(Image Credit: University of Alberta)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Education

Student-run program offering mentorship to prospective medical students

Feb 19, 2026 | 12:12 PM

A student run program is offering support to students from rural communities interested in pursuing a career in medicine.

MD AIDE is run out of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and is offering free MCAT and interview preparation, as the University prepares for its second Northern Alberta Medical program cohort in Grande Prairie this fall.

Co-lead Yamin Raza says the program assists people interested in getting into medical school, that come from rural and underrepresented backgrounds.

“Essentially, what we do is run a mentorship program that allows individuals to be paired up with current medical students and have them ask questions about medical school, the process, what it entails,” Raza says. “These are long term mentors that can guide them along the way.”

Raza says the program helps students that lack the resources or knowledge of how to get started.

“Many students rule themselves out of medicine before they even apply,” she says. “Not because they can’t do it, but because they don’t know how. For me, I thought the MD AIDE is really great because it gives them that roadmap and someone who essentially believes in them and can help them through that process.”

She says there is only a few days left to register, as they work with students directly to provide the coaching and aid they need to pursue a potential career in medicine.

“We also go through the process of helping the induvial through the entire application cycle,” she explains. “So, it starts with MCAT preparation in the summer, then mentorship throughout the year, and then the following year it helps with interview preparation. So, it’s a whole, year-long process, so we try to recruit individuals at the beginning.”

Applications to join MD AIDE close Feb. 28, 2026.