Media contact: Bob Shepard
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 graduating medical student 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. My wife and I are looking forward to these next three years.”
Medical students across the United States celebrated Match Day at 12 p.m. EDT March 15. Most of the country’s 155 medical schools hold their own unique celebratory event. At UAB, students waited in the Alys Stephens Center until the envelope from the National Resident Matching Program containing their residency match information 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.
Shelby Bergstresser exited the stage after finding out that she matched into general surgery at UAB. “I fell in love with surgery during med school,” she said. “After rotating and interviewing at UAB, I knew 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 Friday. Couple Anjali Wagle and Michael Goetsch were elated they both matched at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
“This is the culmination of years of hard work and many months of stress and travel,” Goetsch said.
“I don’t think we would have had this much success without the UAB staff,” Wagle said. “We couldn’t ask for better support.”
Married couple Chandler and Amanda Stisher also had a lot to celebrate. Both were participants in UAB’s Rural Scholars Program and matched into family medicine at UAB’s Huntsville campus.
“It’s a blessing to be able to go through this together,” said Chandler Stisher. “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.”
Nearly 32 percent of UAB’s graduating medical 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. Thirty-eight will be going on to various surgical residencies, 22 in pediatrics, 16 in emergency medicine, 10 in obstetrics and gynecology, and eight in psychiatry.
UAB is also celebrating a successful recruitment for residents in its 37 residency programs. A total of 216 new residents, representing 67 United States and 26 international universities, will begin this summer at programs in Birmingham, Huntsville, Selma and Montgomery.