MD programs that give preference to students with a heavy research background

[ResearchingRand]

For the past four years I've managed a behavioral pharmacology lab at a medical school. In that time I've been published several times in top tier journals (JPET, Psychopharmacology) and twice as first author. My question is what medical programs will give this research focus special weight?

My numbers:
Overall GPA: 3.51
Science GPA: 3.12 (due mainly to one bad year in which my uncle was dying of cancer. I retook some of the classes as a post bac working full time and going to school full time and got two Bs and a C)
MCAT: VR: 11, PS: 8, BS:8 (I am retaking in early July and have been scoring around 10 in each section on my practices)
Grad GPA: 4.0 (social sciences)

ECs: 200+ hours of physician shadowing
10+ years of volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America
National Fencer in college
Eagle Scout
Science mentor/tutor in low income school
Cartoonist for school newspaper
Honor Society Vice President
100+ hours medical volunteering with at risk youth

Schools I am considering applying to:
All Texas Schools
Meharry
U of Kansas
U of Kansas College of Medicine
U of Missouri Kansas City
Wright


Thanks!

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[TriagePreMed]

Top Universities are known as "top" mainly because of their research, so those schools are ones that value research the most; however, that does not imply that other schools don't value it. I suggest looking at schools with MD/Ph.D programs. Even if you don't pursue one, it's reasonable to deduce these universities collaborate with their Ph.D colleagues and see research to be of great value.

 

[ResearchingRand]

Great advice! Thanks!

 

[saveourpens]

Research oriented schools would tend to value your research experience (Pitt for instance would be very interested in your pubs while Drexel would not care as much...this I gathered from interviews and speaking to adcom members post-interview)

That said, everything was going great until I saw your GPA and MCAT. Applying very broadly would be my suggestion.