Match Day 2024 Welcomes Friends, Family to Celebrate New Residents
On an overcast Friday afternoon, the clouds parted for 140 medical students at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons as they received the results of their residency match. VP&S students opened their match letters at noon, together with more than 41,000 medical students nationwide, to discover where they will begin their residency training this summer.
The Match Day celebration at VP&S was held in the Hudson Lounge at 50 Haven Avenue and featured remarks from Katrina Armstrong, MD, dean of VP&S; Jean-Marie Alves-Bradford, MD, associate dean for student affairs, support, and services; Monica Lypson, MD, vice dean for education at VP&S; and Salila Kurra, MD, associate dean for student career development at VP&S. Vivian Lewis, MD, ’77 VP&S, also spoke on behalf of the Alumni Association.
The class of 2024 had a singular experience as medical students, beginning their medical studies in 2020 during the height of the pandemic's emergency phase. “This class matriculated at VP&S during a pandemic, navigating transitions between remote and in-person learning, and made it here today to the next step of their journey,” Alves-Bradford said in her remarks at the event. “Regardless of what the envelopes say—you have made it, and you are prepared. Remember to take care of yourselves and your relationships and know that you’re going to learn a lot in the next stage of your medical education and do well.”
A record-high number of applicants participated in the 2024 National Resident Matching Program, which manages the residency matching process for the United States and distributes the results. The current residency matching process began last September, when students applied to residency programs of their choice, and continued with interviews over the following months. In late February, applicants and programs confidentially ranked each other in order of preference, and the NRMP algorithm matched applicants with programs.
In her remarks at the event, Armstrong noted that although the newly matched residents may travel far and wide as they begin their careers, they will always be a part of VP&S.
“No matter where you end up next, you will forever be part of the VP&S family,” Armstrong said. “You’re going to take with you the values that we all share—the commitment to patients, to support each other, to ask the hard questions, and to do better for everybody we serve—and bring it across all parts of this country.”
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Among VP&S students, the most popular residency matches were internal medicine (20%), psychiatry (12.2%), orthopedic surgery (6.4%), pediatrics (5.7%), obstetrics & gynecology (5.7%), and anesthesiology (5.7%).
“I’m ecstatic with my match,” said Grace Plassche, who matched in orthopedic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “Columbia is my No. 1 and it feels like home. From day one, I’ve learned from the people around me, from my classmates to my professors, and the way they’ve taught us to be not only good doctors but good humans has just been beyond anything I could have imagined.”
Bethany Onyirimba, who matched in obstetrics & gynecology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, says that her education and clerkships at VP&S have left her feeling prepared for residency.
“I’m currently in our Ready 4 Residency course right now, which has helped so much,” Onyirimba said. “This course is doing a great job of getting me comfortable with entering a new environment and turning to resources when I don’t know the answers off the top of my head.”
The next years of residency will bring new challenges and obstacles, but Adithya Kannan, who matched in neurosurgery at the University of Wisconsin, says he feels the supportive environment and faculty at VP&S have prepared students for the next phase of their journey as clinicians.
“It comes down to the people—we all matched well because of the support of Columbia’s programs that shepherded us through,” said Kannan. “The people in the department here took me under their wing and supported me when things got tough. When I went on away rotations, we just felt ready for the challenges ahead. The professors here make sure you’re ready. It’s going to be challenging, but I’m ready.”
This year was a successful match for VP&S students, and the school is grateful to the departments and advisors for their partnership in this outcome, Kurra said.
“The Class of 2024 matched incredibly well,” says Kurra. “We are excited to have many of them staying with us for the next phase of their journey, and we are thrilled that many others will be wonderful ambassadors of VP&S as they head to other institutions across the city and country. We can’t wait to see the amazing things they will do throughout their careers.”