AI Insight
This qualitative study examined the experiences shaping research career intentions among 31 first-year Black, Hispanic, and multiracial medical students in the United States through semi-structured interviews. Four key themes emerged: the importance of structured premedical research exposure, a motivation to use research as a tool for social justice, the value of high-quality and identity-concordant mentorship, and the burden of publication pressure tied to residency competitiveness. Students also reported a recurring tension between academic research culture and their personal values around equity, which for some diminished their sense of alignment with a research career.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that medical training programs can better support underrepresented students by expanding access to structured research opportunities and mentorship that reflects students' racial and ethnic identities. Addressing structural pressures such as publication-driven residency competition and broadening definitions of scholarly contribution may be essential to diversifying the physician-scientist workforce.
by Shruthi Venkataraman, Meghan O’Connell, Adeola Ayedun, Allison Aviles, Alexandra M. Hajduk, Mytien Nguyen, Gbenga Ogedegbe, Laura Castillo-Page, David Henderson, Judee Richardson, Leslie A. Curry, John Paul Sánchez, Rachel K. Wolfson, Sarwat I. Chaudhry, Dowin Boatright
Objective
To examine the early experiences influencing research career intentions (RCI) among MD students from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM).
Methods
We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 31 first-year URiM medical students from MD-granting programs across the US to examine student-reported experiences influencing RCI.
Results
Participants were first-year medical students (N = 31; mean age 24.8 ± 2.6 years; 64.5% female) identifying as Black (38.7%), Hispanic (32.3%), or Multiracial (29%). Four themes were identified: (1) structured premedical research exposure was described as pivotal to developing early research engagement and interest in research careers; (2) research orientations reflected a commitment to using research as a vehicle for social justice and community impact; (3) high-quality research mentorship was characterized by authentic relational investment, skill development, and the distinct value of racial and ethnic identity-concordant role models; and (4) the research arms race for residency placement was described as amplifying systemic inequities that constrained students’ research engagement. Across themes, students described tensions between academic research culture and their personal values, including a desire to advance equity and contribute meaningfully to science. For some, this misalignment made research feel less purposeful or personally aligned.
Conclusions
Medical training programs seeking to support URiM students’ RCI should invest in structured premedical research programs and expand access to research mentorship that is both relationally invested and identity concordant. Efforts to cultivate sustained engagement should address publication pressures tied to residency competitiveness, which amplify structural barriers and misalign with students’ motivations for pursuing research. Broadening definitions of scholarly contribution and fostering research environments that affirm students’ values may be critical to building a robust physician-scientist workforce.