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Soon-to-be doctors from CMSRU celebrate Match Day remotely


Today, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University's (CMSRU) fourth year students joined thousands of medical students from across the nation in learning the next step in their journeys to becoming practicing physicians as the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) announced their official residency “Match.”

This year, instead of a big celebratory event at the school, the news was shared through a special email sent at Noon by NRMP directly to the students, who were having personal celebrations at home. The 2020 Match Day event was cancelled as Rowan University, and schools across the country, implemented social distancing policies as part of their efforts to “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While it’s sad that we were unable to have our traditional celebration at CMSRU, it is the right thing to do. It does not take away from the tremendous accomplishments of our students and the amazing results of CMSRU’s 2020 Match,” said Annette C. Reboli, MD, dean of CMSRU. “Once again this year, 100 percent of CMSRU students matched, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. I also congratulate their families, friends, faculty and staff who supported them through their medical education.” 

CMSRU’s seventy-nine students who entered the 2020 Match were offered residency positions at some of the nation’s most prestigious and competitive programs.

“This is only CMSRU’s fifth class of medical school graduates, and I’m proud to say that once again our students did exceptionally well,” added Dr. Reboli. “The quality of the programs both in the region and across the country are a reflection of the growing reputation of CMSRU. Given the intense competition for residency spots nationally, our results are extraordinary!”

Thirty-six of the 79 students (46 percent) will be entering training programs that prepare residents in primary care medicine: 23 will begin internal or family medicine residencies; eight will specialize in pediatrics; and five will go into obstetrics and gynecology. We also had students match in some of the most competitive specialties, including ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dermatology, orthopedic surgery, urology, radiation oncology, and integrated interventional radiology.

Thirty-two percent of the class will remain in New Jersey to complete their training, including 17 students who matched at CMSRU/Cooper University Health Care.

CMSRU students matched at a range of esteemed programs across the country, including Boston University, Brown, Cornell, Emory, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Jefferson/DuPont, Penn State – Hershey, University of Alabama – Birmingham, University of Rochester, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Yale.  

The 2020 Main Residency Match was the largest in NRMP history. A record-high 40,084 applicants submitted program choices for 37,256 positions, the most ever offered in the Match. The number of available first-year (PGY-1) positions rose to 34,266, an increase of 2,072 (6.4%) over 2019.

Click here for CMSRU’s Match Day results.