UCF is setting the standard, earning a 99% match placement rate, compared with a national average of 93.5%.

Knights matched into specialties that include internal and family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, surgery, pathology and emergency medicine, with 46 of the 108 completing some or all their training in Florida.

Nationally, students are headed to programs that include Brown, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Vanderbilt. In Florida, students are going to Orlando Health, Miami, University of Florida and University of South Florida. Nine will further strengthen their ties as Knights in UCF-HCA Healthcare residencies in Greater Orlando, Gainesville and Tallahassee.

Medical school students cannot practice medicine immediately after graduation but must do three to seven years of residency training, depending on their specialty. Match results are kept secret until noon on the third Friday in March.

“At noon, as you open your match envelope, you are opening the door to your future,” Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and dean, said moments before the long-awaited unveiling.

A Match Day Tradition

Friday’s Match Day was particularly meaningful for German, who recently announced she is transitioning away from her role leading the medical school. During her 20 years as dean, German has conducted the first class of medical school for each new cohort. Called, “The Good Doctor – A UCF Tradition,” she asks students to think of the person they love most in the world and describe the characteristics of the doctor they want treating their loved one.

She writes those traits on a blackboard, which stays in the College of Medicine lobby as a contract between students, their faculty, patients and community.

Class of 2026 students designed decorative boxes to hold their Match Day envelopes. The boxes contained their Good Doctor words from four years ago, including��grateful, humble, compassionate and resourceful.

Finding Their Match

Ariana Johnson began to cry even before she opened her envelope and learned she will be doing her otolaryngology residency at Old Dominion University. A recipient of �����’s highest student honor, the Order of Pegasus, Johnson says the tears came as she realized she was finally achieving her dream after four years of hard work in medical school. As an ear, nose and throat specialist, she will be able to combine excellence in surgery with clinical patient care.

“I’ll be providing longitudinal care for patients,” she said. “With this specialty, you get to know patients for their whole lives.”

“I’ve wanted this since I was in middle school.” — Brandon Molligoda

Brandon Molligoda matched into neurology at Duke. He says his match result “means everything to me. I’ve wanted this since I was in middle school. I was always fascinated with how the brain works.”

Holly Moots ’17 ’24PhD is the third M.D./Ph.D. graduate in �����’s history. She researched pancreatic cancer during her joint degree and was thrilled to match into internal medicine at Lakeland Regional Hospital because of the residency’s focus on research and clinical trials.

“With my background, I want to take what I’ve learned in the labs and translate that into a clinical setting,” she said. “I can finally use all of this knowledge I got here at UCF and apply it to help patients.”

Addressing Florida’s Physician Shortage

The UCF-HCA Graduate Medical Education Consortium is the fastest growing residency and fellowship program in Florida and by this summer will be training more than 800 physicians in Greater Orlando, Sanford, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Ocala, Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach. UCF-HCA filled all their residency programs during National Match Day, adding 310 new physicians.

“As the need for physicians grows in the state of Florida, with an estimated 18,000 physician shortage projected over the next decade, we are helping to meet those needs,” says Stephen Cico, �����’s associate dean for graduate medical education and the UCF-HCA consortium’s designated institutional official. “We are focused on medical specialties that are or are going to be in the highest demand.”

Primary care is one of those specialties.

Victoria Millington ’21, who earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences before pursing her MD, is one of five Knights who will be staying in Orlando to serve their residences. She matched into her first-choice, internal medicine at the UCF-HCA Healthcare program in Greater Orlando.

Millington says she chose the specialty because it allows her to have long-term relationships with patients and coordinate with specialists to “bring all of the pieces of care together.”

“We are excited to welcome the next generation of physicians who will carry forward our mission — above all else, to care for and improve human life — and deliver compassionate, patient-centered care in the communities we are honored to serve,” says Cheryll Albold, who serves as vice president of graduate medical education for HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division.

Arielle Patterson and Jemual Shaylor ’21, members of �����’s M.D. Class of 2026, matched at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Naval Medical Center San Diego, respectively.

Both are recipients of the military’s Health Professions Scholarship, which covers tuition and living expenses for medical students who agree to serve their country for one year for each year of scholarship.

Walter Reed-Bound

Patterson is focused on improving health through physical activity, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

“As a doctor who is really passionate about fitness and physical medicine and rehabilitation, I want to really inspire the next generation of younger people to live healthier lives, earlier,” she says.

She also wants to expand access to healthcare and encourage more students from medically under resourced communities to enter the field of medicine. Research shows that patients have better outcomes when they feel they can connect to their physician’s personal background.

“There’s a lot of times in medical school where we feel alone, or like the only ones who have gone through this, but so many people have done this before,” she says. “Hopefully I can help bring us a little bit more together.”

Patterson has already begun working toward that goal, serving as director for Region IV of the Student National Medical Association, a student organization committed to improving access to the medical field and building culturally competent and clinically excellent physicians. She helped organize SNMA’s annual regional conference that will be in Orlando, February 20-22, bringing together physicians and medical students from across the southeast United States.

Patterson completed her bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology at Hampton University before joining �����’s M.D. Class of 2026. She says she chose the UCF medical school for its youth and innovative, team-oriented culture.

Inspired to Serve

Shaylor was inspired to enter military service by former Assistant Professor Jose Borrero, who was a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon during Vietnam before becoming a founding faculty member at UCF. Now retired, Borrero continues to serve as a mentor to UCF medical students.

During medical school, military students have the opportunity to undergo active-duty and officer leadership training at military centers around the country. In April, Shaylor will follow in Borrero’s footsteps to attend flight surgeon training in Norfolk, Virginia.

Specializing in general surgery, Shaylor hopes to eventually become a hand surgeon.

“A hand surgeon is almost a working man’s surgeon. You need your hands to do your job, or almost anything so when you’re able to restore function to any level, it has a major impact on a person’s life,” Shaylor says. “If I can do that, especially in the military where hand injuries are quite common, that would be a calling I would love.”

Shaylor earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in bioengineering from UCF.

The Match Process

Before practicing medicine on their own, M.D. graduates must undergo residency training in their chosen specialty. This graduate medical education training takes three to seven years, depending on the specialty.

During their fourth year, medical students interview with residency programs across the country before ranking their top choices. Residency programs do the same before the National Residency Matching Service analyzes the rankings and matches graduates to GME programs. Most results are revealed on National Match Day, which is March 20 this year. Military programs and some specialties match early.

The 107 students who matched into residencies include the son of Cuban immigrants who studied ways for low-income women to get mammograms, a woman who was born prematurely and is a national spokesperson for the March of Dimes, and a former congressional aide who switched from healthcare policy to becoming a primary care physician.

They joined colleagues, family members, children and even dogs on the College of Medicine’s Tavistock Green to celebrate Match — the first time in two years that traditional ceremonies resumed because of COVID-19. At noon EST, almost 40,000 M.D. students nationwide learned where they will do the next three to seven years of their training based on their specialty of choice.

“I know you are resilient. You spent your formative clinical years during a pandemic, and you have thrived,” said their dean, Deborah German, her voice cracking with emotion. “COVID-19 has changed so much about our world, including residency interviews and away rotations. And you have persevered through all those challenges. At noon, as you open your Match envelope, you are opening the door to your future.”

UCF Medical Students Match Above National Average

�����’s students will do their residencies at top programs across the country, state and community. A record 16 students matched into UCF-HCA Healthcare residencies across Central and North Florida, the most in program history. Six will train at Orlando Health; 41 will do some or all of their training in Florida.

Nationally, students will train at programs including Boston Children’s Hospital, Emory, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Vanderbilt. Their specialties include primary care programs like internal medicine, pediatrics and OB-GYN, and other specialties such as radiology, surgery, dermatology and psychiatry. Once again, �����’s 2022 residency placement rate of 98% was significantly higher than this year’s national rate of 93%.

Many of the students who matched are leaders in the college’s community outreach programs.

“I want to be a voice for kids … to help address barriers and societal structures and empower them to live more healthy lives.” — Spencer Adams

Spencer Adams helped start the Chapman Compassionate Care clinic that provides care to the homeless population in downtown Orlando. He matched into pediatrics at Michigan State University — his top choice. The father of two came to medical school after working as an epidemiologist for federal and state governments. He says becoming a pediatrician is the next step in a career dedicated to improving public health. “I want to be a voice for kids,” he said, “to help address barriers and societal structures and empower them to live more healthy lives. As physicians we need to be leaders across the community.”

Partners Vincent Cendan and Ricci Allen matched at top national programs just a 45-minute train ride apart. He’s going to Georgetown for a combined internal medicine/pediatrics specialty. She’s going to Johns Hopkins for pediatrics. Cendan, a Cuban American, has been a leader with MedPACt (Medical Students Providing Across Continents), where he provided care in rural Peru and at a multidisciplinary clinic serving Apopka farmworkers. He’s seen the impact of healthcare disparities on Latinx immigrants, especially those with limited English skills. He chose this highly competitive specialty because it will give him dual board certification in internal medicine and pediatrics and “give me the opportunity to treat people across all the age spectrums.”

Allen fell in love with pediatrics while training at Nemours Children’s Health during her third-year clerkships and often volunteered with their mobile clinic. “So many kids don’t have access to healthcare,” she said. “They don’t even have a bus to get them to the doctor.”

Medical student Annalisa Sega was born 10 weeks early due to complications from her mother’s preeclampsia. A volunteer and spokesperson with the March of Dimes, she has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives and is an advocate for women’s health. Active in many of the College of Medicine’s service organizations and free clinics, she is going into OB/GYN at Carolina’s Medical Center in Charlotte, a program recognized for its care of the underserved.

“I never went into medicine for the glory or the prestige,” she said. “I chose medicine because I really liked science and I wanted to use something that I was good at to help people.”

David Gittess helped people with healthcare issues who called the office of former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. As a legislative correspondent on healthcare policy, he wanted to have more direct impact on patients. That quest led him to �����’s College of Medicine, where he earned a national Excellence in Public Health Service Award, was a leader for MedPACt, and helped run the homeless and farmworkers’ clinics.

“Service to others will stay with me everywhere I go. It’s why I came to medical school.” — David Gittess

After graduation in May, he’s going to the University of Florida for an internal medicine residency and ultimately hopes to become a cardiologist. He’s thrilled to be staying in Florida because “you only get one hometown and one home state. Service to others will stay with me everywhere I go. It’s why I came to medical school.”

Sam Vega was inspired by the perseverance of his Cuban immigrant parents to get an education that would help him care for underserved communities. As a patient education leader at the student-run KNIGHTS (Keeping Neighbors in Good Health Through Service) Clinic through Orlando’s Grace Medical Home, he was committed to empowering patients to improve their health. He researched socioeconomic barriers to mammography in underserved communities. Born and raised in Tampa, he matched into diagnostic radiology at University of South Florida — his top choice — and will do a first-year internship, a requirement for his specialty, at the UCF-HCA Healthcare transitional program at Osceola Regional Medical Center.

Vega was surrounded by his mother, sister and girlfriend, a Florida State medical student, as he opened his match envelope and was so happy, he was at a loss for words.

“I’m going home to care for people,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier!”

“I went from having to navigate medical school to just surviving,” says Zach, who spent a week in intensive care. “I just remember having to continue to hope, and needing to find joy in my experiences, despite my condition. I want to help kids find that hope and that joy as they recover.”

On March 19, holding their 3-week-old son, Samuel, the couple got one step closer to their goal as they opened their Match Day 2021 envelopes and learned they will do their pediatrics residencies together at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.

The Thompsons were among 38,106 medical school seniors across the nation — and 113 at UCF — to match into residency programs as part of National Match Day 2021.

“We’re so excited and so thankful,” Anna said after learning their match results.�� “We’ve had the opportunity today to reflect on just how thankful we are for all the help we had from the school and our friends and family along this journey.”

UCF students are going to outstanding programs across Orlando, the state and nation for their graduate medical education. Forty-five are staying in Florida for all or part of their training; this includes 11 at UCF-HCA Healthcare residencies in Central Florida, two at AdventHealth, two at Nemours Children’s Hospital and seven at Orlando Health.

Nationwide, students are going to programs that include Brown, Cornell, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Stanford and Vanderbilt.

This year’s match process was dramatically different because of COVID-19. Instead of the typical in-person residency interviews, all were conducted virtually. One student described diving to South Florida for a “windshield tour” to get a feel for the community he might serve.

The pandemic canceled last year’s traditional UCF Match Day celebration on the medical school’s Tavistock Green. This year, UCF was determined to hold a physically-distanced, in-person event for students who wished to participate.

Leaders organized a drive-thru Match Day in the medical school parking lot decorated with banners, balloons and UCF flags. Students and their guests parked in assigned spaces. Everyone wore masks. About 50 students attended the in-person event, while others received their match information by email at home.

Medical school deans across Florida told Deborah German, vice president for health affairs and dean, that UCF was the only school attempting an in-person event this year. UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright and his wife, Melinda, also attended the event that featured new, giant celebration banners hanging on the Medical Education Building.

At the end of the event, students drove a car parade past the medical school.

“Nothing — not even COVID-19 — can change the excitement we feel today,” German told students from a stage set up in the parking lot. “Medicine has never needed you more.”

Philip Wessels and Tryphina Mikhail are the two UCF medical students going to Nemours. Wessels is a former Green Beret who spent most of his adult life as a medic for the Army’s Special Forces. Wessels says service to others is why he entered the military and why he’s becoming a pediatrician.

“Children are the most vulnerable and they need advocates more than anyone,” he says. “As a pediatrician, I can offer my service to the people in the community who need it most.”

Mikhail asked her mother to open her match envelope and both shed tears of joy when they learned the daughter had matched into her top choice. Mikhail held a hand-painted white doctor’s coat — a gift from her brother, a first-year UCF medical student — when she received her acceptance letter from �����’s medical school. On it were colorful animals, symbols, flowers and “Dr. Tota” — her nickname.

“Pediatrics is the best opportunity I know of to make an impact on kids and their parents,” she says. “You are there for the whole family.”

Medical students Simeon Thibeaux ’15 ’17MS and Kristen HoSang ’17 met when they both attended and tutored microbiology labs at �����’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. Now engaged, they screamed with joy when they learned they will train in the same area. HoSang will do her surgical residency at Temple in Philadelphia. Thibeaux will do his psychiatry residency at Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York City.

In the days before match, Thibeaux noted that he’d spent 11 years at UCF. A Burnett Honors Scholar, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and master’s degree in biotechnology, receiving awards for his research into fatty liver disease. He thought he would become an orthopedic surgeon until he did his third-year psychiatry clerkship at the Orlando VA and University Behavioral Center where he fell in love with helping patients address their mental health issues.

“I think I am more to be grateful to UCF than anybody in our class” he says. “I feel like all of my professors were so dedicated to giving me everything that I needed to decide what I wanted to do with my life and they really opened up my world up in so many ways.”

HoSang says she decided to become a doctor at age 6. She had health problems as a child, underwent heart surgery at two weeks old, and was “enamored with my pediatrician. I just thought his job was so great. And I wanted to do that.”

“I want to give back to the community that helped raise me.”

Josh Bobet will do his internal medicine residency at his first choice, Orlando Health. Born in Lake Nona, Bobet earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida and then returned to Orlando for medical school. He and his family decorated his car in black and gold paint and UCF flags for the Match Day event.

He put on an Orlando Health baseball cap immediately after opening his residency envelope. “I wanted to train at Orlando Health,” he says, “because I want to give back to the community that helped raise me.”

UCF-HCA Healthcare’s graduate medical education (GME) program gained 190 new residents on March 19’s National Match Day, including 11 graduating seniors from the UCF College of Medicine.

The UCF students matched into specialties including emergency medicine, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, surgery and psychiatry in HCA hospitals across the state. This summer, when residencies and fellowships begin, UCF-HCA will have 512 physicians in its training programs, including two new programs at West Florida Hospital in Pensacola. The partnership is one of the fastest growing GME sponsors in Florida.

“I am pleased that we are seeing more UCF students matching in programs across Central Florida including general and orthopedic surgery in Ocala,” says Diane Davey, associate dean for graduate medical education.��“We hope these students will choose to practice here in Florida after their residencies and help us address major doctor shortages in many specialties including psychiatry.”

Mabit Gonzalez is one of those UCF psychiatrists in training. After graduating in May, she will do her residency at HCA’s Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee and also see patients at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona. She was delighted with her match results, saying the UCF-HCA program was her top choice.

“I really love Orlando,” says the Miami native. “I did a rotation at Osceola and loved the residents and the faculty. The program felt like I belonged.”

Gonzalez says she has always been passionate about helping people with mental health challenges, noting that a close friend suffers from depression. And her UCF faculty mentor, Assistant Dean Martin Klapheke, is an award-winning psychiatrist who helps run the UCF-HCA psychiatry residency program.

“I am so excited by this opportunity,” she says. “Dr. Klapheke is who I want to be when I grow up.”

“As I watched my cousin undergo her treatment, I realized how much weight sight holds, and these feelings increased as I realized how much vision is a large part of my life,” the UCF College of Medicine student says. “As someone who makes art, I find joy and comfort in seeing colors and textures.”

On Jan. 14, Anbar cried and hugged her mother as she learned her dream is coming true. She matched into an ophthalmology residency at the University of Tennessee and is one of six UCF fourth-year medical students to match into the highly competitive specialty.

“This means the world to me,” says Anbar, who comes from a large family of physicians including her father and grandfather. “I absolutely cannot imagine doing anything else.”

While the majority of the nation’s medical students will learn their residency match on March 20 — this year’s National Match Day — some specialties, including urology, ophthalmology and military-based residencies, announce matches early. In December, two UCF military officers matched into residencies at military hospitals from across the country. Urology residencies will be announced Jan. 17.

Medical school graduates must complete a residency program in their chosen specialty before they are able to practice. Students apply for and interview with residency programs and then rank their choices. Residency programs do the same. A computerized service then matches top choices from both.

Becca Trieu was equally elated to match into ophthalmology at the Medical College of Georgia. Trieu grew up in Vietnam and saw many seniors, including her two grandmothers, suffer vision loss and blindness because they didn’t have access to healthcare.

She wants to use her ophthalmology training to help improve health around the world.

“I hope to go on mission trips, help establish local eye clinics, and help train future ophthalmologists in other countries.” — Becca Trieu, UCF College of Medicine student

“Global health has always been my end goal in medicine,” Trieu says. “After training, I hope to go on mission trips, help establish local eye clinics, and help train future ophthalmologists in other countries.”

Nationally, ophthalmology is considered one of the most competitive residencies. Each year, more than 650 medical students apply for only 464 residency positions available throughout the country.

“I’m thrilled for all of our students who matched into ophthalmology,” says Marcy Verduin, associate dean of students. ��“This is such a competitive field, and to have six students matched into ophthalmology is a testimony to their hard work, dedication, and passion to the field.�� I look forward to seeing all that they accomplish in their careers.”

For Jason Day,�� a fascination with the eye and the opportunities for surgical and clinical innovation drew him to the field of ophthalmology. He will stay local and receive training at University of Florida.

Samantha Prabakaran will train at the Medical College of Virginia. Having worked in eye clinics locally and abroad she witnessed the economic and social devastation patients suffered when they lost their vision.

“I have seen the incredibly positive impact ophthalmologists can bring about in people’s lives by restoring vision,” she says. ��“Matching into ophthalmology puts me one step closer towards caring for patients with vision impairment and working to improve their quality of life.”

“I am very emotional right now,” Allam said. “Having her as a third-generation doctor in our family is something better than we’ve expected. We’ve been blessed, but it’s entirely her hard work.”

Allam, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist, has practiced in Orlando for 25 years since moving from his native Jamaica. His father was also a physician who practiced ophthalmology in Jamaica for many years before he died. Shalini was born in Washington, D.C., and will return there after she graduates from UCF in May.

She was so excited to open her match envelope that she accidentally ripped it in half.

“I had to line up the paper and was struggling to read it when my parents screamed ‘Yes! It’s Georgetown,’” she said.

“It’s a true honor to be able to start another generation of Dr. Allams in my family,” the younger Allam said. “I know my grandfather would be so proud to see how far our family has come and how much we’ve grown. I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life. I’m so excited that I got my number one choice it’s just been tears of joy.”

Other Central Florida physicians also watched their children become the next generation of health care providers. Dr. James Sanders, assistant professor of neurosurgery at the UCF medical school, was tearful as he watched his son, Jim, match into radiology at his undergraduate alma mater, Emory University. The younger Sanders will do his transitional year of training at the UCF-HCA partnership residency at Osceola Regional Medical Center.

“Every year I get nervous at Match for all the students, but this year I was a little more so,” he said. ��“I feel very blessed. It’s an incredible profession and I’m very proud of him.”

“As a child, he used to actually read MRI’s with me and that was really fun,” Sanders said.

The future Dr. Sanders studied astronomy and physics at Emory and loves visual sciences. He said radiology will allow him to use that love to help heal others.

“My father has been a very powerful role model in my life and he’s been supportive along the way,” he said. ��“I’m very happy to join the community and I really look forward to the next chapter of my life.”

As the daughter of a radiologist, Reem Abdalla grew up running through the halls of hospitals and tinkering with X-ray machines and charts. ��But though she grew up around physicians, nurses and patients, it was not until her undergraduate years that she fell in love with medicine. On Friday, she learned she will do her internal medicine residency at Orlando Health, where she once volunteered as a pre-med student. ��

“Aside from being very lucky to get the ins and outs of this career and the medical expertise from my father, I was also very lucky to have a family that understood how difficult the process was and who were able to provide the support I needed,” she said. “It’s truly a luxury and I’m very grateful to them.”

Her father, Dr. Adel Abdalla has been a radiologist in Orlando for the past 17 years since moving from Egypt with his family.

“This moment really took me back to the moment Reem was born and how much went into making this moment happen,” he said. “It’s like a mission complete.”

��

On Friday, Choi got the opportunity, matching into an OB-GYN specialty at , a new graduate medical education program established by UCF and Hospital Corporation of America’s North Florida Division.

She is one of 13 UCF Class of 2018 medical students who will do all or part of their residency training in UCF-HCA programs in Gainesville, Ocala and Central Florida. With this year’s match, the HCA consortium added 162 new residents and fellows, bringing its total to 345 in July.

“We are pleased to welcome these outstanding young physicians into our UCF-HCA consortium starting this summer,” said Dr. Diane Davey, associate dean for graduate medical education. “We are excited to be building new residency programs to improve access to care and help alleviate Florida’s physician shortage.”

Eight of the UCF graduates will to through the UCF-HCA transitional-year program at Osceola Regional Medical Center. Certain specialties — such as ophthalmology, radiology and dermatology – require students to do a one-year transitional year of training that focuses on general medicine.

Medical student Nicole Spitzer said she is thrilled to be staying in Orlando for another year before moving to LSU for ophthalmology. After Friday’s match ceremonies, she wore an LSU baseball cap as she stood with Dr. Abdo Asmar, program director for �����’s transitional and internal medicine residencies at Osceola Regional.

“I’m really looking forward for my transitional year so I can really learn how to be The Good Doctor,” Spitzer said.

As a faculty member, Asmar said he was thrilled to be see his former medical students train as physicians. “It’s an amazing opportunity to teach them as medical students and then see them grow into real doctors caring for patients,” he said.

The UCF-HCA consortium now has 21 residencies and fellowships. The partnership hopes to add more than 600 residency positions to the state by 2020 to help address Florida’s physician shortage.

On Friday, they stood at National Match Day, arms around each other, waiting to learn where Fernandez would do her residency training.

Maria Luisa de Curtis Fernandez kissed her daughter’s head as Jessica opened her envelope and learned she’d gotten her top choice – Jefferson Medical College’s duPoint Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. It’s one of only three pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation positions in the country that train doctors to care for children with movement disorders caused by conditions such as traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and Jessica’s condition, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia. The rare genetic disorder affects bone growth and causes small stature. Jessica stands 4 feet 2 inches tall.

DuPont was the hospital program where Fernandez had surgery last year to fuse bones in her spine. She’d fallen in love with the facility’s spirit and that bond intensified when Fernandez did a rotation at the hospital months later.

“They were so motivating and accepting,” she said. “They wanted me to be me. With them, I can help children gain independence and mobility. I can heal patients like me.”

Fernandez was one of 114 Class of 2018 UCF medical students who matched into residencies Friday. Across the country a record-high 37,103 applicants submitted choices for 33,167 residency positions, the most ever offered. �����’s 98 percent match rate was again higher than the national average of 94.3 percent. During their fourth year of medical school, students interview with residency programs in their specialty of choice. They rank their choices; residency programs do the same. Then a national computer matches the two. The results are kept secret until noon on National Match Day, when students nationwide learn the results.

2018 UCF graduates will do their residencies at top hospitals across the nation, state and community, including Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Mayo Clinic, Orlando Health, University of Florida, Vanderbilt and Yale.

Ion, the College of Medicine’s certified therapy dog, even received his next assignment on Match Day. Ion’s owner, Christa Zino, matched into a surgical residency at Grand Strand Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Her residency program director said Ion, a rescued boxer, can join residents on surgical rounds to provide comfort to patients. “I’m so excited,” Zino said. “I love surgery because I can fix things with my hands. I can be that person. Now I just need to find a full-time dog walker.”

Professor Roseann White, who teaches at the medical school’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, attended Match Day to cheer on her neighbor’s grandson and former student, UCF med student Tyler Hall. He graduated from Burnett and is now headed to a pediatric residency at the University of Chicago. Hall credited Burnett School faculty with advising and helping him be ready for medical school and then succeed to he could get his dream residency.

White was equally thrilled. “To see him grow up and embark on his journey to become a pediatrician was very special,” she said. “For Tyler, along with a few others, to be one of our UCF biomedical sciences graduates matching makes me proud of our program.”

Best friends Stephen Rineer and Richard Taylor both matched into pediatric residencies at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. They met during their first year of med school. They studied together, prepared for their board exams together. Their wives are now best friends too.

“We were competitive but in a good way,” Reiner said. Added Taylor: “I’m ecstatic. It means so much to be able to match with my best friend, because we get to move there and already have a family of friends.”

Kyle Cox spent his undergraduate years competing on �����’s soccer team while he was studying biomedical sciences for pre-med. In May, he’ll graduate and move with his wife to Montgomery, AL, for a residency in orthopedic surgery at University of South Alabama Hospitals.

“I’ve spent so many years in athletics, I think like an athlete and I think that will help me relate to my patients,” he said. “Orthopedic surgery will allow me to help athletes get back on the field and help patients gain mobility so they can get back to what they enjoy.”

After opening their envelopes on the College of Medicine’s Tavistock Green, the future physicians went to a microphone, announced where they matched and placed a thumbtack on a giant U.S. map to mark their residency destination. Dean Deborah German told students that when they opened their envelopes, they were “opening the door to your future.”

Jessica Fernandez was the second student to announce her future. She stood on a stool to see over the podium at a Match Day crowd of hundreds.

“I’m Jess,” she said. Then the future Dr. Jessica Fernandez announced where she will go to heal others. And the crowd roared.

Students are pursuing a variety of specialties, from primary care to highly competitive sub-specialties like neurosurgery, diagnostic radiology and orthopedic surgery. They will train in hospital programs across Florida, including Orlando Health and the University of Florida, and across the nation, including the Mayo Clinic, Duke, Tufts, Brown and the University of Washington.

“It’s a great day for our university and our community,” said President John C. Hitt. “Our students have followed their pioneering spirits and accomplished so much with the help of our talented faculty and staff members and the support of so many generous scholarship donors. When our students move on to their residencies, they will be exceptional ambassadors for the College of Medicine, UCF and Central Florida.”

Thirty-five students from the College of Medicine’s charter class participated in Match Day 2013. More than 40,000 participated nationwide. Most medical institutions will not hire doctors unless they complete a residency, so there’s a lot riding on Match day. Results are kept secret until noon EST on national Match Day.

“I am happy with our match results,” said Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the College of Medicine. “Our students reached for the stars in pursuing their dreams. They will continue their training in Florida and across the nation representing Central Florida as the first group ɫ����-educated physicians.”

The match is similar to an online dating service. Medical students select their preferred residency program from a list of possibilities nationwide. Residency programs housed at universities and hospitals alike list their top picks. A centralized computer spends weeks sorting and coming up with the best “match,” which is announced on the designated Match Day.

There was a lot of anticipation leading up to Friday at UCF and beyond. The community eagerly awaited results after donating more than $6.5 million to fund full scholarships for every student in the class of 2013, making UCF the first medical school in U.S. history to provide full scholarships to an entire class. The scholarships provided $160,000 for tuition, fees and living expenses for all four years of medical school.

Students stood in front of an overhead banner where gold glittered clothespins held sealed white envelopes. Each envelope held a letter telling them where they had placed. As the medical school clock tower struck noon, the class, their families, donors, faculty and staff began counting down at 10…9…8…At “1” students tore into their envelopes to get the news. Tears, laughter and cheers erupted throughout the halls. Hugs and tears were common as parents and donors congratulated their students.

“I’m on Cloud Nine,” said M.D. student Mitch Popevetsky, who matched in internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “Every day this week has been a countdown until now. I was so excited I had to read my letter four times just to be sure.”

The College of Medicine was the first building to call Medical City home. Today the growing biomedical cluster located near the Orlando International Airport includes Nemours Children’s Hospital, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, a University of Florida Research and Academic Center and the Orlando VA Medical Center under construction. Collaboration among these institutions and hospital chains such as Orlando Health and Florida Hospital also gave the charter class students unique opportunities for hands on training.

Tiffany Chen is one of five UCF students going to the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals. “”I’m ecstatic,” said Tiffany, who opened the envelope announcing her obstetrics-gynecology residency, screamed and then turned to hug her mother.”I was in rounds all week, which was good because working distracted me. But it was hard to sleep last night.”

The match is the last big hurdle for charter class medical students before graduation on May 17 and the start of their medical careers.