Writing MD secondary diversity question as an MD/PhD applicant

[Ummm]

Hello all, I'm applying this cycle to strictly MD/PhD programs and am wondering how I should answer the common secondary question asking something along the lines of how will you enhance the diversity of our class.

I have a solid 2 years of research experience including a summer internship, which does not stand out for MD/PhD students, but might stand out for MD applicants. I am considering approaching this diversity question by talking about my extensive research experience. My worry is that once my application gets to MD/PhD reviewers they will look at this response and not see this as diverse at all. But, given that my application must get an ok from MD reviewers first (for many schools at least), maybe approaching this question from the research angle will be sufficient?

Obviously having a topic for diversity which would appeal to both MD and MD/PhD reviewers would be more ideal, but it would be a bit more of a stretch.

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[mTORC]

In most places that I applied to, you get reviewed first, and sometimes solely, by the MD/PhD program. Of course there are exceptions (i.g. WashU MD and MD/PhD programs evaluate you separately). Hope this helps guide what you do.

 

[VitaminVater]

I don't think mentioning your research would be a bad idea for a diversity essay, although personally I would make it a secondary factor in how you're diverse (I'm sure you can think of something else that makes you unique!)
If you do go along with mentioning research, talk about how you see medicine from both a scientific and humanistic view and how this will aid your fellow students who maybe have not done research or don't see its importance in medicine.

It's about communication how your unique viewpoint/experiences will shape the medical community of your school (e.g., growing up in an underserved population-->understanding the problems these patients face and communicating them to your fellow students who may have no idea the obstacles faced by those kind of patients)