During the investiture ceremony of Dr. Mohamed Abousalem as the third president of Keck Graduate Institute on February 13, 10 KGI faculty members were recognized as endowed professors. These endowed professorships were made possible by the generous gifts of donors to support faculty salaries for professors who meet criteria such as research focus, service commitments, or administrative contributions.
All eligible faculty members were considered for each endowed professorship. Each named professor will hold their position for a four-year term and it can be renewed. Hear from the 10 endowed professors in their own words about what the recognition means to them and what makes KGI unique. Visit the Endowed Professorship webpage to learn more about the donor for each professorship.
Steven Casper, Henry E. Riggs Professor of Management
Joined KGI in 2003
*Note: Casper has held the Henry E. Riggs Professorship for the past decade, but was recognized with the other newly named endowed professors.
“Dr. Riggs founded KGI and help established are strong culture promoting educational innovation and interdisciplinary research. I am honored to have received a professorship named in his honor. KGI has a unique entrepreneurial spirit within higher education. We have established ‘first of kind’ programs that have been widely emulated by other universities. We have an inclusive environment that promotes a strong community of faculty, staff, and students. Most importantly, our educational outcomes are tremendous — it is a joy to see our impact on thousands of graduates who are now employed as professionals within the bioscience industries and healthcare.”
Christy Eskes, Weinberg Professor of Health Sciences
Joined KGI in 2020
“I am honored to have been selected for this professorship in health sciences. Since becoming a PA [physician associate] over 20 years ago, it has been my personal mission to make a positive impact in health care, particularly when it comes to population health and health equity. I have been privileged to have worked in some incredible spaces throughout my career in medical, academic, and administrative roles. Coming to KGI, I was provided with a unique opportunity to shape not only our program, but also how we as an institution could make our mark on health care by the quality of the Physician Associates/Assistants we put out into the world. I could not be more proud of our accomplishments as a program in how we are already beginning to see this impact with just our inaugural cohort. To me, this professorship represents the culmination of not just my own efforts throughout my career, but also the support and efforts of the team around me. I am incredibly grateful to be recognized for my accomplishments to date but recognize that the work is far from over. I am eager to continue the pursuit of health equity through the development of KGI MSPA students and graduates who are prepared to serve the community around them.”
Derick Han, Keck Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences
Joined KGI in 2013
"It is an honor to become endowed professor. It was not something I was expecting. KGI has the unique connection to biotech that makes it stand out. Pharmacy students get exposure to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry they do not get at other pharmacy schools.”
Anna Hickerson, Henry E. Riggs Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Joined KGI in 2005
“This professorship is important to me because it represents the institutes commitment to biomedical engineering as an integral part of the various areas of healthcare and life sciences that KGI supports. I am personally grateful to receive this as I have been fortunate to be a part of developing the MSMDE program and am passionate about biomedical engineering. KGI is unique in its focus on human health in all its stages including research, business, regulatory, manufacturing and delivery of care. As an academic institution I believe KGI develops students with focus and passion to contribute in these areas.”
Loren Martin, Rathmann Professor and Director of Amgen Bioprocessing Center
Joined KGI in 2023
“I am very honored to receive this distinction, and it makes me even more determined to meet and exceed the expectations of the donor. KGI is very unique in many ways, including our focused academic programs in life and health sciences, our rich research and industry experiences, our strong relationships with industry partners, and the deep connections that form between our students and faculty.”
Joshua Morris, Joe & Vi Jacobs Professor of Ethics
Joined KGI in 2023
“I am honored to receive this endowed professorship and am looking forward to the opportunity to help advance scientific, business, and healthcare ethics education at KGI. KGI allows students to engage with world-class faculty as they prepare to become future leaders in health care and the life sciences. At the core of its mission, KGI is committed to student-centric education that includes cutting edge research, hands on patient care, and skills training that will help our future alumni to be ethical and effective researchers, practitioners, and leaders.”
Angelika Niemz, Finnigan Professor of Applied Life Sciences
Joined KGI in 2002
“I am honored to be recipient of the endowed Finnigan Professorship in Applied Life Sciences, which aligns well with my background and interests in instrumentation development and biomarker discovery for medical diagnostics. Thermo Finnigan is a world leader in mass spectrometry for proteomics research, which we cover in our curriculum at KGI. This endowed professorship recognizes KGI’s commitment to advance cutting edge technologies for translational research. I appreciate KGI’s commitment to interdisciplinary education and research to help launch the careers of future leaders in the biotech industry and healthcare. We are a student-centric, relatively small, and nimble institute that is able to innovate and adapt to the changing landscape of higher education.”
Maxim Polonsky, Henry E. Riggs Professor of Business and Bioscience Ethics
Joined KGI in 2022
“Receiving this endowed professorship, named after KGI founder Hank Riggs — whom I deeply admire — is a profound honor. I am elated by this recognition; it reinforces my sense of belonging and inspires me to pursue new endeavors that will make KGI proud. I felt an instant connection with KGI — it seemed almost molecularly designed to align with my idea of a dream job: working at the intersection of business and life sciences alongside talented, hardworking graduate students, as they transition from learners into colleagues. When people ask about KGI, I describe it as a cutting-edge think tank with a college attached. Its uniqueness is self-evident, and I’m grateful to be part of it.”
Talia Puzantian, Norris Professor of Clinical Sciences
Joined KGI in 2015
“The Norris Foundation has a long track record of dedication and support to programs in medicine and education that impact quality of life in our communities. This professorship is a tremendous honor and one that reaffirms my commitment to engage pharmacy students and pharmacists in impactful public health efforts, including raising mental health awareness, preventing overdose and mitigating overdose deaths, and expanding access to substance use treatment. KGI provides unique opportunities, particularly for our students. Our students are actively engaged in various ways during their time on campus — from collaborative team projects, research endeavors, community service, and professional leadership roles. Their experiences while at KGI make them competitive at graduation and prepares them to transition successfully into a range of roles within healthcare and industry.”
Animesh Ray, Keck Professor of Systems, Biology, and Genomics
Joined KGI in 2001
“I am humbled by the recognition provided by the title of this endowment. The W. M. Keck Foundation epitomizes the highest ideals of capitalism — the ability of individuals to give back to the society what we need the most, namely, rational enlightenment, which is also known by the word ‘science’. I am humbled by the recognition that I, too, can contribute to the community. My time at KGI has been inspired by the idealism of KGI’s founder, the late Henry Riggs, and, specifically, by KGI’s co-founder, the late Dr. David Galas. The latter was like a mentor to me, from whom I learned the value of mentoring with a feather touch. I am indebted to my students and colleagues who keep me inspired every day. I hope to continue my path to understand the natural world, and per chance to inspire others. The uniqueness of KGI is its vision of inspiring future leaders, nationally and globally, who will translate into practice the gifts of science.”