On March 20, thousands of fourth-year medical students across the country simultaneously opened envelopes containing the name of the program where they will spend the next few years of their lives training as resident physicians.

This capstone event, known as Match Day, is an important milestone in a student’s career—the culmination of years of hard work in medical school. 

 “Match day is unforgettable,” said Ronald Witteles, MD, program director for Stanford’s Internal Medicine Residency Training Program. “In one brief moment, you find out where you will be spending the next few years of your life—a time which is arguably the most formative in any doctor’s training.”

Programs and applicants are ‘matched’ by a computer algorithm developed by the non-profit National Resident Matching Program. After a year of interviews, applicants rank their preferences for residency programs, and programs rank applicants. These lists are then combined and the computer generates a match. 

A group of 50 remarkable graduates ‘matched’ with Stanford, and they will join the 2015-2016 intern class—the largest in the program’s history—in June. The admitted pool of students was selected from a diverse and competitive group of more than 2300 applicants, and come to the residency program from a variety of backgrounds and interests.  “We’re delighted to have matched a tremendous group of medical students from all around the country,” said Witteles. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome them into the Stanford family.” 

Here’s an introduction to Stanford’s newest residents: