Advancing Academic Excellence
KGI advanced academic excellence by strengthening its programs, expanding opportunities for hands-on learning to align with and advance industry, and supporting faculty innovation across biotechnology, healthcare and the applied life sciences. These efforts ensure students receive a rigorous, industry-relevant education that prepares them to serve patients and make an impact from day one.
Advancing Academic Excellence
KGI advanced academic excellence by strengthening its programs, expanding opportunities for hands-on learning to align with and advance industry, and supporting faculty innovation across biotechnology, healthcare and the applied life sciences. These efforts ensure students receive a rigorous, industry-relevant education that prepares them to serve patients and make an impact from day one.
New Opportunities
New Partnerships
The Community College to PharmD program expanded over the past year, adding Santiago Canyon College, Pasadena City College, Mt. San Antonio College, and Glendale College to the list of schools whose students can save time and money by enrolling in KGI's PharmD program after completing requirements.
Terasaki Institute
In March 2026, KGI and the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation announced a new collaborative research partnership designed to accelerate biomedical innovation through joint research programs, faculty collaboration, and expanded student training opportunities. The partnership will allow researchers from both institutions to pursue joint grant proposals, collaborative research projects, and co-authored publications. Scientists will also gain reciprocal access to specialized research infrastructure, including laboratory space, core instrumentation, libraries, and animal research facilities.
The partnership will be guided by a joint Collaborative Research Steering Committee, which will coordinate research initiatives, identify funding opportunities, and evaluate progress of the collaboration. The agreement will initially run for three years, with the potential for renewal as new research programs develop.
“Collaborative partnerships are essential to advancing innovation in the life sciences. Working with the Terasaki Institute will expand opportunities for our faculty and students to engage in impactful research while strengthening the connection between discovery and real-world application.”
Loren Martin George B. and Joy Rathmann Professor Vice Provost of Research, Innovation, and Partnerships
International Pathway
KGI established its first international pathway program with the signing of three MOUs with Liwa University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
KGI will offer pathways for Liwa University students into the Master of Business and Science (MBS) and Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) programs. The agreements provide admissions guarantees, scholarships, and professional development opportunities for students who meet specific qualifications.
New Programs
New Healthcare Programs
KGI launched two fully online programs designed for healthcare professionals who are ready to expand their expertise and advance into leadership, academic, or policy-making roles.
- The Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) is specifically for working physician associates.
- The Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) is catered to healthcare professionals across clinical and non-clinical roles.
New Pharmacy Programs
The School of Pharmacy added its first two master's degree programs aimed at increasing access to pharmaceutical careers and helping working pharmacists gain expertise in a growing field.
- The Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Science (MSPS) equips students with advanced training in drug discovery, design, and delivery.
- The Master of Science in Population Health Sciences (MSPHS) prepares students to lead improvements in patient care, health equity, and health care delivery performance.
Larry Grill
Applied Life Sciences Lab — October 10, 2015
Larry Grill
Applied Life Sciences Lab — October 10, 2015
New Professorships
The Larry Grill Endowed Professorship in Digital Health
In June 2026, President Abousalem announced the establishment of The Larry Grill Endowed Professorship in Digital Health, which will bolster institutional efforts in computational biology, precision medicine, advanced disease modeling, and AI-driven biopharmaceutical translation.
Fletcher Jones Foundation Professor in Artificial Intelligence in the Biosciences
In April 2026, President Mohamed Abousalem and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Megan Prosser announced Barbara Fortini, Master of Science in Human Genetics and Genomic Data Analytics (MSGDA) program director, associate professor of genetics, and director of the Center for Training in Applied Genomics, as the selection for The Fletcher Jones Foundation Professor in Artificial Intelligence in the Biosciences professorship.
The professorship supports a faculty member who will guide KGI’s institutional adoption of AI in various academic and operational areas.
Fortini also leads KGI's AI Steering Committee.
2026 Honorary Degree Recipient
As part of Keck Graduate Institute’s 24th commencement ceremony in May, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and executive chairperson of Biocon Limited, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in India, received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Life Sciences degree in recognition of her illustrious career and passion for expanding access and affordability to healthcare globally. Mazumdar-Shaw also served as the keynote speaker at the ceremony.
2026 Honorary Degree Recipient
As part of Keck Graduate Institute’s 24th commencement ceremony in May, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and executive chairperson of Biocon Limited, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in India, received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Life Sciences degree in recognition of her illustrious career and passion for expanding access and affordability to healthcare globally. Mazumdar-Shaw also served as the keynote speaker at the ceremony.
Faculty Highlights
Inside and outside the classroom and lab, our faculty are advancing applied life sciences, biotechnology, and healthcare is a variety of ways.
Here are a few highlights of achievements by our faculty this past year.
Kelly Auld-Wright
OTD Interim Program Director and Assistant Professor Kelly Auld-Wright published two systematic reviews – one on sensory-based interventions that advances the occupational therapy profession by synthesizing high-quality evidence to guide clinicians, inform best practices, and support more effective, intervention planning. The other review focused on Ayres Sensory Integration (AJOT).
Auld-Wright was also elected as chair of the American Occupational Therapy Association's Sensory Integration and Processing Special Interest Section.
Jeniffer Hernandez
With support from a $100,000 Anna Fuller Foundation grant, Jeniffer Hernandez, PhD program director and associate professor of immunology, is investigating how a key immune signaling receptor, GPR171, may act as a molecular “switch” that alters how Th17 immune cells behave in cancer — shifting them from fueling tumor-promoting inflammation to fighting disease.
Hanalynn Hunt
Assistant Professor Hanalynn Hunt (left), alongside OT colleague Allyson Tong from Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, presented Leveling the Playing Field: Adaptive Gaming in OT at the OTAC conference in November 2025. Their session highlighted Rancho's innovative adaptive gaming program, where OTs and rehab engineers collaborate to design custom gaming setups that increase access, participation, and meaningful engagement for individuals with physical disabilities.
Daniel Kudo
Affiliated faculty Daniel Kudo was recognized as the 2025 Distinguished Man of the Year by Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes outstanding leadership, service and community impact. This distinction is given to individuals who go above and beyond in service and contribution to others.
Animesh Ray
W.M. Keck Professor of Systems, Computational, and Molecular Biology Animesh Ray's new book “Darwin’s Solutions” explores how today’s biomedical innovations in targeted cancer chemotherapy, gene editing, enzyme design using AI, and other advancements can be traced to Charles Darwin’s framing of evolution.
AI at KGI
AI Steering Committee
The committee, led by The Fletcher Jones Foundation Professor in Artificial Intelligence in the Biosciences Barbara Fortini, has begun their work advising the president’s cabinet on the integration, development, and ethical implementation of AI technologies across KGI's academic curriculum, research activity, and operational domains.
Faculty Development in AI
Academic Affairs hosted three AI workshops to engage faculty in artificial intelligence trends and practices that are creating new possibilities in biotechnology, healthcare, and applied life sciences.
AI Microcredential
To meet the growing demands of the workforce to gain expertise in the vast array of artificial intelligence tools in biotechnology and healthcare, KGI has launched a microcredential specifically designed to immerse students in how to effectively master current tools and prepare for ones to come.
Progress on Other Advancing Academic Excellence Goals
Made curricular adjustments to OTD and MEng programs
Launching dual enrollment for a variety of program combinations:
- PharmD/MSPMM
- PharmD/MSPHS
- PharmD/PhD
- PhD/MBM
- MHA/DHSc
- MSGC/DHSc
- MSGC/MSGDA
- All programs and AI microcredential
- All programs and MBM/MHA certificates
Re-established the Interprofessional Education Committee
Cataloging interdisciplinary engagements across campus
Hosted multiple Office of Research and Special Projects lunch and learns
MEng Program Director Saurav Datta received a NIIMBL fellowship at Genentech for a sabbatical
Added one new industry-sponsored and one new industry-hosted PhD student
Kelvin Phiri added as a soft-funded research faculty
Stats for research grants submitted:
- 95% increase from FY24-FY25 and an additional 20% increased from FY25-FY26
- Total amounts increased from $13.72M in FY24 to $20.48M in FY25 to $23.77M in FY26, including five grants over $1M
Elevating the research infrastructure to include state of the art facilities and technology:
- Equipment and supplies donated from Catalent and Avid Biosciences
- RT-MALS from Waters Wyeth
- ATF perfusion device from Repligen
Added 15 international agents and on the ground representative in India
Engaged with a number of international partners including Biocon, AUC, GUC, Al-Yamamah, Liwa University, Abu Dhabi University, and EAA
Explore Your Giving Path
Your KGI charitable donation is more than just a gift – it's a personalized investment in the areas you care about most.
This is your chance to directly connect with the KGI initiatives that inspire you, whether it's supporting students facing hardship, fueling groundbreaking research in the Riggs School, or empowering future pharmacy leaders. Explore these opportunities and discover how you can make a personal and lasting impact on the education and lives of our students and their future careers.