Chancellor Johnson Congratulates 619 SUNY Medical Students for Acceptance into Hospital Residency Programs
March 15, 2019
Annual "Match Madness" is the start of training for next generation of doctors
Students at four SUNY medical schools learn where they’ll begin residency training in this annual letter-opening ceremony
Albany – State University of New York Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson today commended 619 SUNY medical students at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Upstate Medical University, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo for being accepted into hospital residency programs, with more than half remaining in New York State. Known as "Match Day," the annual tradition is the culmination of the residency matching process – or "Match Madness" – that launches the next generation of physicians into their medical careers. Residents will spend the next three to seven years building their clinical knowledge and professional development before becoming doctors.
"Getting into a residency program is a major milestone in the education and training of our medical school students, and today is a significant step forward for 619 talented students as they continue on their medical careers," Chancellor Johnson said. "I want to congratulate all of SUNY’s medical school students, who will be our next generation of highly skilled and trained physicians. We are all proud to have had them study at SUNY’s four high-quality medical schools."
Chancellor Johnson celebrated the event at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn Downstate Medical Center, where she was joined by 197 students and their friends and family. The Renaissance Medical Center of Stony Brook University had 121 students, while SUNY Upstate Medical University had 153 students. At the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo, 148 students learned their residency match.
"Match Day is another rite of passage toward becoming a physician," said Wayne J. Riley, M.D., President of SUNY Downstate. "It is the emotional culmination of years of hard work and dedication resulting in great reward for the career next step as a resident, and for our students, an opportunity to proudly share what they have learned at SUNY Downstate Medical Center."
"Match Day is a celebration that everyone can take pride in, especially our students, whose hard work, dedication and passion for medicine shows in their accomplishment today," said Mantosh Dewan, M.D. Interim President of Upstate Medical University. "It's also a day filled with pride for our students' friends and families and faculty and many others who have provided encouragement and support throughout their medical education."
"Match Day at Stony Brook is once again a great success, and the overall match for the Class of 2019 is a testament to the students’ hard work and talents, and our school’s commitment to cutting-edge medical education and clinical and research training," said Kenneth Kaushansky, M.D., MACP, Senior Vice President of the Health Sciences and Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. "All of this has resulted in successful matches to highly competitive residency programs all over New York State and nationwide."
"Our students have matched to extremely good programs throughout New York State and throughout the nation," said Michael E. Cain, M.D., Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo. "We could not be more proud of what they have accomplished here in Buffalo and what they will accomplish as they launch their medical residencies, providing the highest quality compassionate care to their patients."
The Match Process begins in the fall during the final year of medical school when students apply to the residency programs of their choice. Throughout the fall and early winter, applicants interview with programs. From mid-January to late February, applicants and program directors rank each other in order of preference and submit the preference lists to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), a private, non-profit organization.
The NRMP uses a computerized mathematical algorithm to match applicants’ preferences with those of residency program directors at teaching hospitals nationwide. The process culminates in "Match Day," when students gather for a celebratory nationwide letter-opening at noon ET to find out where they will begin training for their residencies. The process is closely watched because of its impact on national physician workforce trends.
SUNY's four Academic Health Centers support approximately 2,800 medical resident positions, or one in every six residency slots in New York State. According to a 2016 survey by the Center for Health Workforce Studies, 41 percent of the residents continued to work in the state after completing their residency.
About SUNY Health Centers and Medical Schools
SUNY graduates the greatest number of health professionals in the state of New York Health, educating one of every three medical school graduates, one of every three nursing graduates, and one of every five dentists in the state. Additionally, SUNY’s four academic health centers, five hospitals, college of optometry, and a veterans’ nursing home serve more than 1.3 million patients yearly and produce groundbreaking innovative biomedical and health sciences research and discovery, helping to create the future of healthcare and medicine. Learn more at suny.edu/health.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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