Future physicians celebrate Match Day, anticipate next chapter in medical careers
Many Department of Physiology alumni tore open envelopes to learn where they’ll launch their careers as new physicians.
At the March 21 Match Day ceremony, members of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson Class of 2025, many of whom are Department of Physiology alumni, discovered where they will spend the next three to seven years of their careers as physicians in specialized residency training programs.
Cheers filled the air at 9 a.m. as 121 students eagerly opened their envelopes to learn where they matched, sharing moments of joy with each other and their loved ones in celebration.
“You will always remember this day, as I remember mine,” said Michael Abecassis, MD, MBA, the Inaugural Humberto and Czarina Lopez Endowed Dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. “The realization that the current leg of your journey is nearly over, as you contemplate and plan the next step, makes for mixed emotions. It is a time filled with a great sense of achievement, anticipation and excitement, but at the same time, some uncertainty and anxiety. But today, I would like you to focus strictly on your amazing achievement of crossing this milestone and looking forward to the finish line.”
Meet Phsyiology alumni who matched:
Photo by Anna C. Christensen, U of A College of Medicine – Tucson
Jacob Ref is on his way to becoming a double Wildcat, as he earned an undergraduate degree from the College of Medicine – Tucson in physiology and medical sciences before matriculating into medical school. He celebrated Match Day by matching into internal medicine at the University of California, Irvine.
“It was shocking,” Ref said about opening his envelope. “You don’t know what to expect on Match Day. It’s a great program and academic center. I love doing research, so I look forward to spending the next three-plus years there.”
During Ref’s time as a physiology student, he built relationships that helped prepare him for the rigors of medical school.
“The undergraduate program does a phenomenal job,” Ref said. “The faculty are really invested in your success. A lot of them stay involved with the medical school curriculum, so it was great to continue those relationships.”
Ref said those relationships — with faculty, peers and the students he mentored — were the biggest help for him during medical school.
“I look forward to starting in a new place while continuing the relationships I built here,” Ref said. “I’m excited to get to know my new colleagues. It’s always been about the relationships.”
Photo by Angela Martinez, U of A College of Medicine – Tucson
Growing up in Phoenix, Gabriela Orozco and her family did not have the opportunity to see a doctor because they did not have medical insurance. This lack of health care inspired Orozco to become a physician.
“It was very challenging growing up with that fear of ‘I can’t get sick, and if I do get sick, what is the financial burden that my family is going to have?’ For that reason, I always wanted to become a doctor so I could help others who have had similar experiences to mine.”
During rotations, Orozco found the perfect specialty to be able to help as many people as she could without having to ask a patient about their insurance or financial situation.
“It wasn’t until I did my emergency medicine rotation that I finally found a specialty where my goal was to just go into the room and take care of the patient the best that I could. I’ve never had to ask for their means or for their ability to pay, I just go and take care of them.”
Orozco is a first-generation college student who earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Arizona in physiology and Spanish literature. She says her physiology background was incredibly helpful during medical school.
“Some of the content I learned in medical school I had seen previously in my physiology courses. I think that just further reinforced what I had known all along and made me feel really confident about that knowledge.”
As Match Day draws closer, Orozco is excited to celebrate with family members who haven’t been able to attend an education milestone yet. Her family moved to Phoenix from Colombia when she was young, but many extended family members still live in her place of birth.
“I’m so excited because this is the first graduation where anyone from Colombia gets to be a part of the celebration. I graduated from U of A during COVID, so I didn’t have a graduation then, and my entire family still lives in Colombia, and so it’s really nice to finally get some family to come visit and be a part of this amazing moment.”