Harvard Med Students Match to Dream Residencies Nationwide

When the bell rang at noon on March 20, cheers and happy tears filled Harvard Medical School as 157 students tore open envelopes revealing where they'd spend the next years of their medical careers.

The Class of 2026 gathered with parents, partners, and professors at the Veritas Science Center for Match Day, the moment when medical students nationwide learn which hospitals accepted them for residency training. Some jumped for joy, others called loved ones who couldn't make it, and many just hugged the people who supported them through four grueling years of medical school.

"It's been a dream come true," said Megan Goh, who matched with the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, her top choice. "I could not have asked for a better Match Day."

Of the 145 students who matched in clinical specialties, 66 will continue training at Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Internal medicine was the most popular choice with 40 students, followed by anesthesiology, dermatology, general surgery, and psychiatry.

For Jiwoo Lee, matching at Beth Israel Deaconess in vascular surgery meant training with the surgeons she admired most. "All the mentors and attendings and residents are people who I wanted to be as a surgeon when I grew up," she said.

The matches weren't just about professional dreams. Lois Owolabi matched in general surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess, which meant she could stay in Boston with her fiancé, a resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "That was a prayer, to be here with her in Boston," her fiancé said.

Matthew Reynolds celebrated his match to Brigham and Women's in internal medicine alongside his partner, who's been with him since their Harvard College days. "I just love the way that in internal medicine, you really get exposure to all areas of medicine," Reynolds explained.

Why This Inspires

These future doctors spent years studying to heal others, and Match Day represents the moment their specific paths become clear. Whether pursuing vascular surgery or primary care, staying close to home or moving across the country, each student is now one step closer to making their own difference in patients' lives.

The diversity of specialties chosen shows how these graduates will address healthcare needs everywhere, from operating rooms to family medicine clinics. Some will fill critical gaps in primary care, others will push boundaries in specialized fields like radiation oncology and oral surgery.

When asked to describe Match Day in one word, students offered everything from "grateful" to "life-changing" to simply "love." Those words capture what happens when years of hard work meet the beginning of a calling to serve.