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When Mayra Lorenzo read her email from the National Resident Matching Program on the morning of March 15, she was elated to find out she had been matched into a residency program. But it was a suspenseful three-day wait until “Match Day” to find out where she would begin her residency this summer. Lorenzo was elated to eventually find out that her “match” is Brigham and Women’s Hospital—her first choice. Lorenzo—a native of Puerto Rico, who is slated to attain both MD and PhD degrees from Harvard Medical School (HMS) this June—is one of 68 medical school students across the country, who will begin as a first-year resident this July. “I am ecstatic. This is an outstanding place for medical training. Everyone whom I’ve encountered here has been extremely supportive,” said Lorenzo. Lorenzo was joined by other newly matched students from area medical schools at a celebratory “Match Day” reception hosted by BWH’s Internal Medicine Residency program last Thursday. Carrie Hall was the scene of hugs, cheers and refreshments for newly matched residents by housestaff, attending physicians and others. “We are delighted to see BWH’s next generation of outstanding interns. I cannot express how thrilled and enthusiastic we are to welcome all of you to the BWH family,” said Joel Katz, MD, director of the Internal Medicine Residency. Another one of the new faces to join the Brigham family come July is Rebecca Breslow. “We are very pleased. I had no doubt she’d be training here at BWH,” said her very proud husband Kenneth Sexter, who accompanied his beaming wife to the March 18 celebration. Breslow and Sexter had a busy week as they enjoyed their second wedding anniversary and the big news of her match at BWH. A native of New York City, Breslow is set to graduate from HMS in June. Out of the 2,100 applications submitted to BWH, 41 of those ultimately matched at BWH will begin the three-year categorical program, while 12 will be trained in primary care. Fifteen will pursue a preliminary year of internal medicine training at BWH prior to further study in fields such as dermatology, radiology and anesthesiology. An additional eight will be joining the program as part of the Harvard-wide combined medicine-pediatrics program. The Surgical Residency Program also received positive results from this year’s match. “We are particularly pleased with the residents selected this year for surgery,” said Stanley Ashley, MD, director of Surgical Residency. “The new residents bring to BWH the level of excellence, dedication and varied professional interests that we sought.” The Department of Surgery admitted 16 new residents, including seven in categorical general surgical positions as well as nine specialties, including urology, orthopedics, otolaryngology and ophthalmology. Nationally, the number of surgical placements increased over last year.
According to Katz and Bruce Levy, MD, the Medical Residency Program prides itself on its ability to provide a personal touch in the often sterile matching process. From initial interviews to consistent and direct follow-through, those in the program work hard to make applicants feel comfortable about the possibility of spending at least the next one to four years for medical residents and seven to nine years for surgical residents in Boston. Albert Kim, MD, PhD, a fellow in the Division of Cardiology, enjoys providing BWH hospitality to prospects. “Many of the current housestaff work hard to welcome and build relationships with existing interns and those who may be matched at our institution,” he said. Kim, a UCLA Medical School graduate, reached out to prospect Anne Liu at his alma mater and kept in contact with her to answer questions about BWH, New England and any other topics she may have inquired about. Anne matched with BWH and will be relocating to Boston this summer. “When I was pursuing BWH as my training institution of choice, I was impressed with how those that interviewed me took the time to learn more about me and not just my academic background. It was that attention to detail and the relationship building early on that attracted me to the BWH program. I’m proud to be able to carry out that tradition with other prospects,” added Kim.