Tears of joy and congratulatory shouts filled the Great Hall of Stranahan Theater Friday as fourth-year medical students opened envelopes to reveal their residency placements.
Sonya Naganathan, center, showed her residency placement letter to Chelsea McKirnam, left, and Marla Scott at Match Day. Naganathan will study emergency medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, and McKirnam and Scott will train in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, respectively.
“Match Day is one of the most exciting times in the life of a medical student, culminating years of hard work and indicating where they will spend the next three to seven years of their lives in training,” said Dr. Christopher Cooper, dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, and senior vice president for clinical affairs. “The University of Toledo College of Medicine faculty and staff are proud of our students and each year celebrate this important milestone in their lives.”
The 166 students matched with institutions across the country: the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, the Mayo Clinic and more.
Interim President Nagi Naganathan attended the event as the leader of UT and as a parent of a medical student. His daughter, Sonya Naganathan, will study emergency medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
“I’m very excited to go where I’m matched,” Naganathan said. “I have worked as an EMT and my interest in the field has continued to grow. I’m happy to see how I progress over the next four years.”
Jessica Chang, left, received a big hug from her sister, Cheryl Chang, at Match Day after she learned she’s heading to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles for a plastic surgery residency.
“It’s exciting to go somewhere new and take on a new adventure,” Hulme said.
Eight students will continue their training at The University of Toledo Medical Center as part of a group of 15 who matched in northwest Ohio and 64 throughout the Buckeye State.
Christopher Johnson was the only student to match in the competitive field of ophthalmology. He is headed to Indiana University Health Ball Memorial for a preliminary year before studying at Loyola University Hines VA Hospital in Chicago.
“I was originally interested in optometry until I saw cataract surgery and I fell in love,” Johnson said. “I feel like I can do more for my patients in this field.”
Johnson’s three daughters, 12-week old twins and a 22-month-old, were present at the celebration wearing scrubs for the occasion.
The students matched into 26 specialties, with 58, or 35 percent, in primary care fields, and 108, or 65 percent, entering other specialties. The top specialties for this graduating class were internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine and general surgery.
Michigan was the most popular state behind Ohio with 19 students matching there, followed by California with 13, and Pennsylvania and Texas each with seven. Overall, students matched with programs in 29 states.
