus included portfolio governance and decision making, R&D operating model optimization (including both clinical development and operations), external innovation, and digital health. Lodha received a Bachelor's in Biotechnology Engineering from Dr. D.Y. Patil University, a Master of Business and Science from Keck Graduate Institute, and an MBA from the University of Redlands – School of Business. He is the recipient of EB-1A status – i.e., Alien of Extraordinary Ability (a.k.a. “Einstein visa”) – in the field of Clinical Trial Analytics from the US government (USCIS). This honor is awarded to less than one percent of professionals globally who have risen to the very top of their endeavor and brought major significance to their field at the national and international levels.

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 clinics in over 135 countries. Project C.U.R.E. is consistently recognized with the highest rankings from Guidestar and Charity Navigator and was named by Forbes as one of the top 20 charities in America. In addition to delivering nearly 200 40-foot containers each year through the C.U.R.E. Cargo program, the C.U.R.E. Clinics program sends medical professionals teams to assist partner hospitals and clinics. Project C.U.R.E. also provides hundreds of training hours through the Helping Babies Breathe and Helping Mothers Survive curriculum. Thousands of dollars of medical supplies are carried by traveling doctors and nurses in the form of C.U.R.E. Kits. More than 25,000 people volunteer with Project C.U.R.E. every year, making the organization one of the most efficient and effective grass-roots organizations in the country. Jackson graduated magna cum laude from Northwest Nazarene University in 1982, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. In 1985, he earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado at Boulder, receiving the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in the study of law. In 1992, he was awarded a PhD in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and econometrics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, authoring a dissertation on leveraged buyouts and secondary public offerings. In 2018, Jackson was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Medicine from ABUAD University in Ekiti, Nigeria, for his work in Africa. Jackson is a member of the Alpha Delta Sigma and the Beta Gamma Sigma national honor societies and recently completed post-graduate Executive Education at the Stanford University School of Business. Following his admission to the bar, Jackson administered the legal affairs for the international agricultural firm of CTB, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company. Upon completing his PhD, Jackson opened the Fermanian Business Center at Point Loma University in San Diego, CA. As Executive Director, he developed and implemented numerous programs and seminars to advance business opportunities for college students and business professionals in the San Diego community and abroad. In 1995, Jackson assumed the role of Provost at Colorado Christian University. In this capacity, he oversaw the university’s academic, financial, operational, advancement, and student life functions. In addition to his work at Project C.U.R.E., Jackson has taught at the university level in the disciplines of finance, investments, and leadership development, legal and international issues. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer to colleges and universities, conferences such as TEDx, as well as civic, corporate and community organizations. Jackson is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow and is a past President of the Denver Rotary Club #31. His board service includes InterAction, the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations, WorldDenver, The Nanda Center for International and Comparative Law at the University of Denver, the World Trade Center Denver, and the Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professionals at Regis University. He is a member of the National Who’s Who, Registry #57689, and a graduate of the leadership program LEAD San Diego. Jackson received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Healthcare from the American Red Cross, Innovative Philanthropy Prize from Prince Albert II, the Civis Princeps recognition from Regis University, the 5280 Magazine Philanthropist of the Year, and accepted the CoBiz “Best Places to Work” and Colorado Ethics in Business Award on behalf of the team at Project C.U.R.E.

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 President and Chief Executive Officer until 2016, when she was also appointed Chairman of the Board. Prior to Veracyte, Ms. Anderson provided strategic consulting services to venture capital firms and early-stage businesses following 18 years in leadership positions at Beckman Coulter. Ms. Anderson is a trustee emeritus of KGI and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology. Under Ms. Anderson’s leadership, Veracyte has been named a “Top Workplace” by the Bay Area News Group, based solely on employee feedback, for seven consecutive years (2014-2020). Learn more about KGI: https://www.kgi.edu.  Learn more about Veracyte: https://www.veracyte.com. 

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 most common cancer in the US. Genome-wide association studies have now identified dozens of common genomic variants linked to small increases in colorectal cancer risk. Her research group seeks to identify the functional variants responsible for the increased cancer risk at GWAS-identified loci and to understand the role of these variants in cancer etiology. Previous work has shown that many functional variants lie in gene enhancer elements, leading to allele-specific gene expression of both known cancer-associated genes and novel genes. By comprehensively characterizing risk loci, her team hopes to identify additional novel genes involved in colorectal cancer and better understand the role of enhancers in gene expression in healthy and cancer cells. 

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 vaccines. You can watch the entire webinar at http://kgi.edu/covid-webinar-replay.

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, KGI Jim Widergren, Broad Chair, KGI Daniel Bradbury, Trustee, KGI Steven Galson, SVP, GRA & Safety, Amgen Sue Behrens, Director, Amgen Bioprocessing Center at KGI

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 Government on Instagram: @kgistudentgov.

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. Rob has 35 years of biotechnology industry and product development experience, which includes his time working for XOMA, GenVec, Abgenix, Cell Genesys, and Genentech. He has experience managing a broad range of line functions including project management, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics. He also has experience overseeing successful government contracting business units. He holds a BS in Physiology from the University of California at Davis and an MBA in Operations Management from Golden Gate University.

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 availability of the MMS portfolio of products to healthcare professionals and patients worldwide. Prior to joining BD in February 2020, Neelu spent 20+ years with the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies (J&J), where she held positions of increasing responsibility in Regulatory Affairs at Advanced Sterilization Products, Biosense Webster, Ethicon Inc., Mentor Worldwide, Sedasys, Sterilmed and J&J Surgical Vision. Neelu has experiences spanning pre-approval regulatory submissions for medical devices and combination products, and managing post-market regulatory requirements. Neelu holds a BSc. Environmental Science from the U.K. and has obtained her Regulatory Affairs Certification, issued by the Regulatory Affairs Professionals’ Society (RAPS-US). Neelu is passionate about personal and professional development and continues to share her leadership experiences by volunteering her time with veterans, students, and industry groups. She and is an active member of RAPS and OCRA, and has co-authored two Amazon best-selling non-fiction books related to leadership.

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 FDA-approved drug specifically for postpartum depression. Ravneesh evaluates and transacts on partnerships in order to inorganically grow Sage’s business. Over the past 15+ years of his business development career, Ravneesh has contributed to, as well as led, the execution of more than 20 partnerships during his tenure at several other companies, namely Pfizer, Onyx Pharmaceuticals (now part of Amgen), UCB Pharma, Acorda Therapeutics, and Bioverativ (now part of Sanofi). Ravneesh earned his bachelor’s degree in Molecular Neuroscience from Claremont McKenna College, his Master of Business and Science degree from KGI, and his MBA in Healthcare Leadership from Yale University School of Management. 

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 McGill University and completed her Postdoctoral Training at Columbia University. Dr. Purcell’s current work focuses on the clinical development of therapies within the immunology and infectious disease therapeutic areas, including those for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. She has also developed therapies for pathogens using Regeneron’s novel technologies. Dr. Purcell is the scientific director of Regeneron’s science education efforts, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, research mentorship efforts, the International and Westchester Science and Engineering Fair, and STEM teacher programs. Alina Baum is a Senior Staff Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals where she is leading the COVID-19 spike antibody program currently in clinical trials.  She received her PhD in molecular virology from the lab of Adolfo Garcia-Sastre at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and performed postdoctoral studies with Charlie Rice at Rockefeller University. Her academic career focused on studying interactions between RNA viruses and the innate immune system. In her current position at Regeneron, she is leading a virology research group developing novel therapies for viral infections including influenza and hepatitis B, and emerging pathogens such as Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, as well as the development of oncolytic viruses and vaccines for cancer immunotherapy.

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 development to save lives in developing countries. Dr. Robinson has 25 years of experience in global vaccine and biologics product commercialization, process development, and CMC regulatory strategy and execution. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from UC Berkeley, his PhD from MIT, and did his postdoctoral research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).

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 roots as a conference for European statistical programmers to a global membership organization and platform for the discussion of topics encompassing the work of data managers, biostatisticians, statistical programmers, and eClinical IT professionals. The panelists for this event included: Dhananjay (DJ) Chhatre: Director of Project Management, Gilead Sciences Sangeeta Bhattacharya: Statistical Programming Immunology Head, Janssen Sascha Ahrweiler: Global Head of Statistical Programming & Analysis, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Chris Price: Data Standards Technical Lead, Roche

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 director of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), where he provided leadership for the center’s broad national and international programs in pharmaceutical regulation.

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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

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 Services in Multnomah County, OR; on the faculty of the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the School of Medicine; as an advisor to the Ministry of Health of Chile; and as a Peace Corps Physician in the Dominican Republic and Washington, DC.

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 Technology and Development in AstraZeneca.  She leads a global, integrated network of scientists and engineers (1200+), who leverage technical expertise and business understanding to design, develop and commercialize new products and provide value across the product life cycle. She manages change and inspires discretionary performance through coaching and passion for people development, diversity and inclusion.

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-Shaw is a pioneer of the biotech industry in India and is recognized as a global thought leader. She is ranked among the “World’s 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma” by Fierce Biotech, Forbes Magazine’s “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” Fortune’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Asia-Pacific,” and TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in the world. 

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 Schuster and Susan Wessler, who is a Distinguished Professor of Genetics at UC Riverside and a member of the Royal Society.

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 companies on their corporate development and commercialization strategy efforts. In this Industry Talk, Robert spoke about his path from industry to entrepreneurship and learn about biotech industry trends from this industry veteran! Robert received a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Biotechnology Enterprise and Entrepreneurship from Johns Hopkins University. To learn more about ScaleHealth, visit https://www.scalehealth.com.

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.