Scripps Research bestows inaugural Distinguished Alumni Awards

LA JOLLA, CA—The Scripps Research Alumni Network has announced the two divisional winners of its inaugural awards program, created to honor institute alumni for the exceptional impact their professional achievements have had on science and society.

The Distinguished Alumni Award in academia has been given to Professor Emeritus Richard Ulevitch, while Rob Garbaccio, senior vice president at Merck, was chosen to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award in industry and entrepreneurship.

In announcing the award winners, Keary Engle, professor and John and Susan Diekman Dean of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies at Scripps Research, said, “The roster of accomplished Scripps Research alumni is understandably long, as scientists here have been driving discovery for more than a hundred years. We are honored, as well, to have educated and trained over a thousand graduate students to date at our nationally ranked Skaggs Graduate School and to have welcomed nearly 7,000 postdoctoral researchers into our labs. These talented scientists have subsequently dispersed across the country and, indeed, the world, to apply what they’ve learned toward advancing basic science and improving human health. It is no exaggeration to say that Scripps Research alumni lift the tide of scientific discovery everywhere. And it is a privilege for me to recognize two of our highly accomplished alumni: Richard Ulevitch and Rob Garbaccio.”

Professor Emeritus Ulevitch, who retired in 2024 after more than 50 years at Scripps Research, conducted postdoctoral research in the lab of immunologist Charles Cochrane from 1972 to 1975 before joining the faculty. As he built a globally recognized career in the field of innate immunity, he also served as chair of the Department of Immunology. An especially significant accomplishment during this period was serving as principal investigator on an NIH-funded, 20-year program that used genetics and systems biology to map the pathways of the innate immune system.

In nominating Ulevitch, Scripps Research professor and colleague Dianne McKay wrote, “He is a scientist whose work changed a field, a chair who rebuilt and strengthened a department, a mentor who invested in younger investigators and a dedicated member of the Scripps community whose support for the institution has been sustained, practical and generous.”

Other nominators pointed to the ways that Ulevitch’s research into the innate immune system transformed understanding of how the body responds to infections and chronic inflammation. Among his seminal discoveries are the identification of LPS (lipopolysaccharide) binding protein, which plays a role in innate immune response; the discovery of p38 MAP kinase, which helps cells respond to stress stimuli, including infection; and analysis of the biological function of CD14, a surface protein that helps the body detect and respond to bacterial infections and to products of dying cells.

“When I learned I was receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award, I felt truly honored,” Ulevitch said. “Maybe this is where the phrase ‘blown away’ comes in. I never fail to marvel about the remarkable good luck I had to have landed at Scripps Research. This recognition from my peers is the best way I can imagine commemorating my 50+ year journey as a Scripps scientist.”

Garbaccio received the second award, reserved for those alumni leaders in industry and entrepreneurship. He earned his PhD in chemistry in 1999 at Scripps Research’s Skaggs Graduate School, with noted organic chemist Dale Boger as his advisor, and completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before joining pharmaceutical giant Merck. During his 25 years in Discovery Chemistry, Garbaccio helped to diversify Merck’s therapeutic modality toolset and improve pipeline productivity, culminating with the recent approval of Lipfendra™, the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor for reducing LDL-C in adults with hypercholesterolemia. After leading Discovery Chemistry for the past five years, he was recently named Senior Vice President, Worldwide Head of Search and Evaluation and Science Strategy.

Steven Castle, a professor at Brigham Young University who earned his doctoral degree at Scripps Research at the same time as Garbaccio, wrote in his nomination that, “Rob exemplifies the creativity and leadership that Scripps seeks to instill in its graduates. His career is distinguished not only by important contributions to medicinal and discovery chemistry, but also by his ability to build teams, foster collaborations and translate advances in fundamental chemistry into approaches capable of addressing challenging therapeutic targets.”

Expressing gratitude upon receiving the award, Garbaccio added, “I see this recognition as a reflection of the outstanding training and education I received through the graduate program as well as the Scripps community that I am privileged to be part of. The career success I’ve enjoyed traces its origins to the amazing research environment at Scripps Research.”

Nominations for the Distinguished Alumni Awards were made by current members of the Scripps Research community as well as alumni, and the winners were selected by Scripps Research leadership. Ulevitch and Garbaccio will receive their awards at a formal dinner in November 2026 coinciding with the first official Scripps Research Homecoming.