Here’s to New Beginnings: UM School of Medicine Celebrates Match Day

UMSOM Class of 2025 matched at 70 healthcare organizations across 21 states

Fourth-year medical students had a suspenseful day on Friday, March 21, as they gathered with family, faculty and staff to learn where they will head off to residency in the annual ritual known as “Match Day”. Consistent with previous years, the 132 graduating seniors at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) had extremely high success with a 98 percent match rate.

Match Day is annually celebrated by fourth-year medical students across the country, on the same day, at the same time. After a lengthy application and interview process, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) uses an algorithm to place students into training programs based on confidential rankings from both the student and their residency programs of interest.

This year, UMSOM senior students gathered in a crowded auditorium at the M&T Bank Exchange where they were given sealed envelopes. They opened them together at noon and found they had matched at 70 different healthcare facilities across 21 states.

Leading up to the big reveal, UMSOM faculty members attempted to ease the nerves in the room and shared encouraging words with the Class of 2025.“You all have had enough coffee and pizza, taken enough standardized tests, participated in enough endless rounds and stood long enough in operating rooms to make it here to Match Day, so congratulations,” said Donna Parker, MD, FACP, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education at UMSOM. “In many ways it feels as if we just met you, but we look forward to witnessing all you will achieve in your next new beginning and remember, no matter where you go, you will always have a home here with us.”

A full 35 percent of the class will stay in Maryland for their residency training, which is consistent with last year’s class. Primary care remained the leading field with 41 percent of students pursuing subspecialties such as Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics & Gynecology.

UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, who is the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Vice President for Medical Affairs at University of Maryland, Baltimore encouraged the class to embrace their upcoming residency experience and to lean into their newfound medical teams.

“Just remember that this is a journey, not a destination,” said Dean Gladwin. “These are big years of your life so always remember that medicine is a team sport, you are never alone, and your generation is the most equipped to understand data, to work as teams, to be vulnerable, and to be human.”

The National Residency Match Program reported that the 2025 Match was the largest in its 73-year history, with a total of 52,498 applicants registered, a four percent increase over last year.  A total of 43,237 positions were completed, also accounting for a four percent increase over 2024. This year’s Match saw continued success in filling primary care specialties across the board, with 20,300 categorical positions offered, an increase of 877 positions over last year and a new high. Overall, primary care specialties saw a 93.5 percent fill rate. 

Several senior students celebrated their match programs and reflected on their unique journeys towards the momentous occasion.

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Sanyukta Deshmukh, MD Candidate ’25, is headed off to Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. to complete her residency in pediatrics where she will also conduct research dedicated to health policy, advocacy, and community health. This step in her journey brings her full circle as she previously worked in Children’s National Hospital’s emergency department as a research coordinator.

“I really got to see not only how the community impacts what medical complaints you have and what kinds of access you have, but how doctors can really empower research and advocacy methods to do more for their patients,” she said. “Just seeing that in action made me want to go into medicine.”

Vincent Brown, MD Candidate ’25, will move to the Big Apple for his residency training. He matched into Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center – NewYork-Presbyterian. His journey into medicine stemmed from family members who battled illness and witnessing the great impact doctors had in their care.

“I want to be that doctor that people can lean on in the worst moments in their life,” he said. “There is a big distrust in the medical community, but I want my patients to know that they will have excellent care and that I will care for them as a person outside of medicine.”

As in previous years, the medical school class included several couples who were attempting to match in the same city or geographic location.

“I did two weeks in a Shock Trauma rotation, which was probably the two best weeks of med school for me,” said Colin Scott, MD ’25, who matched in General Surgery at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, PA. “The relationships that surgeons have with their patients is very special. I had not been exposed to the field much until then, so it was exciting to explore it for the first time and fall in love with it that way.”

His partner, Maria Som, MD Candidate ’25, who matched a two-hour drive away in Obstetrics-Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical Center – NewYork-Presbyterian said she always had an interest in surgery but that it was during her OB-GYN rotation that she “found the patient interactions made those surgeries very meaningful.” She added, “I think that’s because every issue that you come to an OB-GYN with is so intimate, it forges these incredible relationships of trust with your patients and I absolutely love that.”

Celina Thomas, MD Candidate ’25, who will move across the country to match in General Surgery at UC San Diego Health, offered this piece of advice to future students on the Match process:

“You will be asking your mentors, your family, your friends and anyone who will listen to you for advice, but I think it’s important to remember that you know yourself the best, so just trust your gut when you are making your match list.”

Presenting sponsors for this year’s Match Day Celebration included Whiting-Turner and the University of Maryland Medical Alumni Association.

Photos from the event can viewed here >