Mayo Clinic Receives
2015 Grant for its Mentor Program

July 24, 2015 -- The Halpin Foundation has awarded the Mayo Clinic's Mentor program a Career Development Grant in Kidney Research. The Mayo Clinic provides comprehensive care for patients suffering from disorders that affect the glomeruli, including Membranous Nephropathy. Nephrologists, hypertension specialists and pathologists work together in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. Mayo Clinic was founded as a teaching hospital and conducts extensive scientific and clinical research. U.S. News & World Report has ranked The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota has been ranked as the best Nephrology hospital for 2014-2015.

32 full faculty members and three associate faculty are drawn from the Nephrology Research Unit and other teams at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, including biochemistry and molecular biology, physiology and biophysics, immunology, pharmacology, and health sciences research. Faculty mentors are responsible for day-to-day supervision of the trainee, and development of an appropriate research project.

Trainees acquire an in-depth education in renal physiology and/or pathophysiology and skills in the appropriate basic or applied sciences. Clinical and bench research are both available. The program consists of a formal didactic series and mentored research training experience

One of the most important elements of Mayo’s doctoral education is the mentorship established between research students and their thesis mentor. This relationship forms the basis for student’s initial scientific development and is a primary source for their formal and informal acculturation as a scientist. Students select their thesis adviser by the end of their fifth research or laboratory rotation. The student may only select from Mayo Clinic faculty specifically designated by Mayo Graduate School as having full faculty privileges may serve as thesis advisers. The student carries out their thesis research with their mentor.

The duration of training is a minimum of two, and preferably three, years. An effort is being made to obtain alternate sources of funding to support the second and third year of training, if possible, in order to increase the number of candidates who benefit from this training grant; and to provide trainees experience in writing grant proposals.

Halpin Foundation is pleased to support the development of careers in research that may lead to a better understanding of the cause and most efficacious treatments for Membranous Nephropathy.

References:
www.mayo.edu/ctsa/education/phd-program/for-current-students/mentorship
www.mayo.edu/research/training-grant-positions/kidney-disease-research-training-program/tpr-00055335
www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/nephrology-hypertension/minnesota/overview/specialty-groups/glomerular-disease-renal-parenchymal-clinic

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