Research plays a critical role in advancing medical practice and patient care, yet its integration into undergraduate medical education remains challenging. Early exposure to research enhances critical thinking and provides valuable experience in scientific inquiry, communication, and publication. However, medical students face barriers such as limited time, topic selection difficulties, and inadequate mentorship and funding. The establishment of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Santo Tomas has strengthened student research capacity, culminating in this JMUST Special Issue, which showcases high-quality, ethics-approved student-led scholarly work.