General Is completing research with a family member a red flag?

[Question]

My first research experience was with a family member. However, the next summer, I joined another research lab, and the PI of this lab has no relation to me. Furthermore, I joined another research lab during the school year, and I will be asking this PI for a letter of recommendation.

I was wondering whether my first research experience will be a red flag for medical schools or whether my other research experience and productivity can show that I am actually passionate about research and wasn't using nepotism to join a lab just to check a box?


— Experts please respond to this post —

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GoSpursGo]

No I don’t think this is a red flag

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I do not think this would be a red flag.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you trumpet it as your most meaningful experience, it's your issue if you spotlight it. It shouldn't be a big issue since you found experience in a different lab.

 

[LizzyM]

Nepotism in research activities is really, really common and not a red flag but it does point out your privilege. Having had subsequent experiences in other settings does show that you've moved beyond the opportunity you had handed to you and have worked in environments that were perhaps more demanding and less forgiving (or maybe the other way around depending on your family member-- haha).

 

[lord999]

Alfred Goodman Gilman was literally the descendant of two different major family lines (Gilman and Schmidt) in research and was godson to Goodman. That's extreme, but very common and productivity is productivity. There's actually no assumption that it was favorable even if it were privileged as Gilman Sr was notoriously rough as was Earl Sutherland.