Program Overview
The GlomCon Undergraduate Mentorship Program is a two-year, single-track program that takes students from learners to active contributors in glomerular disease education, research and outreach. All students follow the same curriculum under the close mentorship of Dr. Sayna Norouzi, Chief Education Officer at GlomCon.
Every student gains experience in:
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Academic work: review papers, abstracts and poster presentations with GlomCon faculty.
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Digital presence: online presence of GlomCon, with hands-on digital strategy and planning.
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Medical podcasting: producing podcasts, working professionally with faculty and using AI to enhance products.
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Education and internship: access to GlomCon educational activities and volunteer internships on GlomCon virtual fellowship programs with faculty and instructors.
Who it is for: undergraduates interested in medicine, nephrology, biomedical research, public health or science communication. No prior research experience is required.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of two years, students will be able to:
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Explain core kidney physiology and the major glomerular diseases (e.g., IgA nephropathy, FSGS, membranous nephropathy, lupus nephritis) in plain language.
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Co-author a review paper, abstract and poster with GlomCon faculty.
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Present their work at a scientific conference.
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Plan and run a digital presence strategy for GlomCon.
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Produce a medical podcast episode from planning through publishing.
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Use AI tools responsibly to enhance research, content and podcast products.
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Work professionally with physicians and faculty, including ethics, confidentiality and authorship norms.
Hands-on academic experience
Students work alongside GlomCon faculty on review papers, abstracts and poster presentations throughout the two years.
Period | Projects | Publications | Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
Months 19–24 | Respond to peer review; start a second project if ready | Submit a second abstract or polish your current projects. | Mentor incoming students, hand off your projects. |
Months 13-18 | Revise and submit the review paper for publication; continue leading your project | Prepare and submit an abstract for a conference, continue improving your main project could be helping with fellowship programs, podcasts, research projects | Build a conference poster with faculty feedback |
Months 7-12 | Draft assigned sections of a faculty-led review paper related to your projects. Lead one education/digital project | Draft a first abstract with a faculty mentor; polish podcasts/webinars.
Involvement in research projects | Design a visual abstract/poster. Podcast editing and reviewing. Help with social media content |
Months 1-6 | Attend GlomCon seminars and fellowship sessions, 2 sessions per month | Summarize your observations of each session | Discuss projects with faculty and pick your projects for the rest of the program |
Time commitment: about 3-5 hours per week, including educational sessions, team check-ins and project work, with heavier weeks before deadlines.
Digital Presence and Strategic Planning
Students learn how medical societies build their online presence, then apply it hands-on to GlomCon's platforms.
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Online modules on how medical societies use LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube and websites for education and outreach
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Audit GlomCon's current platforms and benchmark against peer medical societies
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Build and run content calendars, posts and webinar promotion
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Set quarterly goals (e.g., follower growth, webinar sign-ups, episode downloads) and report results
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Contribute to GlomCon's annual digital strategic plan
All public content is reviewed by faculty before posting.
Medical Podcast Production and AI
Students learn online how to produce a medical podcast, then help produce GlomCon episodes with faculty.
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Online training in podcast planning, scripting, recording, editing and publishing
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Professional conduct with faculty guests: scheduling, briefing, interviewing and follow-up
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Use of AI tools to enhance products: transcription, show notes, summaries, clips, captions and literature support
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Responsible AI use: accuracy checks, faculty review, disclosure and patient privacy
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Produce or co-host at least one episode by the end of the program
Conference Presentation and Authorship
Faculty support students in presenting their work at conferences and earning authorship.
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Authorship on abstracts and papers students contribute to, following ICMJE guidelines
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Faculty feedback on abstracts, posters and slides before submission
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Presentation rehearsal sessions before each conference
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Guidance on choosing conferences and meeting submission deadlines
Mentorship, Milestones and Completion
Each student is closely mentored by Dr. Sayna Norouzi, meets GlomCon founder Dr. Poyan Mehr quarterly, and is reviewed at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months.
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Dr. Sayna Norouzi, Chief Education Officer: close mentorship, goal setting, project supervision and recommendation letters
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Dr. Poyan Mehr, Founder/ of GlomCon: quarterly meeting with the cohort on progress, vision and career guidance
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GlomCon faculty: day-to-day supervision on papers, abstracts, posters and podcasts
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Peer mentors: second-year students guide incoming first-year students
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Cohort meeting: monthly group session to share progress
Completion: students who meet all checkpoints receive a GlomCon Mentorship Certificate, a mentor letter of recommendation on request, and credit on any abstracts, publications, research projects or episodes they contributed to, following standard authorship guidelines.