“I feel excited, nervous, and anxious,” said Dalya Elhady, a fourth-year medical student at GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), in the minutes leading up to Match Day. Surrounded by her four children and husband, Elhady credits their unwavering love and support for her successes as a medical student.
“They have been supporting me through the last four years, always cheering me on when things got tough and, most importantly, giving me time to study,” she said, hoping to match in anesthesiology at her top choice, UF Health Shands Hospital at the University of Florida-Gainesville.
Students gathered in Ross Hall on March 20, surrounded by family, friends, and faculty, to celebrate the milestone — the transition between medical school and residency. At noon, they joined nearly 16,000 medical students nationwide as they simultaneously received and opened their envelopes from the National Residency Matching Program and found out where they will spend the next three to five years of their professional careers. “I’m amazed,” said Elhady, fighting back tears as she found out she matched with her top choice. “I’m relieved for me and my family, and I’m ready to take this next journey with them.”
Duke University, Ohio State University Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and University of Virginia are a few of the institutions SMHS students matched this year. Six students will continue their training at GW, and two will pursue training at Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C.
“These kids are all self-made. They represent the best of GW, the best of the country, the best of what GW does,” said Peter B. Kovler, member of the GW Board of Trustees, whose son Mark matched at John Hopkins in general surgery.
