Ready, Set, Match Day!

Pictured: NYITCOM Dean Nicole Wadsworth, D.O., congratulates Long Island medical student Sean Tan as he receives the envelope containing his residency match.

On March 15, students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (NYITCOM) Class of 2024 discovered what their futures hold after medical school.

During the annual event, known as Match Day, NYITCOM-Long Island and NYITCOM-Arkansas medical students join future physicians across the United States in learning their “matches,” or where they will spend the next several years completing their medical residencies.

Upon completing medical school, U.S. physicians must successfully undergo a residency to obtain their medical licenses. Residencies typically last three to seven years, depending on the specialty.

Match Day is one of—if not the most—anticipated events in a student’s medical school journey. Ahead of the event, residency placements are determined by a computerized algorithm and kept top-secret from both the future doctors and the matching hospitals. Earlier this year, 10 NYITCOM students also participated in the military match, committing to complete their residencies by serving in a branch of the armed forces.

This year, the NYITCOM-Long Island Match Day ceremony was held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, N.Y.; the NYITCOM-Arkansas ceremony was held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at the Red Wolf Convention Center on the campus of Arkansas State University.

Maria Canellos, an NYITCOM-Long Island student from Manhasset Hills, N.Y., was excited to match with SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University for her residency in ophthalmology. While ophthalmology is one of the most competitive residency specialties, Canellos is confident that her medical school experience has prepared her for this next step. As an active member of NYITCOM’s Ophthalmology Club, she was mentored by highly skilled ophthalmologist and alumna Alanna Nattis (D.O. ’12); during her third-year clinical rotations, she also shadowed esteemed alumnus Eric Rosenberg (D.O. ’13), which included sitting in on cornea and cataract surgeries.

“I gravitated toward the field of ophthalmology early on and was always fascinated by its unique ability to encompass both medical and surgical treatment options. I appreciate the complexity and intricacy of surgery, as well as the impact that eyecare has on patients’ independence and quality of life,” said Canellos. “I’m excited to gain hands-on experience in the operating room and collaborate with fellow residents and attendings, forming lasting professional relationships.”

NYITCOM-Arkansas student Max Bacot and his wife, Nikki, celebrate his Match Day results.

More than half of the members of NYITCOM-Arkansas’ Class of 2024 were placed into programs that will keep them in Arkansas, a targeted Delta region state, or a state contiguous to Arkansas. These future physicians will carry out the medical school’s mission to improve healthcare outcomes in one of the most medically underserved regions of the nation.

Among these students is Max Bacot, who will complete a family medicine residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Northeast in his hometown of Jonesboro, Ark.

“It’s huge for me to be able to stay here,” said Bacot, who moved to Jonesboro with his family as a baby and attended Arkansas State University before his acceptance to NYITCOM-Arkansas. “I grew up here. This community pours a lot into students and is a really special place. I want to eventually practice here, so to be able to continue to train and grow right here in Jonesboro, it’s incredibly exciting.”

Multiple NYITCOM students were matched into very competitive specialties, including radiation oncology, orthopedic surgery, and others.

Here is a sample of the many impressive residencies earned by NYITCOM’s Class of 2024:

• Harvard South Shore – Psychiatry
• Dartmouth Hitchcock – Anesthesiology
• Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education – Diagnostic Radiology
• Tulane University – Pediatrics
• Cleveland Clinic – Anesthesiology
• Baylor College of Medicine – Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
• Stanford Health Care – Family Medicine
• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania – Emergency Medicine
• Vanderbilt University – Internal Medicine