commencement speaker gottlieb

KGI Announces Scott Gottlieb as Commencement Speaker

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from May 2017 to April 2019, will serve as the keynote speaker at the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) 19th Annual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2020.

“I am honored for the opportunity to share in the celebration as the KGI community honors its Class of 2020,” Gottlieb said. “The KGI academic programs are truly innovative and the Commencement Ceremony on May 16 will be a wonderful milestone as the graduates start impactful careers in biotech and healthcare.”

Gottlieb’s work focuses on advancing public health through developing and implementing innovative approaches to improving medical outcomes, reshaping healthcare delivery, and expanding consumer choice and safety. He is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a partner at the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates.

“We are incredibly grateful that Dr. Gottlieb has accepted the invitation to attend the 2020 commencement and serve as the keynote speaker,” KGI President Sheldon Schuster said.

“He is an accomplished leader and a tremendous advocate for advancing the health of patients, promoting healthcare access, and driving innovation.”

The FDA’s historic and prolific advances in new policy distinguished Gottlieb’s tenure as the agency’s commissioner, in addition to a record-setting number of approvals of novel drugs, medical devices, and generic medicines.

Under his leadership, the FDA advanced new frameworks for the modern and safe and effective oversight of gene therapies, cell based regenerative medicines, targeted drugs, and digital health devices. The FDA implemented new reforms to standardize drug reviews and make historic improvements of post market data collection and the use of real-world evidence. They promoted policies to reduce death and disease from tobacco, improve food safety, and aggressively confront addiction crises.

Previously, Gottlieb served as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs and before that, as a Senior Adviser to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he helped advance policies to improve healthcare quality and promote the effective use of new medical technologies.

Gottlieb is widely published in leading medical journals and periodicals, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He has held editorial positions on the British Medical Journal and the Journal of the American Medical Association and is a regular contributor to CNBC.

Fortune Magazine recognized him as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” in 2018 and again in 2019. In 2018 and then again in 2019, Modern Healthcare named Gottlieb the “Most Influential Physician Executive and Leaders” in its annual survey of 50 physician executives, and Time magazine named him one of its “50 People Transforming Healthcare in 2018.”

Gottlieb was a practicing hospitalist and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

KGI’s 2020 Commencement will take place at Bridges Auditorium on the campus of Pomona College (450 N. College Way, Claremont, CA 91711). For more information on the event, visit kgi.edu/commencement.