Showers of joy for 2024 Match Day as future physicians learn where they’ll train

Congratulations to the 108 University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson students who celebrated Match Day 2024 last Friday to find out where they’re headed after graduation to begin their career as resident physicians in training.

Those students, faculty, family members and friends who gathered, March 15, under tents at the Old Main Building made the most of a blustery day with intermittent rain to cheer the success of all.

See below for a mini-photo gallery and list of incoming interns to the Department of Medicine’s Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus. With more than 130 trainees, it’s by far the largest residency program at the college.

Among families celebrating Friday was that of Sairam Parthasarathy, MD, chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, and Indu Partha, MD, in the General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine division. Their daughter, Meghana, matched to Northwestern University’s emergency medicine residency program.

“It was such fun to experience Match Day as a proud parent,” said Dr. Partha. “Such a joy to watch your child's hard work and perseverance translate into a dream come true. In a full circle moment, Meghana matched to the hospital she was born in. We are incredibly grateful to the faculty, residents, staff, and students here. She couldn't have asked for a better place to learn-especially through a pandemic. Always a Wildcat – UArizona and Northwestern!”

Dr. Partha said her Match Day was much more understated, opening envelopes in a student lounge.

[Amy Sussman, MD] Amy Sussman, MD, Department of Medicine vice chair for education and Medicine Clerkship director, relishes attending Match Day. “Honestly, these are students I’ve known for so long and I feel so proud of them. They feel like my children so, when I see all their hard work paying off, it makes me feel like their mom might about their achievement. My heart’s bursting at their joy,” she said.

Others shared that joy from a distance, like the DOM’s Internal Medicine Residency Program team. They hosted a watch party in the Sixth Floor Conference Room replete with décor, hats rattles and shakers.

[Laura Meinke, MD] “It was so much fun to watch our students match into wonderful programs, and to welcome some to our own Internal Medicine program here at the College of Medicine – Tucson. We look forward to welcoming them as well as all of our other amazing incoming interns from places both near and far!” said Program Director Laura Meinke, MD.

In all, nearly 28% of the college’s graduates will remain in Arizona – 20 in Tucson and 11 in Phoenix.

Three College of Medicine – Tucson students — Kathryn Pulling, Faissal Stipho and Guangzhe Sun — and one College of Medicine – Phoenix student, Cassandra Everly, will train come July 1 in the Tucson IM residency program under faculty physicians within the DOM and Banner – University Medicine Tucson, joining 19 other COM-T graduates who matched to residency programs associated with Banner Health.

More than half (51%) of all College of Medicine – Tucson graduates matched into residencies in primary care fields, defined as family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. Internal medicine took the top share of those at 33.5%, followed by OB-GYN with 6.5%, family medicine with 5.6% and pediatrics with 4.6%.

Of those matching into non-primary care specialties, 10.8% will do residencies in emergency medicine, 8.7% in general surgery, 5.8% in psychiatry and neurology each, and 4.6% in anesthesiology. Read more about College of Medicine – Tucson student residency matches at this link.

Here’s who will begin their first year as interns in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the College of Medicine – Tucson come July 1 (and where they’re from):

Meet the 2024-25 DOM Interns

CATEGORICAL INTERNS:

(Click images at right to enlarge.)

Monica Angeletti | College of Medicine - University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Christian Avalos | California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA
Kaitlyn Baber | University of Kansas School of Medicine
Danielle Bailey | Touro University Nevada, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Henderson, NV
David Baskin | Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
Shenar Dinkha | New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Glen Head, NY
Ajdin Ekic | University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND
Cassandra Everly | University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Edgardo García Licerio | Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Nicholas Genz | University of Kansas School of Medicine
Nathan Giauque | University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City
Celeste Gracey | Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Hartnett County, NC
David Hendrix | University of Texas Dell Medical School, Austin, TX
Jackie Hu | Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
Kellie Jeong | Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Glendale
Jessica Kitsen | Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Parker, CO
Matthew Lansman | California Health Science University, Clovis, CA
William Matloff | USC's Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles
Asael Nuñez | Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
Dustin Parsons | Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
Dwani Patel | Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Stacy Ploom | University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND
Tolulope Popoola | University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA
Kathryn Pulling | University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson
Drew Rasmussen | Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Meridian, ID
Jesse Ritter | Geisinger Commonwealth, Scranton, PA
Swathi Somisetty | Creighton University, Omaha, NE
Jared Stillman | University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa
Faissal Stipho | University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson
Robert Sumner | University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
Kalvin Thomas | Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Parker, CO
Mathew Thomas | University of Nevada – Reno
Emily Tishkoff | University of Pikeville, Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pikeville, KY
Mitchell Van Kalsbeek | University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD
Mattia Walter | University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu
Matthew Ward | Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago
Ryan Weyker | Midwestern University’s Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Glendale
Tammy Zamaitis | Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Parker, CO

PRELIMINARY INTERNS:

Nathan Holt | A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Mesa, AZ
Tara Samra | University of Miami, Florida
Guangzhe Sun | University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson
Swetha Vennelaganti | Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Chennai, India

MINI-PHOTO GALLERY
Click on images to enlarge. Rollover image with mouse for captions.