The divide between research and primary care schools is kind of something that US News invented. All med schools to a degree have active research, just a few of these schools do more and do it better, these are generally more competive and better known school (the Harvards, Dukes and Mayos). Primary care schools as im sure you can see are dominated by schools in more rural states, the reason is that these schools consciously focus on training and encouraging primary care. The long and short is both specialists and primary care physicians come out of both types of schools. If you finish in the top 10% at Kansas or Nebraska with identical boards you have a similar shot of gaining entry into a surgical residency as someone in the top 10% at Harvard or Hopkins. The research names really only matter if you are dead set on going into academic medicine and doing some research as a living...other than that it honestly doesn't matter the top ranked primary care schools produce surgeons....the top ranked research schools produce surgeons. Its all about being in an enviroment where you are comfortable. For me as someone who has done a lot of research but absolutely loves interacting with people I'm looking at schools like Iowa, Mayo, Minnesota and Wisconsin that are ranked on both sides...its nice to know that your school can train academicians, specialists and primary care docs that have good reputations.