Manali Patel, a current Temple Pharmacy PY4 PharmD student, has been selected as a recipient of the Gateway to Research Awards from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education for the 2026-2027 academic year. Patel was selected as one of just five awardees for this competitive national award, recognizing her academic and research achievements to date. 

Patel has been conducting research in the lab of Patrick Glassman, PhD, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, since her PY1 year, focused on engineering antithrombotic peptides for prolonged circulation time via fatty acid derivatization. Her research project centers on conjugating fatty acids to bivalirudin to evaluate how these modifications impact its pharmacokinetic properties, with the goal of extending its half-life. By improving the drug’s duration of action, this work could help expand the clinical utility of bivalirudin beyond inpatient settings and potentially improve patient convenience and accessibility.

“Receiving the Gateway to Research Award from AFPE is a huge honor and meaningful recognition of my passion for research and innovation within pharmacy,” said Patel. “This award motivates me to continue pursuing research that has the potential to make a meaningful impact on patient care.”
The Gateway to Research Awards are bestowed annually to pharmacy students enrolled in an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-accredited school of pharmacy. The primary goal of the program is to help students gain an understanding of the importance of research and apply that knowledge to their clinical skills. This award provides financial support for Patel to continue her research project during the upcoming year.  

“Manali is highly deserving of this award and has been extremely productive during her time in my lab,” said Dr. Glassman, Patel’s research advisor. “I look forward to working with her again this year and seeing the outcomes of her research.”