SUNY Downstate Medical Students Have Strong Showing on National Match Day:
Mar 20, 2012
61 Percent of Graduates to Train in New York State; Downstate Bests National Average
The class of graduating seniors at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s College
of Medicine had a strong showing on annual Match Day, at which students learn where
they will spend the next three to seven years receiving advanced medical training.
SUNY Downstate was one of five medical schools chosen by the Association of American Medical Colleges to have its event showcased through videotape, and the emotion-filled ceremony can be viewed at Match Day
Close to 99 percent of Downstate students – a total of 194 – secured a residency slot through the National Residency Match Program. The national average for U.S. medical schools was 95%.
“This is a superb result,” said Ian L. Taylor, MD, PhD, dean of Downstate’s College of Medicine. “This year was highly competitive, with more than 38,000 applicants competing for 26,772 positions. The fact that Downstate performed so strongly is a testament to the excellence of our students and to our reputation as one of the best academic medical centers in the country for clinical training."
Forty-one percent of the class matched to the primary care specialties of family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology. The balance of students will train in specialty fields. Twenty-three matched to anesthesiology programs; 18 to emergency medicine; and 10 in diagnostic radiology programs. A number of Downstate students matched to programs that are extremely competitive, including dermatology, ophthalmology, neurosurgery, and orthopedics. Students matched to programs at Columbia, Cornell-Weill, Einstein, Mount Sinai, NYU, University of California at San Francisco, and Yale, among others.
Residents of New York State will benefit from the students trained at Downstate. Sixty-one percent of graduating medical students have committed to taking their residency in New York State, with 33 choosing programs at Downstate, and another 114 electing to train at programs in New York City or the broader metropolitan area.
“Studies have shown a strong correlation between where physicians do their residencies and where they establish practices,” said Downstate President John C. LaRosa, MD. “This is strongly in line with our history of serving New York and meeting its healthcare workforce needs. More physicians practicing in New York City have graduated from Downstate than from any other medical school.”
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.