Brenessa Lindeman hugs her husband, Richard, after learning at Thursday’s Match Day that she will be heading to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. (photo by Joe Howell)
VUSM students discover their future at Match Day
Match Day for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's Class of 2009 is more than a thrilling event — it's life changing. At 11 a.m. Thursday, March 19, each member of the graduating class learned what his or her future holds.
Atia Jordan, center, embraces classmate Jill Richman as her parents, Portia and Anthony Jordan look on. Jordan is going to Cincinatti Children’s Hospital. (photo by Joe Howell)
Match Day is the crowning moment when thousands of medical students across the country learn where they will take the next step in their medical training: their residency.
The students started the process a year ago by listing the residencies that interested them. After completing applications and attending interviews, they ranked the programs, which in turn ranked them. A computer then matched programs with students to give each their best choice. On Match Day, the results are revealed simultaneously nationwide.
Jim Phillips brought out hats to signify his top choices. Phillips matched at the University of Alabama Medical Center. (photo by Joe Howell)
Thursday's Match Day celebration came complete with tears, leaps of joy and group hugs. When the cheering stopped, many students had matched with some of the nation's top medical centers.
Of the 98 students matching with residencies across the country, 32 will remain at Vanderbilt. A host of other students matched at additional top programs, including Johns Hopkins, the Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General, New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess, Cincinnati Children's and Brigham and Women's.
Frank Lee learned that he’s heading for Johns Hopkins. (photo by Joe Howell)
This year the School of Medicine matched 12 students underrepresented in medicine — the largest number in the school's history, according to George Hill, Ph.D., associate dean for Diversity in Medical Education. “It's exciting that students, faculty and administrators have worked together for this important achievement,” Hill said.
“We know how fantastic our medical school graduates are, and it is clear that the best residency programs around the country know it, too,” said School of Medicine Dean Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D. “This year's match was outstanding and I couldn't be more proud of our students.”
Vernon Rayford will be going to Massachusetts General Hospital. (photo by Joe Howell)
Balser kicked off his first Match Day as dean with the storied VUSM tradition of dropping money in a fishbowl. He upped the ante with a $200 contribution, rather than the traditional $100. Scott Rodgers, M.D., Associate Dean for Medical Students, then drew names at random.
Each student came forward to music that ranged from “You Sexy Thing” to the theme from “Top Gun.” After depositing a dollar in the fishbowl, the student read his or her match aloud. The last student to match — Jillian Tsai — took home the pot of cash as a reward for her patience under high anxiety.
Samuel Crosby hugs his wife, Amy, after matching at Vanderbilt. (photo by Joe Howell)
Many students were accompanied by friends and family members, including newborn babies. The event was Webcast live so loved ones around the world could watch the festivities from home.
The day's family theme included VUSM faculty Glynis Sacks Sandler, M.D., and Martin Sandler, M.B.Ch.B., whose daughter, Kim, matched in diagnostic radiology at Vanderbilt.
“It has been an incredible four years and this is an exciting time for all of us,” Kim Sandler said. “I am very happy to be able to celebrate Match Day with my classmates and my family.”
“Glynis and I are delighted, as two medical school faculty parents, to see our daughter Kim experience Match Day, followed by her graduating at Vanderbilt Medical School,” said Martin Sandler, associate vice chancellor for Health Affairs. Glynis Sandler is an associate professor of Radiology.
Match Day was already a family affair for Brent Savoie. He had his first date with his wife, Cory, on Match Day 2004. “It was a terrible time to meet,” Savoie recalled. “I met her parents before we had even gone on our date.”
But it proved a good day for matches. The pair dated long distance while Cory finished her residency in Boston and Brent completed a three-year medical law research project. The Savoies married in 2007 and yesterday spent their second Match Day together.
He matched in Radiology at Johns Hopkins, with a preceding preliminary year in medicine at Vanderbilt. Cory is a first-year fellow of child Psychiatry at Vanderbilt.
“I hoped for Nashville,” Savoie said with admirable understatement.
“Match Day is difficult to describe to family and friends,” said Brenessa Lindeman, who matched in General Surgery at Johns Hopkins and hopes one day to work in medical education.
“It is an unusual way to get a job. You rank the places you would like to be, and they rank you as well. In the end, it is a very exciting time. We're looking forward to the next part of the journey.”
VUSM Dean Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., right, enjoys the event with Donald Brady, M.D., and Bonnie Miller, M.D. (photo by Joe Howell)
Match Day: Where they're going
Neena Agarwal – VUMC, Internal Medicine
Vivek Agarwal – Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Internal Medicine
Jose Alvarado – VUMC, Pediatrics
Douglas Anderson – Emory, General Surgery
Kyle Arneson – VUMC, Medicine-preliminary; Radiation Oncology
Brigham Au – U. of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Orthopaedic Surgery
Desi Banani – Ohio State U. Medical Center, Anesthesiology
Cole Barfield – VUMC, Internal Medicine
Ellika Bartlett – U. of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Pediatrics
Jo Ellen Bennett – VUMC, Psychiatry
Daniel Boyer – Massachusetts General Hospital, Pathology
Charlotte Brown – VUMC, Pediatrics
James Carlucci – VUMC, Medicine-Pediatrics
Megan Carr – New York U. School of Medicine, Psychiatry
Emily Castellanos – VUMC, Internal Medicine
Jason Castellanos – VUMC, General Surgery
Richard Chen – Barnes-Jewish Hospital, General Surgery
Sameer Chopra – Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Internal Medicine
Jonathan Chrispin – Johns Hopkins Hospital, Internal Medicine
Ross Coleman – U. of Michigan Hospitals, Neurology
Andrew Conrad – VUMC, Surgery-preliminary; Medical U. of South Carolina, Radiology-Diagnostic
Stephen Cook – U. of Virginia Medical Center, Pathology
Bradley Corr – Hospital of the U. of Pennsylvania, ObGyn
Samuel Crosby – VUMC, Orthopaedic Surgery
Catherine Dale – VUMC, General Surgery
Rebecca Dezube – Johns Hopkins Hospital, Internal Medicine
Brian Drolet – Rhode Island Hospital/Brown U., Plastic Surgery
Sarah Dunn – VUMC, Surgery-preliminary
Elizabeth Eby – Wake Forest U. Baptist Medical Center, Pediatrics
Matthew Emanuel – Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Transitional; Emory, Ophthalmology
Jumy Fadugba – Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Internal Medicine
Conne Fauntleroy – VUMC, Pediatrics
David Frank – Children’s Hospital-U. of Pennsylvania, Pediatrics
Marc Gauthier – U. of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Internal Medicine
Sweta Ghodasara – U. of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Medicine-preliminary
Dina Ghoneim – VUMC, Psychiatry
Abigail Gilbert – Maine Medical Center, Medicine-Pediatrics
Nina Glass – New York U. School of Medicine, General Surgery
Bryan Harris – VUMC, Internal Medicine
Josh Heck – VUMC, Surgery-preliminary; Radiology-Diagnostic
Megan Herceg – VUMC, Orthopaedic Surgery
Amelia Hessheimer – Barnes-Jewish Hospital, General Surgery
Nathan Hoot – VUMC, Emergency Medicine
Sara Horvitz – Hospital of the U. of Pennsylvania, Internal Medicine
John Humphrey – Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Surgery-preliminary/Urology
Atia Jordan – Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Pediatrics
Sadia Khan – Loma Linda U., Internal Medicine
Christopher Kidd – U. of Southern California, Orthopaedic Surgery
Caroline Kim – VUMC, Surgery-preliminary
Caroline Knox – St. Mary’s Hospital, Family Medicine
Clayton Knox – Massachusetts General Hospital, Internal Medicine
Rebecca Lawniczak – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Emergency Medicine
Frank Lee – Harbor Hospital Center, Medicine-preliminary; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Anesthesiology
David Leiman – Hospital of the U. of Pennsylvania, Internal Medicine
Kevin Liaw – U. of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Transitional/Radiology-preliminary; Radiology-Diagnostic
Brenessa Lindeman – Johns Hopkins Hospital, General Surgery
Ronald Loch – Scripps Mercy Hospital, Transitional; Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Radiology-Diagnostic
Daniel Long – VUMC, Medicine-preliminary
Johnny Lu – VUMC, Pediatrics
Mark Magill – Emory, Orthopaedic Surgery
Amy Martin – U. of Tennessee College of Medicine, Emergency Medicine
Laura Meints – Barnes-Jewish Hospital, ObGyn
Alexandra Mieczkowski – U. of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Medicine-Pediatrics
Shamaal Miller – New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, Anesthesiology
Arthur Moore – Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Neurology
Nizar Mukhtar – U. of California San Francisco, Internal Medicine
Mark Newton – U. of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Surgery-preliminary/Urology
Megan O’Neill – VUMC, Medicine-preliminary; Dermatology
Rina Patel – U. of Chicago Medical Center, Radiology-Diagnostic
Michael Paxten – Baylor College of Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery
Carmen Perez – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Transitional; Radiation-Oncology
Jim Phillips – U. of Alabama Medical Center, Otolaryngology
John Pitts – Emory, Medicine-preliminary; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Sofie Rahman – Washington Hospital Center, Emergency Medicine
Vernon Rayford – Massachusetts General Hospital, Medicine-Pediatrics
Jill Richman – McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern U., General Surgery
Liz Rinker – VUMC, Pathology
Sara Risner-Adler – U. of Texas Medical School, Transitional; Baylor College of Medicine, Dermatology
Kim Sandler – VUMC, Medicine-preliminary; Radiology-Diagnostic
Brent Savoie – VUMC, Medicine-preliminary; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Radiology-Diagnostic/Research
Ricky Shinall – VUMC, Surgery-preliminary
Monica Shukla – Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Radiation-Oncology
Stephen Stahr – U. of North Dakota, Medicine-preliminary; U. of North Carolina Hospitals, Dermatology
Brent Taylor – Medical U. of South Carolina, Medicine-preliminary; Dermatology
Jillian Tsai – U. of Texas Medical School, Medicine-preliminary; U. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Radiation-Oncology
Jose Vitale – St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Pediatrics
Courtney Walkowski – VUMC, Anesthesiology
Michelle Walther – VUMC, Emergency Medicine
Brian Wasserman – VUMC, Internal Medicine
Durham Weeks – Hospital for Special Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery
Jill Wilmoth – Ohio State U. Hospital Program, Orthopaedic Surgery
John Wood – Jackson Memorial Hospital, Otolaryngology
Shormeh Yeboah – Hospital of the U. of Pennsylvania, Family Medicine
William Yi – Washington Hospital Center, General Surgery
Jordan Yokley – Tripler Army Medical Center, Transitional
Naomi Yoo – Yale-New Haven Hospital, Pathology
David Young – VUMC, Psychiatry
Michael Young – VUMC, Internal Medicine