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JOHNSON CITY — The Class of 2021 at East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine found out today where they were matched for their residencies upon their upcoming graduation.
 
Like many medical schools across the country, Quillen College of Medicine cancelled its in-person Match Day celebration held for students and their families due to the COVID-19 pandemic and hosted a virtual Match Day experience via Zoom, which friends and family could watch online.
 
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) pairs graduating medical students with residency programs throughout the country. The Class of 2021 enjoyed a successful match rate, with 96% of the class securing residency training positions in 14 different specialties/sub-specialties at 36 residency sites throughout the United States.
 
“I am so excited that I matched into pediatrics at The University of Alabama at Birmingham,” said David Taylor, class president of the Quillen Class of 2021. “I was nervous throughout the process but it’s so gratifying to have all the hard work pay off. I’m super excited for my next three years in Birmingham and for all the incredible places my classmates matched as well!”
 
The students will begin residency training programs on July 1.
 
“Match Day is a highly anticipated occasion for all medical students, and I am extremely proud of Quillen College of Medicine’s Class of 2021,” said Dr. Bill Block, ETSU vice president for clinical affairs and dean of Quillen College of Medicine. “As a class and as individuals, these students have overcome many challenges in their final year of medical school. They have persevered through clinical rotations and residency interviews during a pandemic, and they have made us very proud throughout this process. We are excited that some of them are staying with ETSU Health for their residency, while others will go to new places. Wherever they go, they will be always be part of the Quillen family.”  
 
Twenty-five students will continue their training at institutions in the state of Tennessee, and overall 50 students will train at institutions in the Southeast. Thirteen members of the Class of 2021 will remain at Quillen College of Medicine for their residencies.
 
Almost 49% of the Class of 2021 will enter primary care (family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology) and five students will enter emergency medicine.
 
A number of students matched to highly competitive specialty programs including anesthesiology (three), orthopedic surgery (one), neurological surgery (one), urology (one), and diagnostic radiology (four).
 
Three students will complete their residency training through military service.
 
Members of the Class of 2021 will attend residency at institutions across the country, including ETSU,  Johns Hopkins, University of Alabama, University of Florida, University of Louisville, University of Tennessee, Wake Forest, and Vanderbilt.
 
Quillen College of Medicine student Kamyl Harvey-Bogan was excited about her match into psychiatry at the University of Florida College of Medicine—Jacksonville.
 
“God has blessed me, my husband, and my family greatly,” Harvey-Bogan said. “Finally my husband and I will be able to live together, as he is stationed as a Navy officer in this area. This psychiatry program offers training in community psychiatry, and I will be able to provide care for those with pervasive and chronic mental illnesses and those who are experiencing homelessness.”
 
Nationally, the 2021 Main Residency Match was the largest in NRMP history. There were 38,106 total positions offered, the most ever, and 35,194 first-year (PGY-1) positions offered, an increase of 928 (2.7%) over 2020. The growth in positions was supported by continued growth in the number of Match-participating programs. A record-high 5,915 programs were part of the Match, 88 more than 2020, according to NRMP.
 
To learn more about Quillen, visit www.etsu.edu/com.