Should your undergraduate research directly relate to biomedical research if you're interested in pursuing a MD/PhD?

Hi,
Interesting concern. But remember that some of the great discoveries in science were done by people working in basic science (i.e. without a clear application for translational medicine). So, I do not think you should be worried about the type of research you will be working on. Be a good professional, responsible, honest, hard worker, detailed oriented, and you will most likely end up with a strong or a couple strong recommendation letters and perhaps published paper. This would positively favor your application to MD/PhD programs.

There are several ways to go I would contact your school advisor and ask what all your options are and than select which one you are more interested in. A career must be something you enjoy doing not one that you do just because.

When it comes to research pursue what you are interested in. It is very difficult to do quality research in something in which you have no interest. Remember, all of our experiences, both professionally and personally, add to the totality of who we are and how we make decisions. You need to think globally and not narrowly.

By profession I am a Forensic Pathologist and a Neuropathologist. I also have boards in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. I never regretted doing a research project in college on the evolution of the adrenal glands in rabbits, nor have I ever regretted spending 9 months at Fels Institute for Cancer Research while I was doing a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. Those experiences gave me depth and insight into pathophysiology, which ultimately helped me in the determination of causation, i.e., how one dies, etc.

I hope I have been of some help.

Bill Cox

Honestly I learned the most through Microbiology and if you are wanting to be a doctor I would definetly do micro.