Invitation to Cover: Perelman School of Medicine Students Meet Their Match

PHILADELPHIA – On Friday, March 15, the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) at the University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Match Day, the annual event that reveals where graduating medical students will head for residency programs to further their training. While surrounded by their family, friends, peers, and faculty, each of the graduating students will learn where their medical career will take them next. 

Penn’s Match Day ceremony involves students greeted by the school leadership, followed by a call to have them retrieve but NOT open envelopes, followed by a shout out by our Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Wellness, Dr. DaCarla Albright, at noon, when the students open their envelopes simultaneously with shouts of joy and delight.  Across the nation, graduating medical students will also be finding out where they’ll train: Match Day takes place for all medical students nationwide on the third Friday of March each year. The National Residency Matching Program facilitates this process, running a computer-generated algorithm that is complex but is student – preferred which pairs students with their top choices for hospitals or medical centers in the United States. 

“This year’s graduating class is exceptionally distinguished – most of them began their training early in the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve witnessed -- and already made contributions to – a transformative time in American medicine,” said Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, senior vice dean for medical education at the Perelman School of Medicine. “We are inspired by their accomplishments and commitment, and are so proud of them for reaching this thrilling milestone in their careers.  We are also grateful to the many faculty who volunteered their time as advisors and mentors.”

The soon-to-be graduates will continue their training in a residency program for three or more years, depending on which specialty they plan to enter. The rigorous process of finding a match begins in the fall, consisting of advising and mentoring, applications, interviewing, and then a process where students rank their preferred programs, and the programs rank the students. At the Match Day ceremony, each student will open an envelope at noon to discover their match after months of waiting and years of hard work. 

WHERE:              Henry A. Jordan M’62 Center for Medical Education

Enter through the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine

3400 Civic Center Blvd.

Philadelphia, PA 19104

**A member of the Penn Medicine communications team will meet members of the press in the Perelman Center lobby to escort them to the event.

**Parking for media is available in the garage at 3600 Civic Center Blvd.