Illinois Medicine

MATCH Gladness 14 | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 HOUTS, SELFIES, HUGS AND HIGH-FIVES cas- caded across the Hilton Chicago ballroom and in locations in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana as more than 300 College of Medicine M4s opened their white envelopes at exactly 11 a.m. Central time on March 17 across all four COM campuses. Along with more than 30,000 of their coun- terparts at 155 medical schools across the country, these students learned on the nationally desig- nated Match Day where they will be living and training for the next three to six years during the residency phase of their careers. "There's a lot of excitement in the air," said Trevonne Thompson, MD, assistant dean of residency preparedness, before the envelopes were opened. "UIC has a long tradition of placing great medical students into great residency programs who become great physicians." Of the 307 soon-to-graduate COM students, 184 hailed from the Chicago campus, 54 from Peoria, 51 from Rockford and 18 from Ur- bana. "This is a very special day for all of you and for your families," said Executive Dean Dimitri Azar, MD, MBA, during the Chicago ceremony. "This is one of my favorite days because it is a celebration of all your hard work and commitment." Thompson noted that among Chicago students, internal medicine was the most frequently chosen specialty, followed by emergency medi- cine, family medicine, pediatrics and anesthesiology. The highest num- ber of M4s matched in Illinois, followed by California and Missouri. Students Excited, Anticipatory Fourth-year students had different motivations for going into their cho- sen specialty and a variety of favorite memories about their four years at the COM. Chicago student Owen Kramer, who matched to the College of Medicine's dermatology program, said he selected his specialty for a few reasons. "I chose dermatology because the disease presentations are mostly palpable," he said. "It requires a strong understanding of internal medicine, and the patients are incredibly motivated." Mamatha Challa, a Chicago student who matched at Stanford University in psychiatry, said she had been impressed with the Cali- fornia school's programs, beautiful campus and emphasis on wellness. Her favorite aspect of the COM? "There have been so many things, but probably the most memorable has been the deep commitment to serv- ing the underserved population," she said. Chicago student Christina Rojas, who matched in emergency medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said she looked forward to doing family-centered care. "Kids can't always advocate for themselves," she said. "You get to be their advocate." Recently married couple and match participants Ryan Knodle and Joan Savage, also from Chicago, were excited to match together in internal medicine at Boston University. They will also remember the COM well for its commitment to serve everyone. "It's been a long four years, a lot of hard work, and this is kind of a culmination of that," Knodle said. Anna Fogel will stay "home" at the College of Medicine Chicago to pursue family medicine while caring for her newborn son, Samuel. "I wanted to be at UIC because I felt their values aligned with my val- ues," she said. "I'm really excited to be part of the primary care move- ment in the United States." In Peoria, Ralph Davis, who matched to the Internal Medicine Residency training program at the Mayo Clinic School in Scottsdale, Ariz., jumped up with smiles when he opened his envelope. "The ner- vous energy from everyone was pretty intense," he said. "I was pretty ecstatic at what I got. It was my first choice, a great program and a place I know I'll be excited to learn." J.J. Valverde sat at a table in Peoria connected with friends and family in California via two phones and a tablet in front of him with S match day by Ed Finkel Emotions run high as COM graduates find out where

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