Medical students meet their match
Nearly 300 fourth-year medical students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine learned where they will complete their training and begin their careers during Match Day ceremonies Friday, March 17, at each of the college’s three campuses.
The 276 students comprise 166 students from Chicago, 54 from Peoria and 56 from Rockford.
For College of Medicine medical students, the top matched specialty of 2023 was internal medicine, followed by psychiatry, emergency medicine, pediatrics and diagnostic radiology. The top locations include Illinois, California, Massachusetts and New York. The class will scatter to 28 different states. Fifty-one students matched at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Match Day is a coordinated national event in which students around the country were notified of their placements in residency programs, where they will receive three to seven years of specialty training following medical school graduation.
“You have devoted long hours to studying medical science, learning the art of speaking to and examining patients, preparing for many examinations, and learning about various specialties before choosing your own,” said College of Medicine Executive Dean Mark Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, MBA, MHA. “We have certainly learned through the pandemic that the world needs you. Today you will see the reward of your dedication and labor. I feel privileged to be here and share in this moment with you.
“To the class of 2023, I wish you success in your practice of medicine and all of your endeavors. With you at the helm, the future of medicine is bright.”
Fifty-six students at Rockford matched into residency programs in 17 specialties in 18 different states.
“I’m incredibly excited for the Class of 2023 this Match Day,” said Alex Stagnaro-Green, MD, MHPE, MHA, dean of the College of Medicine Rockford. “They came to Rockford as first-year medical students in the fall of 2019 and then the COVID-19 pandemic impacted not only their educational experience, but their ability to celebrate medical school milestones together. Today is their day to celebrate their hard work and resiliency that allowed them to match into residency programs around the nation.”
Fifty-four students at Peoria matched to 16 different specialties in 19 different states.
“Unequivocally, Match Day is an occasion that is forever etched in the memories of physicians. It marks the turning of the page from student to resident,” said Meenakshy Aiyer, MD, MACP, Peoria regional dean. “On this day, we are so proud of our students as we witness the excitement and anticipation when they open the envelope, and their futures begin to unfold. In Peoria, we are not only excited for our medical students, but our GME programs are equally as excited as they discover the incoming class of interns who be joining us as future residents.”
Fourth-year medical student Sunil Dommaraju grew up in the Chicago suburbs and completed his undergraduate degree in bioengineering at UIC before matriculating to the College of Medicine. He’ll be packing up and heading west for his residency in internal medicine at UCLA.
“Four years of undergrad, four years of medical school; it’s been a really long journey,” Dommaraju said. “I feel like there have been great milestones along the way to celebrate. Although it’s culminating in this moment, there have been other moments throughout the years that have been really nice. But it does feel like the beginning of a new chapter.”
