An Eight-Year Evaluation of a Student-Led Research Pathway: Scholarly Engagement and Residency Match Outcomes in Undergraduate Medical Education.

Introduction Research productivity has become increasingly important for residency applicants, yet many medical students lack structured opportunities to develop research skills. This study evaluated an eight-year, largely student-led research pathway designed to promote scholarly engagement, research training, and residency preparedness among undergraduate medical students. Methods We conducted a retrospective evaluation of a student-led research program at a single Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)-accredited US medical school from 2018 to 2025. Program participation was assessed through attendance at research seminars and completion of the Biomedical Research Area of Concentration (AoC). During the 2025-2026 academic year, participants completed surveys evaluating motivations for participation and perceived educational benefits. Residency match outcomes were also examined. Seminar attendance was compared across seven academic-year cohorts. A Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare median attendance across years. Trends in Biomedical Research AoC completion and total attendance over time were assessed with a linear least-squares fit, with strength of association quantified by the Pearson correlation coefficient. A Welch's t-test was used to compare AoC completion rate in competitive and less competitive specialities, and effect size was quantified using Cohen's d. Results A total of 118 research seminars were conducted during the study period. Seminar participation remained robust across eight academic years, with median attendance peaking during the 2020-2021 academic year (p<0.05). Between 2020 and 2025, 193 students completed the Biomedical Research AoC, with annual completion increasing significantly over time (p<0.05). Students matching into competitive residency specialities demonstrated higher rates of AoC completion than those entering less competitive specialities (31.96% vs. 16.13%, p=4.62 × 10⁻⁵). Survey respondents most commonly reported attending seminars to fulfil AoC requirements, presenting research to strengthen their residency applications, and improving presentation skills as the primary educational benefit. Conclusions A longitudinal, student-led research pathway was associated with sustained student participation, increasing engagement in structured scholarly activities, and higher participation among students entering competitive residency specialities. These findings suggest that student-led research initiatives may represent a scalable approach to expanding research training and supporting scholarly development within undergraduate medical education.