The white envelopes please!
At the strike of noon on Friday, March 21, UConn School of Medicine’s Class of 2025 students simultaneously revealed their residency training program fates by ripping open their white envelopes on national Match Day.
One hundred and eleven soon-to-be UConn made doctors matched in the Class of 2025, and together they enjoyed a thrill of a lifetime moment in the Academic Rotunda.
“It is really, really an exciting moment! This is our largest Match that we have ever had,” shared Dr. Marilyn Katz, Assistant Dean for Medical Student Affairs at the School of Medicine.
“This is my 11th time seeing this electric moment as Dean. Congratulations to all of you! All your hard work is paying off culminating in this exciting moment,” said Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of the School of Medicine.
“I wish you all a big congratulations and remember we will always be here for you,” said Dr. Melissa Held, UConn’s senior associate dean for Medical Student Education.
Match Day 2025 by the Numbers
111 students matched.
24 are staying at UConn for residency.
33% are going into Primary Care.
28% are staying in Connecticut.
52% are staying in New England.
Meet some of the overjoyed UConn fourth-year medical students who matched to residency programs from across Connecticut to California who will soon receive their UConn medical degrees at UConn Health’s 54th Commencement ceremony on May 12 and gain their new title of “Dr.”
Future Primary Care Physicians
“I’m very, very excited! This moment isn’t just for me, it’s for all of us. We did it!” exclaimed the future Dr. Ireoluwatomiwa Opayemi, 26, from Milford, who is headed into internal medicine residency training after matching to nearby Yale-New Haven Hospital.
He is dually earning his MD and MPH at UConn. “This is a moment I’ve been looking forward to ever since my first year of high school. Internal Medicine was the rotation where I felt the most energized everyday walking into the hospital. I loved playing detective, piecing together different aspects of a patient’s history, labs, and imaging to figure out what’s going on.”
Opayemi was inspired to enter the world of health care thanks to his mother. “She’s a nurse, and growing up, I saw how passionate she was about caring for people. It made me think, ‘There’s got to be something special about this field.’ She was right! I fell in love with medicine from the moment I started volunteering in high school,” he shared.
He added, “The people at UConn made this experience unforgettable. I’ve never been surrounded by so many passionate and driven individuals. From day one, in our TBL (team-based learning) sessions, I knew I was in the right place. I felt at home. I cannot emphasize enough how UConn has shaped me into a well-rounded future physician. I’ve spoken to alums of UConn SOM who say they felt more prepared than most interns on day one, and I can already tell that’s going to be true for me too.”
Opayemi loved his experience at UConn’s medical school.
“UConn SOM means the world to me. Being a Husky and part of UConn feels amazing. Every time I walk into a patient’s room and introduce myself as a UConn medical student, I feel proud,” said Opayemi.
“I am so thankful to everyone who helped get me to this point!” exclaims the future Dr. Lily Zhong ’21 (CLAS), of East Lyme, who has a lot to celebrate. She turns 26 the day after learning her match to internal medicine training at MGB-Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a double Husky, having attended UConn as both a medical student and an undergraduate.
“I’m incredibly excited to see where my classmates and I are headed for this next chapter of our lives!” said Zhong. “Growing up in a multigenerational household with my grandparents was one of many things that inspired me to enter medicine. One reason I chose Internal Medicine is that it allows me to build longitudinal relationships with my patients while providing both preventative and acute care in a team-based environment.”
“I love being a Husky. UConn School of Medicine feels like home to me. I am so proud and grateful to be a part of the UConn family,” Zhong said. “Attending medical school at UConn has made me feel very prepared to be a future physician particularly through early exposure to clinical care, and UConn’s emphasis on a team-based approach to education and patient care.
Future Cardiologist
“I am beyond excited about Match Day! This feels like a moment I have been working towards for many years,” said future physician Elizabeth Silver, 26, of Sleepy Hollow, New York also matched to internal medicine at MGB-Massachusetts General Hospital.
“I am hoping to pursue internal medicine next and hopefully cardiology in the future! Internal medicine for me is all about solving medical puzzles, considering patients holistically, and thinking about mechanisms behind disease and treatment – and I am so excited to immerse myself in this field as a resident next.”
Silver is part of the combined 8-year dual B.S./M.D. Specialized Program in Medicine at UConn.
“Having been a UConn student now for over 8 years, Husky pride will always remain with me. UConn is a special place that draws people of different experiences and interests in a way that they can learn from each other,” Silver said.
She also shared the uniqueness of experiencing the national Match Day milestone.
“It feels so special to get to do something together – with our classmates and other medical students around the country. Everyone feels each other’s energy and wants to see their peers achieve their dreams of becoming the physicians they hoped to be first year of med school!” Silver said.
In addition to being inspired by her mom, Silver is interested in pursuing a career and advanced training in cardiology, ultimately thanks to her research mentor’s encouragement and after she spent two years in California doing genetic cardiomyopathy research. Her research mentor is Eric Adler, M.D. at the University of California San Diego.
“My mentor has given me a career to aspire to and encouraged me to dig deep into the why of disease and consider how we can move medicine forward in novel therapies,” Silver said. “UConn prepares us to be strong, well-rounded clinicians. Our faculty are role models for bedside manner, thinking deeply and caringly about patients, and always remembering to be a human first, teaching us to think in a patient-centered manner.”
Silver concluded, “In our transition to residency course, they conveyed to us ‘you will have a new first name: doctor.’ It will be so special to receive that and also feel the responsibility of that new title.”
Future Emergency Medicine Doctor
The excitement for Match Day is absolutely thrilling.
“I’m beyond excited! The idea of this white envelope containing the place where I will serve patients in need as I build on the foundation of knowledge that UConn gave me is truly thrilling!” shared Patrick Bogui, 27, of Englewood, New Jersey.
The inside of his envelope revealed that he will soon be training to be a future Emergency Medicine physician right here at UConn School of Medicine.
“I’m going to UConn! I’m going to UConn! Let’s go!” Bogui happily exclaimed on Match Day after opening his envelope. “I’m sticking around!”
“I love the diversity and unpredictability of the ER,” said Bogui, who was inspired at an early age to become a future doctor after losing his grandfather too soon.
“So many people have inspired me along the way, but what initially sparked my passion for medicine was the loss of my grandfather in eighth grade. That experience led me to decide I wanted to be in a position to care for another eighth grader’s grandfather in the future,” Bogui shared.
“There’s a sense of pride that comes with being a Husky,” Bogui said. “What attracted me to UConn was the collaborative culture they truly champion. In fact, it was one of the first things the Dean of Admissions highlighted when I interviewed here before becoming a student. I want to affirm the institution for that – your classmates are teammates who push you toward greatness, and the only person you’re competing with is the version of yourself from yesterday.”
Future OB/GYN Experts
Zoe Paige Garvey, 28, of Windsor, was also “beyond excited” to meet her match to Mount Sinai Morningside-West for residency training in obstetrics and gynecology.
“I am going to be an OBGYN! I have dreamed of becoming a doctor for as long as I can remember, and this day represents that dream becoming a reality, and the incredible next phase of my and my colleagues careers,” said Garvey.
Garvey chose to enter medicine after experiencing surgery as a child.
“Although that experience was difficult and uncharted for me, the surgeon that operated on me demonstrated to me what it meant to be a kind, compassionate and competent physician, which inspired me to want to provide the same care to others.”
Garvey is pursuing the OB/GYN specialty because it is where she can see herself making the largest impact within medicine: “I am driven to address healthcare disparities and improve the health outcomes of not only the patients and communities I directly serve but also through my advocacy for women on a state and national level,” said Garvey.
She said UConn School of Medicine is a place that has provided her with a solid foundation in both clinical knowledge and skills.
“Attending medical school at UConn has shown me that there are no limits in caring for my patients, from direct patient care to patient advocacy,” said Garvey. “The UConn name speaks for itself, and it is well known that a UConn-trained physician is a competent and compassionate physician.”
Classmate Amanda Hernández Rodríguez, 27, of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, also matched to an OB/GYN residency at Nuvance Health Consortium and is a step closer to also accomplishing her dream of becoming a doctor too.
“I have been dreaming about this day since my undergraduate years, so saying I’m extremely excited is an understatement! I’m overjoyed that the day has finally arrived after all these years of hard work, and I can’t wait to take this next step in my career,” said Hernández Rodríguez.
She is hoping to enter Obstetrics and Gynecology and admires the important role these physicians play in empowering women through education.
“It is gratifying to have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with patients and support them through some of the most significant moments of their lives,” she said.
Hernández Rodríguez has really enjoyed the family environment of UConn, and is glad that she chose to attend its medical school after participating in its MCAT Prep Summer Program. “I immediately fell in love with the school. The faculty and staff were not only inspiring but also approachable, showing a genuine interest in my success. Their support and collaborative environment made it clear that UConn would be a great fit for me.”
She feels well-prepared to soon enter the health care workforce.
“One of the best parts of my UConn experience was the close-knit community they fostered. It’s rare to find a place that makes you feel so comfortable and part of the community,” she heartwarmingly shared. “It’s an honor to have trained in such a wonderful environment and to call myself a Husky. The diversity of our patient populations, combined with UConn’s strong focus on community service, has shaped me into a well-rounded physician.”
UConn School of Medicine is the top producer of Connecticut’s new doctors and surgeons. Its Class of 2025 will receive their M.D.s on Monday, May 12 at 1:00 p.m. at the Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts at UConn Storrs.
