Medical student Albert Attia, right, can barely restrain the enthusiasm of his father, Neguib, at Match Day on Thursday. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Match Day reveals Med students’ future addresses
Robert and Lane Morrison react after learning he matched at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Virginia (Transitional) and VUMC. (photo by Susan Urmy)
Mercy Udoji, left, and Rosyalyn Porter celebrate during Thursday’s Match Day event. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Caroline Piggott and Clayton Knox were fired up to learn she was going to Philadelphia. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Kate Cleaver gets a hug from VUSM Dean Steven Gabbe, M.D. (photo by Dana Johnson)
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine students were rewarded with offers from the country's top medical centers during Thursday's Match Day celebration in 208 Light Hall.
The most diverse class in VUSM history survived the 90-minute celebration with few tears shed and only a couple of “broken” bones, courtesy of a group of Orthopaedic Surgery residents canvassing the second and third rows who brought skeletal props with them to celebrate.
Match Day is the culmination of a yearlong process during which students are matched through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) with medical centers and hospitals across the country.
Of the 114 graduating students, 28 matched at Vanderbilt.
Highlights included three students matching to Massachusetts General Hospital, three to Brigham & Women's Hospital, five to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and five to the University of Washington.
“We know how great these students are and it is clear that the best hospitals around the country know how great they are as well,” said School of Medicine Dean Steven Gabbe, M.D. “It was an amazing match. Coast to coast these are the best programs in the country.”
Gabbe kicked off the Match Day celebration by making a $100 contribution to the fishbowl that's traditionally given to the last student to receive an envelope.
Scott Rodgers, M.D., assistant dean for Medical Students, led students through the event by drawing names at random, with each student leaving a dollar in the fishbowl and then reading his or her match, until only one name was left.
Jessica Sparks, the last person to match, said it was well worth the wait to learn she had matched for Pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. In addition to the good news, she received the fishbowl containing $214.
“I couldn't sleep all night,” Sparks said. “I really wanted to go to Philadelphia and that is one of the best programs in the country.”
She shared the excitement with fiancé Smith Lilley, who is stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey.
Early match was available for students going into Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery and Urology.
VUSM's Mahan and Mayshan Ghiassi are Iranian-American brothers who will be staying in Nashville for at least the next seven years of residency, after early matching into neurosurgery at Vanderbilt in January.
Their family has lived in Nashville since moving to America in 1988, after fleeing Iran because of the government's religious persecution, said Mahan Ghiassi.
“We both decided that we wanted to become neurological surgeons but nobody had ever heard of two brothers at the same school in the same class going into Neurosurgery,” Mayshan Ghiassi said.
“We were told that it was close to impossible to match at the same program. Our dreams came true when we heard that we got both positions at Vanderbilt.”
Milica Markovic, who is originally from Serbia, came to the United States via a high school exchange program in New York and graduated from Bennington College in Vermont before coming to VUSM for medical school.
“Vanderbilt was one of my favorite schools, and also one of the few places that accepted international students, so here I am four years later,” Markovic said. “Also Vanderbilt was great with providing financial assistance.”
Her family lives in Serbia but plans to travel to Nashville for graduation in May.
Markovic matched for Preliminary Medicine at New York University School of Medicine and for Anesthesiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
“I am hoping to stay in the U.S. to practice, and hopefully be able to establish some connection with Medical School in Belgrade, Serbia later on, through training programs, research projects and volunteering,” she said.
Mercy Udoji, a former Tennessee State University track star, put on an electric dance performance with her mother, Felicia, before opening her envelope to reveal a match in Anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center.
“Overall, medical school has been a great experience for me. I've met people that I know I will be friends with forever.
“I've had many life changing experiences and seen things I've only read about in textbooks, and most importantly I feel as if I've received great training to become a confident, competent physician in the future,” Udoji said.
Match Day was Webcast live, allowing family and friends to watch the event from their home computers.