The short version
We collect only what we need to mentor you: your details, your login and the work you send us. We don’t sell your data, we don’t show ads and we don’t use tracking or analytics tools. You can ask us to see or delete your data at any time.
What we collect
- Your application: name, email, WhatsApp number (optional), medical college or university, current level, research experience, the paper types you’re interested in, and why you want to learn research.
- Your account: your email and password. Your password is never stored as you typed it: it is scrambled with a one-way hash (PBKDF2-SHA256), so not even we can read it.
- Your work: the answers you submit for each step, and your mentor’s feedback and decisions.
- Your messages: what you and your mentors write in the portal chat. Only you and the mentors can read it, and it’s stored encrypted.
- Payment confirmation: whether your membership fee has been received. We don’t collect or store card or bank details on this website.
How we use it
- To review your application and create your portal login.
- To show you your tasks, progress and feedback, and to let your mentor review your work.
- To contact you about your membership, by email or WhatsApp if you gave us a number.
We don’t use your data for advertising, and we never sell or rent it to anyone.
Who can see it
Your assigned mentor can see your details, submissions and chat. Our two programme owners, Zain Ramzan and Taimoor Ali, can see all member details, applications, submissions and chats to run the programme and keep it safe. Other mentors only see the members assigned to them, and other members can’t see your details or your work.
We use a small number of services to run the website:
- Cloudflare hosts the website and stores the database. Their servers process your requests to deliver the site.
- AI assistants (such as Claude or Gemini) that a mentor connects to their own account can read and manage member data, applications and submissions on the mentor’s behalf, to help them run the programme. Only mentors can connect one, and they can disconnect it at any time.
- Google Fonts provides the typefaces. Your browser downloads them from Google, which sees your IP address when it does.
We only share your data beyond this if the law requires it.
How we protect it
- The whole site uses an encrypted connection (HTTPS).
- Passwords are hashed, never stored in readable form.
- Phone numbers and application answers are encrypted in the database (AES-256).
- Your login uses a secure cookie that scripts on the page can’t read, and it expires after 30 days.
- Only signed-in mentors can open member data.
Cookies and your browser
We use one essential cookie to keep you logged in to the portal. There are no advertising or tracking cookies.
Your browser also remembers a few conveniences on your own device, like unsent drafts of your answers and whether you closed the “install app” bar. These stay on your device and you can clear them from your browser settings.
How long we keep it
We keep your account and work for as long as you’re a member, so your progress isn’t lost. If you ask us to delete your account, we remove your login, submissions and feedback. Applications that weren’t accepted are deleted when you ask, or when they’re no longer needed.
Your choices
- Ask for a copy of the data we hold about you.
- Ask us to correct anything that’s wrong.
- Ask us to delete your account and data.
- Change your password at any time from the portal’s account menu.
Email itszainr1@gmail.com and we’ll reply within a few days.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your data, we’ll update this page and the date at the top. For important changes, we’ll tell members by email.
Contact
Questions about your privacy: itszainr1@gmail.com, or WhatsApp 0339 5888444.