‘Envelope, please!’: Medical students meet their match for postgrad training

Anticipation crackled in the air as more than 170 fourth-year medical students gathered on USC’s Health Sciences Campus. Collectively holding their breath, they watched as the USC mascot, Traveler, a handsome white horse with a Trojan warrior astride, delivered a bag full of envelopes holding big implications for their individual paths as physicians.

The Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Class of 2024, along with family and friends, joined together to celebrate Match Day. At exactly 9 a.m. PDT on March 15^th, they and their cohort across North America received big news — the institution and specialty for their upcoming residency training. Through the National Resident Matching Program, students have the chance to apply to one or more postgraduate programs, which they rank in order of their own preference. Match Day, held the third Friday of March each year, marks the moment of truth when the results are revealed, among cheers and overjoyed tears, hugs and high-fives.

I’m feeling excited about the future,” said Melissa Gonzalez. “And I’m really grateful for my friends and family, especially my parents, who guided me and supported me this whole journey.

Overall, USC’s physicians-to-be achieved a 97.7% match rate in 2024.

“I got into Stanford! I’m feeling excited about the future,” said Melissa Gonzalez, who matched with her top choice for a psychiatry residency. “And I’m really grateful for my friends and family, especially my parents, who guided me and supported me this whole journey.”

Gonzalez, a first-generation college student born and raised in Simi Valley, California, has wanted to be a doctor as long as she can remember. Her parents, immigrants from Mexico, were indeed one inspiration, with their stories of how lack of access to quality health care had affected them and their neighbors. Starting in middle school, she got a firsthand view of the medical landscape in underserved communities as a volunteer at the free clinic where her mother worked.

“My mission and passion in life is working with populations who are underserved, and more specifically Spanish-speaking populations,” Gonzalez said. “Growing up with my parents speaking Spanish at home, I saw how lack of interpreters, or sometimes just those cultural nuances that can’t really be taught, can impact patient care.”

At Stanford — and beyond — she plans to continue working with underserved Spanish-speaking communities. By training in psychiatry, she hopes to become a much-needed resource to groups for whom mental illness and its treatment may carry a stigma, something she saw evidence of at the free clinic.

“People were afraid of becoming addicted or having to take medication for the rest of their lives,” Gonzalez said. “I want to be the physician in the room in those moments, to be aware of those concerns upfront and address them, so patients can get the care that they deserve.”

We are really on the cusp right now of transformational changes,” said Carolyn Meltzer, MD, dean of the Keck School of Medicine. “Medicine is evolving fast — and those of you who stay in the vanguard will thrive in this field.

The Match Day event kicked off with a brief program that included remarks from Carolyn Meltzer, MD, dean of the Keck School of Medicine. She reminded the graduating students of their roles as future leaders in medicine and encouraged them to embrace three principles: to listen, to actively ignite change and to stay curious.

“We are really on the cusp right now of transformational changes in our ability to prevent, diagnose and treat disease with greater precision than ever before,” said Carolyn Meltzer, holder of the May S. and John H. Hooval, M.D., Dean’s Chair and professor of radiology. “Medicine is evolving fast — and those of you who stay in the vanguard will thrive in this field.”

Fourth-year student Jake Becerra, who grew up in North San Diego County, envisions a possible career in academic medicine pushing practice forward with care, research and teaching. In his next step pursuing that goal, he will remain at the Keck School for a residency in orthopaedic surgery, putting him among more than 30% of the Class of 2024 to return to USC for their residencies.

“This is fantastic news!” he said. “I’m going to know the system, going to know a lot of the people. I think I’ll be an asset to my co-interns — get everybody up to speed and we’ll be ready to roll.”

Like Gonzalez, Becerra was the first in his family to attend college. His calling as a physician grew in the wake of a serious sports injury during high school, with inspiration coming from the care of the orthopaedic specialists who helped him heal. He built up relevant skills before medical school with a bachelor’s in pharmacology, work as an EMT and a couple of years on the research team at a Bay Area startup.

A few fortunate students enjoyed relief from the mid-March tension thanks to residency programs that offer early matching. One such learner is Michael Eppler, who found out weeks before Match Day that he will remain at the Keck School with a coveted spot in the urology residency.

“The Keck School is an incredible place for urology, with world-renowned attendings, surgeons, clinicians and researchers who are also passionate teachers and mentors,” he said. “It really feels like home here. And I wanted to train in a place that’s always pushing to find the next innovative thing in urology, whether it’s research or surgical techniques.”

As the newly-matched students celebrated their next step, Meltzer offered encouragement for the road ahead. “Here’s to the next stage. Keep learning, keep challenging the status quo. And the rest of us will be here to cheer you on every step of the way.”

Click here for more about Match Day.