March 15, 2024—(BRONX, NY)—Albert Einstein College of Medicine fourth-year medical students learned today where they will begin the next phase of their training as residents and interns at medical centers and hospitals around the nation. Under sunny skies in the College of Medicine’s decorated inner courtyard, 186 students cheered, cried tears of joy, and hugged family and friends as they discovered their residency locations.
The annual Match Day celebration is one of the most significant professional milestones of a physician’s life. This Match Day event, titled “Bloom Where You Are Planted,” marked the first significant in-person, landmark event for the class, whose early years were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They began their medical school careers in August 2020, five months after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Bronx. As a result, the class White Coat ceremony and many orientation activities were moved online, along with all classes, and social events were curtailed.
This year’s event coincides with the anniversary of another key milestone: the day Dr. Albert Einstein agreed to have a new medical school in the Bronx named after him. On March 15, 1953, the day after his 74th birthday, he spoke to a room full of dignitaries and media from around the globe, reviewed a model of the campus, and reiterated his support of the institution that would “welcome students of all creeds and races.”
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“We celebrate you—you represent the best of Albert Einstein College of Medicine,” said Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn & Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine. “You will always be a part of the Einstein family. You’re leaving Einstein but Einstein will never leave you.”
“All of you will continue to grow, learn, and become amazing physicians,” said Joshua Nosanchuk, M.D., senior associate dean for medical education and professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology at Einstein, and an infectious disease specialist at Montefiore Health System. “Remember, you are here to serve others. You’re experience in the Bronx really drove that home.”
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The match rate this year was 98%, with the majority staying in the tri-state area. The largest group of students from the Class of 2024 matched to internal medicine, with 51 students going into the field. Coming in second this year was psychiatry with 19 matches, a nearly 50% increase from last year. Rounding out the other most popular specialties were: surgery (18); pediatrics (16); obstetrics & gynecology (12) diagnostic radiology (11); anesthesiology (8); otolaryngology (7); family medicine (7); and dermatology, emergency medicine, and neurology, each with 6. Forty-six will join an Einstein-affiliated residency program, with 31 at Montefiore.
In addition to Drs. Tomer and Nosanchuk, speakers at the event included Philip O. Ozuah, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine; Penny Stern, M.D. ’89, chief, preventive & lifestyle medicine at the Katz Institute for Women’s Health, Northwell Health and assistant professor, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell; Allison Ludwig, M.D., associate dean for student affairs. As he has done for many years, Stephen Baum, M.D., senior advisor for students and distinguished professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology, rang a gong promptly at noon, signaling the students to open personalized envelopes that hung from decorated trellises. Within seconds, the celebrations began.
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Gabriella Cohen Feit, matched to Montefiore as a psychiatry resident, and her husband, Avery Feit, matched in radiology. “I love the connection you make with patients,” she said of her specialty choice, “and how much you can help them and how much it means to them. I felt at home at Montefiore and it’s nice we will go there together.”
Mohamad Jalloh, who matched in general surgery, said he was also happy to match with Montefiore. “I like working with my hands and the technical aspect of it,” he said. “I like the almost immediate impact a surgeon’s interventions can have for patients.” Asked about his favorite moments at Einstein, Mr. Jalloh spread his arms out and pointed to his friends. “These guys,” he said. “Being with them.”
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) conducts the match using a computerized mathematical algorithm to align the preferences of applicants with the preferences of U.S. residency programs seeking new trainees.
Residency training for most graduates will begin about seven weeks after Einstein’s May 23 commencement ceremony.