The 2019 graduating class of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine celebrated another successful Match Day on Friday, March 15. With 98 percent of students matching into residency positions, UAB students will continue their medical education at 89 institutions in 30 states across the country.
“Match Day is everything we’ve worked for the past four years coming to fruition,” said David Osula, who matched into Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School-Dallas. “I matched with my number one choice, and I’m very happy to move there with my wife and am looking forward to these next three years.”
Medical students across the U.S. celebrated Match Day at 12 p.m. EST on March 15. Most of the country’s 155 medical schools hold their own unique celebratory event, including UAB. Students waited in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center until the envelope containing their residency match was drawn. From there, they proceeded backstage to view its contents—often with a significant other or loved one. Finally, they announced their match on stage as the rest of the class cheered them on.
Shelby Bergstresser gleefully exited the stage after finding out that she matched into General Surgery at UAB. She explained why the news was so exciting: “I fell in love with surgery during med school. After rotating and interviewing at UAB, I knew that this is my home. For the past month, I’ve been hoping to match into this amazing program and now that it’s a reality, I can’t wait to start my residency training.”
Several couples and spouses also eagerly awaited their match results on Friday. Couple Anjali Wagle and Michael Goetsch were elated when they both matched at Johns Hopkins Hospital. “This is the culmination of years of hard work and many months of stress and travel,” said Goetch. “I don’t think we would have had this much success without the UAB staff. We couldn’t ask for better support,” shared Wagle.
Married couple Chandler and Amanda Stisher also had a lot to celebrate. The two of them, who were both a part of the Rural Scholars Program, matched into Family Medicine at UAB’s Huntsville campus. “It’s a blessing to be able to go through this together. Huntsville was our number one choice; we spent our third and fourth years of medical school there, and we loved it. We’re very excited to stay there and continue learning,” said C. Stisher.
At 57 total, the largest number of students matched into primary care residency programs, which include family medicine, internal medicine and medicine-pediatrics. Students also matched at a high rate into several other medical specialties—including 38 in various surgical residencies, 22 in pediatrics, 16 in emergency medicine, 10 in obstetrics and gynecology, eight in psychiatry and more.
UAB is also celebrating a successful recruitment for residents in its 37 residency programs. A total of 216 new residents, representing 67 U.S. and 26 international universities, will begin this summer at programs in Birmingham, Huntsville, Selma and Montgomery.