Ronald T. and Pamela K. Borchardt Travel Fellowships

The Globalization of Pharmaceutics Education Network (GPEN) was founded in 1996 and incorporated on November 10, 1998 by Professor Ronald T. Borchardt and the faculty of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas. GPEN, Inc. was created for the sole purpose of fostering and facilitating cultural exchanges and international scientific exchanges in the pharmaceutical sciences.

GPEN sponsors a biennial meeting for graduate students and postdocs from universities from more than 50 member and associate member academic institutions around the world.

The Ronald T. and Pamela K. Borchardt Travel Fellowships are awarded annually to students of member institutions to do collaborative research at the host university in support of facilitating global research collaborations within GPEN member universities.

Awardees

2025

Ryan P. Foreman, University of Southern California, USA

Advisor: Dr. Michael Jakiwec
Topic: Utilization of investigational techniques assessing BBB permeability of novel compounds.
Host: Dr. Joseph A. Nicolazzo, Monash University, Australia

“I am extremely grateful to GPEN and the Borchardt family for providing me with support through the Borchardt Travel Fellowship. Through their generosity I was able to travel from Los Angeles, California to Melbourne, Australia to conduct a collaborative project with Dr. Joseph Nicolazzo’s group at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. One of the specialties of Dr. Nicolazzo’s is advanced CNS drug delivery techniques leveraging transporters at the blood-brain barrier. At my home institution, the University of Southern California, my collaborators and I have developed a series of small molecule targeted protein degraders of tau conjugated to L-amino acid moieties. These drug candidates use a “Trojan horse” drug delivery mechanism, tricking the L-type amino acid transporter at the BBB and promoting shuttling of these compounds into the brain. During my time at the Nicolazzo Lab, I was trained by a fantastic group of scientists on cell-based assays and analytical chemistry techniques that allow for quantification of the apparent BBB permeability of our candidate molecules. Now, back in California, I am teaching other scientists at USC this technique so that we may jointly conduct structure-activity relationship studies, advancing the development of our drug candidates. While the techniques I learned at Monash are valuable, the most impactful part of this experience was the relationships I made and the personal development I went through during my time in Melbourne. This was my first time living outside the US and I could not have asked for a better experience. I feel very fortunate for having had the opportunity to make lasting friendships with a great group of people in the Nicolazzo Lab and I look forward to hosting them on their upcoming visits to California. Thank you to GPEN and the Borchardt family for providing me with support to take on this unforgettable experience and to the faculty, staff, and students at Monash for welcoming me into their community.”-Ryan P. Foreman

Yuran Feng, University of Queensland, Australia

Advisor: Dr. Amirali Popat
Topic: Learning Experimental Techniques on Brain Cancer-Targeting Nanoparticles
Host: Dr. Nicolas Voelcker, Monash University, Australia

Hersham Refaat, University of Iowa, USA

Advisor: Dr. Reza Nejadnik
Topic: Research Collaboration and Solid-State Characterization Training
Host: Dr. Raj Suryanarayanan, University of Minnesota, USA

“I am so grateful to receive the Borchardt Travel Fellowship and to be the first recipient from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. This award carries a special meaning for me. Having an award that bears Dr. Ronald T. Borchardt’s name is both a privilege and a reminder of the impact that great mentors have on our field, in addition to allowing me to work with a professor I have always dreamed of collaborating with. This fellowship made it possible for me to travel to the University of Minnesota and work in Dr. Raj Suryanarayanan’s lab, where I received hands-on training in advanced solid-state characterization and lyophilization of protein pharmaceuticals. This experience beautifully complemented my PhD research in Dr. Reza Nejadnik’s lab and served as proof of how collaboration drives scientific progress. I am also very excited to attend the upcoming GPEN 2026 meeting in Lawrence, Kansas to share my work and connect with peers and mentors from around the world. I am truly thankful to GPEN and the Borchardt Fellowship Committee for this opportunity.” - Hesham Refaat (Abdelsamad)

2023

Eric T. Ebert, University of Kansas, USA

Advisor: Dr. Teruna J. Siahaan
Topic: Evaluation of Monoclonal Antibody Delivery to the Brain by MRI
Host: Dr. Donald Miller, University Manitoba, Canada

“I am extremely grateful to be a recipient of the Borchardt Travel Fellowship. The financial support provided by the fellowship allowed me the travel to Canada and collaborate with Dr. Donald Miller at the University of Manitoba. I learned how to use magnetic resonance imaging to monitor the disruption of the blood-brain barrier with blood-brain modulating peptides. Additionally, I presented the results at the GPEN 2024 meeting at the University of Copenhagen. This experience allowed me to develop professionally by learning new techniques and presenting my findings to other researchers. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity.” - Eric Ebert

Lidia Habtemikael, Uppsala University, Sweden

Advisor: Dr. Christel Bergström
Topic: In vivo pharmacokinetics of personalized 3D printed lipid tablets in a juvenile pig model
Host: Gregory Knipp, Purdue University, USA

Ethan Kreutzer, Monash University, Australia

Advisor: Dr. Joseph A. Nicolazzo
Topic: Exploring the impact of different human apoE isoforms on hepatic and biliary transporters.
Host: Dr. Kim L.R. Brouwer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

“Thanks to the Borchardt Travel Fellowship, I was able to travel from Melbourne, Australia to collaborate with Prof. Kim Brouwer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During my time in NC, I expanded my scientific horizons through our work on quantifying membrane transporters via targeted proteomics, whilst developing lifelong professional and personal relationships with other researchers. I was also fortunate to present this work in Copenhagen at the GPEN 2024 meeting and later to speak with both Prof. Ronald and Pamela Borchardt, who provided some wonderful advice about the opportunities a life in science can provide. For this, and their incredible generosity in the support of my travel fellowship, I am immensely appreciative.” - Ethan Kreutzer

2022

Lloyd Wei Tat Tang, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Advisor: Dr. Eric Chun Yong Chan
Topic: CYP3A4-mediated Metabolism of Tucatinib
Host: Dr. Klarissa Jackson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

"I am extremely thankful and honored to be one of the recipient of the Borchardt Travel Fellowship. This fellowship awarded by GPEN provided generous financial support which allowed me to travel to the United States and collaborate with Dr Klarissa Jackson at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Furthermore, it also gave me the opportunity to attend the biennial GPEN 2022 meeting held at the University of Minnesota and present our findings to other researchers. More importantly, the highlight of this meeting for me was connecting with other amazing graduate students from different universities who are working in the field of pharmaceutical sciences." - Lloyd Wei Tat Tang

2021

Minzhi Yu, University of Michigan, USA

Advisor: Dr. Anna Schwendeman
Topic: Biorelevant In Vitro Release Conditions for Leuprolide PLGA Microspheres
Host: Christel Bergström, University of Uppsala, Sweden

"With the support of GPEN and Borchardt Travel Fellowship, I traveled to Sweden to conduct collaborative research between Dr. Bergström’s lab at Uppsala University and Schwendeman’s lab at the University of Michigan. During my stay at Uppsala University, I got trained in the in situ UV fiber optic technique, based on which I developed a new method to monitor the initial burst release kinetics of polymeric microparticles. The visit also greatly benefited my career development by connecting me with other pharmaceutical scientists and cultivating future collaborations in a broad international context. This experience allowed me to forge friendships, learn new ideas, and grow both professionally and personally. The memory will be cherished for my life." - Minzhi Yu

2020

Jasleen K. Sodhi, University of California San Francisco, USA

Advisor: Dr. Leslie Benet
Topic: Investigating the Clinical Significance of Proposed Organic Anion Transporter 2 (OAT2) Substrates
Host: Dr. Janne Backman, University of Helsinki, Finland