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Medical Students Matched to Residency Programs Nationwide

March 19, 2021

John Pisan and his fiancée Rebecca Loechli have matched together at St. Luke’s and will be spending the next four years training to be OB/GYNs right here in Bethlehem.

For decades, the tradition of celebrating Match Day – a medical student’s rite of passage into training or residency – brought together thousands of students and their families for celebrations across the nation. At the strike of noon on a set day, students eagerly tore into envelopes to discover where they would spend the next 3-5 years of their lives.

But like everything else, Match Day has gone remote.

Temple/St. Luke’s medical students will celebrate pandemic-style – from the comfort of home with select family – viewing their letters online instead of in person.

For Match Day coordinator and fourth year student John Pisan, today he will learn where he and his fiancée will live for the next four years as they both pursue residencies in Obstetrics and Gynecology. They graduate in May, marry in June and will be starting their careers by July.**

“National Match Day is an unforgettable milestone for every medical student across the country,” said Shaden Eldakar-Hein, MD, St. Luke’s University Health Network and Senior Associate Dean and Associate Professor, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. “We are proud to have trained our graduating class of 2021, and we are extremely pleased to see our students moving on to some of the most highly regarded residency programs in the nation, including St. Luke’s.”

Fourth-year student Saira Agarwala from Center Valley is excited to celebrate with a group of fellow classmates and friends. She is planning a career in Dermatology. “At St. Luke’s, our class is small and tight-knit. We’ve seen each other through a lot – including deciding what residencies we want to pursue. I’m excited to see where everyone matches today,” she said.

St. Luke’s boasts 38 graduate medical education programs – residencies and fellowships – in a variety of fields including family medicine, emergency medicine, dermatology, neurology, cardiology and many others.

“This year we interviewed and matched with many individuals with local ties, which is ideal because there is a stronger possibility of them staying here if they train here – meaning more physicians particularly in high-demand specialties to help care for our community,” said J.P. Orlando, Ed.D, St. Luke’s Chief Graduate Medical Education Officer.

“I’m excited for all of them,” Dr. Eldakar-Hein said. “Today is a tribute to the students’ hard work over the past four years and to the excellent teaching, advice and counsel of our faculty.”

“After working with these students the past four years, I look forward to seeing their growth into excellent, well-trained physicians,” retired dean, Joel Rosenfeld, MD added. “Of those who leave us for their residencies, some will in just a few years return to the Lehigh Valley, infusing the region with new medical expertise that will improve the overall health of our community.”

Trina Wijangco reflects on her fourth year in medical school and the path that led her to St. Luke’s. “I was fortunate to be part of St. Luke’s class. I applied to Temple because I’m a city girl and wanted to be in a metropolitan area but learning and living in Bethlehem has taught me a lot. I grew as a person and I know that I can go anywhere now.”

The Temple/St. Luke’s Class of 2021 will graduate May 7 in Philadelphia. The medical school will welcome the incoming Class of 2025 in August for its White Coat Ceremony.

For more information about Temple/St. Luke’s please see www.sluhn.org/som and for other graduate medical education programs at St. Luke’s University Health Network, please see www.sluhn.org/gme

Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine

Class of 2021 Matched Programs

Anesthesiology

NYP Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center