Match Day a rite of passage for UB medical students

Cloudy gray skies did not dampen the enthusiasm inside the Powerhouse in South Buffalo as medical students in UB’s Class of 2024 excitedly gathered for Match Day, a rite of passage for prospective physicians who learn where they will train in residency.

“Today, dreams are realized, futures are shaped and the culmination of years of hard work and dedication is celebrated,” Allison Brashear, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said in her welcome address to the crowd of students, family, faculty and friends.

“Your potential knows no bounds, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for each of you.”

Brashear also pointed out that as the 170 medical students eagerly waited to learn their residency destinations, they were not alone.

“You are surrounded by the support of your families and friends, whose love and encouragement have been your steadfast companions throughout your medical journeys.”

David A. Milling, executive director of the Office of Medical Education and senior associate dean for medical education, announced each of the students in attendance as faculty and school leadership passed out envelopes containing the match results.

Milling then led a 10-second countdown and at noon the students simultaneously opened their envelopes to find out where in the U.S. they will be spending the next few years of their training as physicians.

Alyssa Reese matched into a plastic surgery residency at Eastern Virginia Medical Center in Norfolk.

“I’m really excited; I’m really lucky to match into such a competitive specialty,” she said. 

Asked about how she feels about heading to Virginia, the Rochester native, who also earned her undergraduate degree at UB, said she’s looking forward to it. She did a rotation in Virginia and is happy to be headed back there. 

“It’s been a wild ride, a rollercoaster, a lot of ups, a lot of downs, but it was all worth it in the end,” said Kelsey Gibson, who matched with her first choice, pediatrics at New York Presbyterian Hospital. “I’m here with my family and my best friends, so to come together and to have such an amazing outcome, it was worth the whole journey.”

Shelley Verma matched into a primary care track in medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital/University of Rochester.

The Syracuse native said she was elated to be moving a bit closer to home. She’s also proud to be pursuing primary care.

“I want to develop better skills to prevent disease in my patients,” Verma said.

Jake Zipp, a Williamsville native, attended UB as an undergraduate, enrolled in the Jacobs School for medical school, and is one of three generalist scholars who will be doing their residency in family medicine at UB.

“Doing the General Scholars program, I kind of knew I was coming here, so I was not as nervous as everybody else, but still opening the letter is a cool experience,” he said. “I’m really glad to be staying here. I love the city. I don’t see any reason to leave.”

The Jacobs School continued its strong tradition of retaining graduates to stay in Buffalo for their advanced training.

In all, 27% of the class — 45 students — have chosen to stay at the Jacobs School for their residencies.

“We see this as a testament to their dedication to our community, the City of Good Neighbors, and their dedication to contributing to our robust health care systems,” Brashear said.

“By continuing their training in Western New York, these future physicians directly contribute to improving health care access and addressing gaps in care delivery, especially for underserved communities.”

Among the specialties that have the most matches from the UB class are internal medicine (seven), psychiatry (five), family medicine (four), internal medicine - prelim (four), pediatrics (four) and med-peds (three).

This year’s class included two MD/PhD, one MD/MBA, one MD/MPH and two MD/OMFS dual-degree students.

For Jelyn Cruz Eustaquio, Match Day was like a dream.

The Philippines native matched with Brown University for a residency in anesthesiology with a first-year internship here in Buffalo.

That was the ideal scenario for Eustaquio, who is engaged to an endodontist whose Western New York contract expires next year.

“Next year, we will go to Rhode Island together,” she said. “I matched in the advanced program, so my first year is at UB and my last three years will be at Brown.

“It’s like a dream come true to go to an Ivy League school, but it was also a dream come true for me to go to a SUNY school for medical school. This is the best that I could have hoped for.”

Eustaquio’s unique journey into medicine began well after she moved to the United States as an 18-year-old. After witnessing health scares affecting her mother and sister, she was inspired by the doctors who provided their care to change careers and pursue a degree in medicine.

She eventually ended up at the Jacobs School, where she felt she could receive personalized attention and mentorship. She credits that guidance with helping her land a competitive Tylenol Care Future Scholarship in 2021, one of only 10 health professions students nationwide to win the top $10,000 prize.

“When I interviewed at UB, I was amazed by the building — it was brand new at that time — but it was really the people I met on the interviews that guided me here. I have no regrets. I am so happy I ended up here because it has gotten me where I wanted to be.

“When I moved here, I had no idea I would end up on this journey,” she said. “I get really emotional when I talk about this because I’m going to be the first person in my family to be a doctor and this is really huge for me. The barriers, the challenges — when I look back, those pushed me to where I am. But I think it’s the people along the way that really got me where I am — being inspired by the people around me and a lot of the exposures that I had.”

Engaged couple Kirsten Frauens and John Ciarletta each matched at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester.

Frauens, a Rochester native, matched in physical medicine, while Ciarletta, originally from Long Island, matched in neurology.

“We’re going together, so I am good with that,” Ciarletta said. “I’m just very grateful for all the people that help you get to this point. It’s definitely a big milestone, and it’s a mix of excitement and fear of the unknown, but at the end of the day you just have to be grateful for how you got here and all the people that helped you.”

The couple met as first-year medical students and have been inseparable ever since. They’re planning to get married a week after graduating from UB.

“Neither of us thought we were going to end up in Buffalo for med school, but we did,” Frauens said. “We met each other early on and ended up getting engaged, and now we’re getting married. Everything worked out.

“Coming to UB was the best decision I ever made,” Ciarletta said. “It was life-changing for the better.”