Foo,
where do you go to school? the only reason I ask is that I'm from Birmingham myself. Anyway, you want to put your best foot forward. I didn't really know 2 of my three, so what they had me do was to come in, sit down, and talk with them a while. I guess it worked out because I'm here. I don't see why it would be a problem to send them directly from professors instead of the pre health committee route. If you do decide to use the committee, of course it would be better to know the professors really well, but they understand where you are coming from(they can't know all of their students personally) and are ususally more than willing to help you out. You have a tough call though, it seems that the letter from your researcher/faculty would be a really good idea. Refresh my memory, is there a limit to the number of recommendations that you can send? Or just a minimum requirement? I think it is the latter and in that case, if you don't feel comfortable wiht just the two, send the other one in addition to the pre health committee letter. If you send it they will read it. But also, something to remember, you don't want to rush your recommenders. Make sure to give them enough time to write you a good letter. This puts you in a difficult situation because it is important to get everything in as early as possible. If you need them fast, try to let them know in a nice way, but don't be pushy. They are doing you a huge favor, and you never find out what they say. Sorry for the length, good luck,
Zach