For MD only programs, no I don’t think there is a very strong distinction. I came from a very research heavy school and I know we didn’t.
Passion and enough knowledge about your specific subject and work to prove you learned something are what most med schools look for. Fitting the research into your overall narrative (ie “I do psych research because I think I may have an interest in treating mental illness in primary care”) is a nice touch, but even learning the research methods because practicing medicine requires an ability to interpret the literature is narrative enough (heck even saying you respected the mentor and that’s what drove your interest is probably narrative enough). Productivity (having a publication or presentation) is a bonus at the Med school applicant level.
To most people, assuming it’s sound research, specialty and basic vs clinical don’t mean much.
