On Friday, March 15 at the strike of noon, UConn School of Medicine’s Academic Rotunda erupted with the sounds of white envelopes being ripped open and with joyful laughter, screams, and tears.
The exhilaration was courtesy of national residency Match Day, with 97 soon-to-be doctors at UConn’s medical school learning their residency training program destinies. The fourth-year medical students in the Class of 2024 will receive their medical degrees at Commencement on Monday, May 6.
UConn School of Medicine is Connecticut’s largest producer of new physicians. UConn’s next class of new doctors will be headed to hospitals across Connecticut and the country for advanced residency training for the next several years in primary care fields and medical specialties.
This national Match Day, the Class of 2024 had all 97 students successfully placed in residency positions, a perfect match rate of 100%.
“This is maybe our best Match Day yet,” said Dr. Bruce T. Liang, UConn Health Interim CEO and longtime dean of UConn School of Medicine.
Twenty-two percent are staying at UConn for residency training, and 37% are staying in Connecticut. Additionally, 35% of the medical students are going into primary care fields, with 61% remaining in New England and 23% staying elsewhere in the Northeast. Eighty-five percent of the future graduates matched into one of their top three choices for residency.
Match Day welcoming remarks were delivered by special guest U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health & Substance Use and leader of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“On behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), I want to congratulate the students on the incredible achievements they have made so far, and thank them for choosing careers in medicine. HHS is committed to strengthening the health care workforce, and we have been working to recruit, support, and develop health workers across the country. We wish you good luck in your residencies and future careers as physicians and hope that you consider a career in public health,” said Delphin-Rittmon.
“This is my first Match Day as assistant dean of Medical Student Affairs,” excitedly exclaimed Dr. Marilyn Katz of the School of Medicine while hosting the festivities.
Dean Liang also added, “Today is a momentous moment. It’s a milestone. You are all exceedingly well-trained. All your hard work has successfully paid-off.”
The livestreamed event had 300 in-person attendees consisting of medical students, friends, family, and faculty filling the large Academic Rotunda to capacity.
Nationally, each year at the same time on Match Day more than 40,000 medical students around the country learn their residency fates as part of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
UConn Medical Students Meet their Match
Timothy D. Mason ’20 (CLAS) ’24 MD, 25, of Lebanon, was very excited to be surrounded the people he loves for Match Day and receive his amazing news.
“The people here are the best,” said Mason. “I did my undergraduate degree here as well, and UConn never gets old. I am very proud to be a double Husky. My goal is to practice medicine in Connecticut. I have been a part of the UConn community my whole life,” said Mason, who hopes to someday be back again as a UConn physician.
He matched in internal medicine to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and hopes to pursue the field of cardiology afterwards.
John Busque ’24, 31, of Manchester, was inspired to become a doctor while working as a physical therapist. He also matched into internal medicine residency at Albany Medical Center.
“The excitement of Match Day is a unique tradition unlike anything I have experienced before!” said Busque while celebrating with his wife Sara.
“UConn is truly one big family,” Busque said. “UConn really does a wonderful job in training students to be compassionate and thoughtful future physicians and leaders from the first day of training.”
Audrey Dellert ’18 (CLAS) ’24, 28, from Orange, is a double Husky, having attended UConn as an undergraduate. She was incredibly excited for her match.
“I’ve met incredible people in my class, and Match Day is a time where we can celebrate each other and what we’ve been through together over the past four years,” said Dellert, who matched in neurology for residency training at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “I’ve been interested in neuroscience ever since I first learned about neurons in high school. I also enjoy that as a neurologist you can have long term relationships with your patients.”
Dellert loved her academic medicine education experience at UConn.
“UConn will always hold a very special place in my heart,” Dellert said. “Something that makes UConn stand out is that we get a lot of clinical exposure that starts early. Becoming a good physician requires a lot of experience, and we get a lot of clinical time at UConn.”
Emma Mastrobattista ’24, 28, of Farmington was thrilled to finally experience Match Day and learn she is staying close to home in Connecticut for training.
“Opening the white envelope is such an exhilarating and terrifying moment in time that to me represents the culmination of many years of hard work for all medical students!” Mastrobattista said.
She is headed into psychiatry residency at The Institute for Living located at Hartford Hospital and hopes to better learn through residency how to help older adults as a geriatric psychiatrist.
“I have always been fascinated by the brain and the challenges we face during the aging process – both mental and physical,” she said. “Pursuing a career in medicine and psychiatry to me feels like the ideal way to help this population and follow my passion. Working with the fantastic geriatric psychiatrists here at UConn has without a doubt helped me solidify that this is the field I want to be in.”
Mastrobattista added, “UConn has equipped me with the clinical skills and confidence necessary to begin residency. The early exposure to the clinical environment, gained through the CLIC program, was absolutely instrumental in developing my interest in psychiatry and building my skills and comfort with patients.”
“I’m grateful to be a part of such an extensive network of individuals at UConn that is so willing to extend help in times of need! The collaborative environment makes it is easy to understand why many decide to stay.”
Mastrobattista co-founded the UConn Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support group with fellow medical student, Victoria Kozar ’24 MD. It allowed them to help those in the community navigate the difficulties of caregiver burnout and facilitate discussion.
Kozar, 28, from New Milford, matched in psychiatry at nearby Yale-New Haven Hospital and looks forward to pursuing a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry.
“I can’t believe the day is finally here, after four years of hard work leading up to this, the moment is real. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this time-honored tradition and it’s a bonus that it means I’ll be employed,” said Kozar. “I could not be prouder to be a Husky and part of UConn. As a Connecticut native, it feels special to have trained at an institution that gives back to the community in so many ways, and hope to have the opportunity to do the same and practice medicine in Connecticut.”
Kozar recounted what inspired her to choose the field of psychiatry.
“My friend Beth was and continues to be my biggest inspiration for pursuing this field. Despite almost 70 years between us, she was so dear to me, and being by her side as she developed Alzheimer’s disease and, seeing all that she and her family went through, I knew there was more I could do,” says Kozar. “It’s an honor to be able to carry her memory with me and help older patients struggling like she did.”
She adds: “UConn truly does feel like family. My experience would not be what it was without the people that make up UConn. They are the heart of the institution. UConn has armed me with not only just strong medical knowledge, but the clinical know-how and skills to be the most compassionate and thoughtful physician I can be.”
Abigail Boursiquot ’24, 26, is from Ottawa, Canada and was extremely excited for her Match Day:
“I’ve been waiting for this day for the last four years and it’s finally here! I couldn’t be more excited.”
“I am going to become an OBGYN!” said Boursiquot, who is also headed to Yale for residency. Throughout medical school she became passionate about women’s health and reproductive justice.
“It’ll be a dream come true. When I was four years old, I told my entire family (and anyone else who would listen!) that I would be a doctor when I grew up. To finally accomplish that goal is surreal,” said Boursiquot. “The incredible OBGYNs that I have met while at UConn have been my inspiration for entering this field. There is so much work to be done and I’m looking forward to joining the phenomenal group of individuals dedicated to advancing women’s health.”
Boursiquot added: “Over the last four years, I have had the opportunity to participate in the care of individuals from a variety of backgrounds. The patients we serve in the Hartford area have taught me a lot about life and how to go the extra mile for my patients. I am grateful for this experience. I’ll be equipped to do what it takes to ensure my patients receive the best care.”
The Health Careers Opportunities Program (HCOP) at UConn Health, led by Professor Dr. Marja Hurley, was instrumental in Boursiquot’s decision to attend UConn.
Jasmin Williams ’24, 28, of Norwalk matched to neurology residency at Yale, too.
“I’m ecstatic! For me, becoming a neurologist is not just a profession, but a calling.”
Her passion for neurology was ignited during a critical period of her life when both of her parents suffered from strokes.
“The challenges and triumphs of caring for my parents illuminated the vital role neurologists play in the lives of patients and their families. The resilience and determination I witnessed in my parents and the profound impact that neurologist had on their lives left an indelible mark on me,” Williams said.
She added, “UConn did an impeccable job at preparing me to be a future physician. Having the opportunity to work with a physician on a weekly basis since the first month of medical school was monumental.”
“I am super proud to be a Husky and a part of the UConn community. Connecticut is and will always be a place that I call home,” said Williams. “Walking across the stage on May 6th will be such a special moment for me and my family as I will be the first physician in our family.”
Williams participated in HCOP as an undergraduate student while at Trinity College in Hartford.
“I knew UConn SOM was somewhere that I could thrive,” said Williams. “At UConn you truly feel like you are a part of a big family.”
Countdown to Commencement
Commencement is around the corner for these fourth-year medical students and their classmates. Their words of advice to those dreaming of medical school to become a doctor:
“If you have the dream and desire to pursue medical school or a career in health care, you can make it happen! While the path may not always be easy, ‘the juice is worth the squeeze,’” said future doctor Busque.
“I recommend UConn medical school because you will enter a supportive community where people will be there for you no matter what,” said Dellert. “I’m lucky to have gone through eight years of school here—UConn is a part of me.”
“Embarking on a career in medicine is like signing up for the ultimate rollercoaster – it is fast-paced, unpredictable, and occasionally nauseating. But trust me, the ride is absolutely worth it if this is what you are passionate about!” said Mastrobattista.
“The world is your oyster at UConn,” Kozar advised. “One of the largest draws of UConn was its strong Center on Aging and opportunities to serve the older adults of Connecticut with experts in the field. One of the biggest draws of the medical school was its focus on care for the whole patient, the opportunity to receive a certificate in Social Determinants of Health, and in-depth education on health systems.”
Mason added: “I finished my B.S. with UConn in 2020, where graduation was canceled due to COVID, and I never walked across the stage for my degree. I am thrilled to finally walk this May with my MD after eight years at UConn.”
Williams said, “When I hear the words ‘UConn School of Medicine,’ I think of the excellence that I have witnessed in all sectors medicine including education, research and patient care. But what I love most is the strong sense of community that is intertwined in all that UConn stands for.”
Williams concluded: “Never give up on your dream!”
UConn Health’s 53rd Commencement will be on Monday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m. in Storrs at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts.
