With artificial intelligence and other technologies creating a condensed implementation timeline between laboratory discovery and delivery to patients, the need to expand digital health availability and awareness continues to grow.
Thanks to a $3 million gift, Keck Graduate Institute will be able to bolster its efforts in computational biology, precision medicine, advanced disease modeling, and AI-driven biopharmaceutical translation and further provide students with the skills necessary to be leaders in these emerging and advancing fields.
The gift is made by anonymous friends of KGI to honor Professor Emeritus Larry Grill’s career, which focused on global health equity and developing low-cost therapeutics and diagnostics for resource-limited settings. Grill retired from the Institute in May 2026, and The Larry Grill Endowed Professorship in Digital Health will ensure his legacy continues.
“This generous gift truly emphasizes KGI’s mission to prepare future leaders in biotechnology and healthcare who will heal and uplift our communities through digital innovation to meet the ever-evolving needs of society,” said President Mohamed Abousalem. “Dr. Grill was a fantastic champion of this mission during his time at KGI, and I am pleased his legacy is recognized through this endowed professorship.”
Grill joined KGI in 2010 and served as Dean of Research from 2013–2023 before retiring as a Research Professor. He has done over a decade of dedicated fieldwork in Botswana, where he has spent four weeks every summer bringing KGI students to gain invaluable global health and research experience. Grill has more than 30 issued patents and 25 scientific papers published about his research.
“What brought me to KGI was the strategic, forward-thinking education of students, which was progressive to me,” said Grill. “This education plan added depth to the health care field and integrated real-world needs with student education. As such, KGI alumni are in virtually every healthcare field.”
“It is readily apparent that we need to continue in this trend and actively work with the big data and digital health fields to continue with the forward-thinking education of the students,” Grill added. “I am fortunate and humbled to have friends that feel the same about KGI and KGI’s future as I do. They have provided the funding to create this endowment to follow the shared vision of establishing a professorship that focuses on innovative digital health that will keep KGI at the forefront of this technology.”
The recipient of the endowed professorship will be announced following a process led by Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Megan Prosser. The professorship will be held for four years at a time, and the chosen faculty member will be tasked with actively mentoring students to work across disciplines and drive innovation in digital health.