Einstein’s Class of 2023 Marks Match Day with a Joyous Celebration

Albert Einstein College of Medicine fourth-year medical students opened letters on March 17 that revealed their long-anticipated matches to residency training programs around the country.

Students and their families, friends and mentors gathered on campus for the annual Match Day celebration, one of the most significant professional milestones of a physician’s life. Just before noon, members of the Class of 2023 lined up in front of their photos hung on a clothesline stretched across Einstein’s Central Courtyard. As a noontime gong sounded, they removed their photos, ripped open the attached envelopes and learned where they will begin their next phase of medical training as resident physicians.

Successful Matches

This year, 184 students matched to a residency. The largest group of students from the Class of 2023 matched to Internal Medicine, with 45 students going into the field. Coming in second this year was Anesthesiology with 20 matches—about twice as many students as in a typical year. Rounding out the top 10 were Diagnostic Radiology (15), Pediatrics (13), Psychiatry (13), Surgery (11), Obstetrics and Gynecology (10), Emergency Medicine (8), Ophthalmology (8) and Neurology (7). Forty-one will join a Montefiore Einstein residency program.

“I’m super relieved and happy—everything you work for in medical school is for this day,” said Brooke Nosratian, who recalled a special moment four years ago when her father, Farshad Nosratian, MD ’83, helped her into her white coat during orientation. Brooke Nosratian matched to a psychiatry residency at Montefiore Einstein. “I love it here because these doctors are really passionate about their patients and the community, social justice and combatting inequalities in healthcare.”

Training During a Pandemic

COVID-19 upended the Class of 2023’s first year of medical school, when the pandemic hit the Bronx in March 2020. While Einstein quickly adjusted by offering classes online, the students were on their clinical rotations when the delta and omicron variants emerged and led to surges in cases.

“You’re here today and so successful,” said Joshua D. Nosanchuk, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education, and Professor, Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “During that time in 2020, so many of you did incredible things and volunteered for our community. I’m so grateful to you all.”

“This class demonstrated their deep commitment to medicine as well as their resiliency during this unprecedented time,” said Allison Ludwig, MD ’04, Hospitalist, Jacobi Medical Center, Montefiore Einstein, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and Associate Professor, Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “They are extraordinarily well-prepared to care for their patients, provide humanistic and evidence-based care and advocate for equitable treatment for everyone.”

Speakers at the event included Philip O. Ozuah, MD, PhD, President and CEO, Montefiore Einstein; Gordon F. Tomaselli, MD ’82, the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Montefiore Medicine; Jane M. Gold, MD ’92, a member of the Einstein Alumni Association Board of Governors; Dr. Nosanchuk and Dr. Ludwig.

Looking Forward

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) conducts the match using a computerized mathematical algorithm to align the preferences of applicants with the preferences of U.S. residency programs seeking new trainees.

Residency training for most graduates begins about five weeks after Einstein’s May 24 commencement ceremony.

“My time at Einstein really helped me grow as a person and allowed me to explore a lot of my passions,” said Samantha DiSalvo, who celebrated her match to a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at NewYork-Presbyterian. While at Einstein, DiSalvo co-led a student group devoted to improving care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and says she hopes to “push the field forward” to help patients achieve their best quality of life. “This week felt like the longest week of my life, waiting to learn about my match. But in terms of best memories of my time here, this day is at the top of the chart.”