Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/128749
match day by Ed Finkel photos by Diane Smutny Students Match With Success M4s across four College of Medicine campuses battle nerves, celebrate Match Day Dean Dimitri Azar celebrates with twin brothers Ali and Ammar Al-Saraf, natives of Baghdad whose parents now live and practice medicine in Rockford. Ali will begin his residency at Loyola University Chicago and then continue at University of Chicago, while Ammar will begin at Rush Presbyterian and then continue at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Ill. 12 | Spr i n g 2 013 T he butterflies in their stomachs fluttered insistently as they gathered with their families, friends and classmates. Yet the 278 fourth-year students in the College of Medicine were able to exhale at 11 a.m. Central time on March 15 when Match Day envelopes were handed out during the traditional morning-long ceremony, for which 166 students gathered in Chicago at the Aon Center. "In a matter of minutes, we find out this news that changes our lives," said Dempsey Hughes, M4 class president, who will do her residency in general surgery at Layhey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass. With faculty and advisers in the room in addition to friends and family, "It's been one of those moments when worlds collide," she said. "It seems so surreal." College of Medicine Dean Dimitri Azar, MD, MBA, welcomed students and their families in Chicago. "You've devoted long hours to study and prepare for this moment," he said. "This is one of my favorite events at the college because it is a celebration of the excellence of our students. Each year, I am honored to share in the excitement of our hard-working students." "Good morning, doctors! You need to start getting used to being called that," added Adrienne Segovia, MD '90, chair of the University of Illinois' Medical Alumni Council, who sought to ease any trepidation the soon-to-be-residents might feel about the next step in their medical careers. "You have no reason to be uncertain and anxious," she said. "You are ready. Your instructors are very proud of you and know you will be outstanding residents." Immediately before the names were read and envelopes handed out, Kathleen Kashima, PhD, senior associate dean of students and interim senior associate dean for undergraduate medical education, provided a few statistics on the Class of 2013. Their No. 1 specialty, as many in the audience guessed, will be internal medicine, followed by family medicine, emergency medicine, anesthesiology and a tie for fifth between general surgery and diagnostic radiology. They will disperse to 26 states, with the largest concentration staying in Illinois and the second-largest heading west to California. The University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago will be the No. 1 placement, followed by University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago, Rush Presbyterian, the Mayo Clinic, the University of Washington and the University of Southern California. The reading of names and opening of envelopes inspired whoops and shouts, hugs and handshakes, cheers and jumping, and sudden shrieks of delight that echoed the length of the 80th floor room, as well as a flurry of picture-taking, texting and emailing on all manner of hand-held devices. Similar scenes unfolded on the college's regional campuses in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana-Champaign. "It's a big day, an exciting day," Regional Dean Sara Rusch, MD, Res '81, FACP told nearly 50 Peoria students at the WeaverRidge Golf Club. "I think back to the day that I matched to Peoria. I came here and I met my husband—and seven children, six grandchildren and a full career path [later], I remain