By Kat Procyk
Photography by Rayni Shiring, University of Pittsburgh
Tears welled in the eyes of Soukaina Eljamri, a graduating medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, as she stood with her parents, friends and the rest of the Pitt Med Class of 2025—an envelope in her trembling hands.
Eljamri, along with fourth-year medical students across the country, was moments away from a pivotal milestone—learning her residency placement and discovering where she would take the next step in her journey to becoming a licensed physician. It’s the highly anticipated National Resident Matching Program ® (NRMP) Match Day 2025.
In his address to students, Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine, said that the Pitt Med Class of 2025 is the first cohort he has guided through their entire medical school journey as dean.
Shekhar left the Pitt Med Class of 2025 a piece of wisdom before they ripped open their envelopes.
“You may have realized your dreams today, but even if it’s not everything you’ve dreamed of, remember that it’s just the next step to your best dream,” Shekhar said. “You will have many more great dreams ahead of you.”
As the countdown approached noon, the atmosphere at the Courtyard by Marriott, Pittsburgh University Center buzzed with anticipation and excitement.
In the months leading up to Match Day, students interview with specialty programs at different institutions. NRMP software uses an algorithm to “match” applicants to open residency slots in the programs. Students learn in advance whether they match but don’t know where until they open their envelopes. This year was the largest in the NRMP’s history, with a record number of 47,208 applicants who submitted certified a rank order list and 43,237 certified positions.
Pitt Med’s Class of 2025 had a 99% successful residency placement rate.
They’ll be embarking on their journeys across the United States. Fifty-one students are staying in Pennsylvania, with 41 of those having residencies in the UPMC network. The leading subspecialties for this year’s cohort are internal medicine, anesthesiology, psychiatry, pediatrics, general surgery and emergency medicine.
Alda Maria Gonzaga, professor of medicine and of pediatrics and associate dean for student affairs, said the School of Medicine is exceptionally proud that each student who applied to prestigious and competitive residences like neurosurgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, orthopaedics and urology, received a match. She added that a large portion of students applied for psychiatric residencies—all receiving a match at highly regarded institutions.
“The strong relationships between our specialty advisors, advisory deans and the students are evident in this match, as they deeply understand students' aspirations and actively guide them toward achieving their goals,” Gonzaga said.
Eljamri, a first-generation medical student, embraced her parents after seeing her results—crying even harder. She was matched to UPMC for internal medicine.
Eljamri was born with spina bifida and scoliosis. After her first of five major surgeries, Eljamri’s family emigrated from Morocco to the United States for better health care. Most of her earlier memories are in hospital rooms, but now, she’ll be on the other side.
“I remember how vulnerable I felt as a patient,” Eljamri said. “I leaned on my doctors because they made me feel better. I want my patients to feel the same way.”
To learn more about the Pitt Med Class of 2025 and where they matched, visit: matchday.pitt.edu.
To view the full gallery of Match Day photos, visit this link.
