By Laura Ingles and Grace McOmber 

On Friday, March 20, the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s M.D. Class of 2026 gathered at the Science Museum of Virginia to reveal their residency match results alongside friends, family, faculty and staff. It was the morning after the VCU men’s basketball team came back from a 19-point deficit to knock the sixth-seeded University of North Carolina out of the NCAA tournament, and the room was buzzing with post-game adrenaline and pre-match anticipation.

“Welcome to our version of March Madness,” said Stephen Kates, M.D., interim dean of the School of Medicine to the roomful of eager students and loved ones. “We had a great win last night, and it’ll be a great win for all of you today. It’s a big day, a little envelope and the beginning of the next phase of your career.”

Kates went on to share that 99% of the class matched into PGY-1 positions after the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, higher than the national average. One-third of VCU’s graduating students will stay in Virginia to complete part or all of their residency, and about 20% matched into programs at VCU Health. Other students matched into prestigious programs all over the country at institutions including Duke, Emory, Johns Hopkins and Yale.

After collecting their envelopes and counting down the final 15 seconds before noon, the Class of 2026 finally opened the letters that contained the next step on their professional journeys in medicine. Here are just a few of the happy matches from the Class of 2026.

OreOluwa 'Comfort' Aluko matched into the med-peds program at VCU School of Medicine. (Arda Athman, VCU School of Medicine)

When asked to describe the Class of 2026, the first word that came to OreOluwa “Comfort” Aluko’s mind was “collaborative.”

“We've really had each other's backs,” Aluko said. “No matter how tired or busy everyone is, there was always someone ready to help.”

Aluko matched into VCU’s combined internal medicine and pediatrics, or med-peds, program at the VCU School of Medicine, which trains physicians to be certified in both specialties. Med-peds physicians often go on to work in inpatient, outpatient and primary care fields, and for Aluko, it means she can shape her own career.

“I love working with adults and kids, and the flexibility of this specialty lets me figure out how I want to approach my practice,” Aluko said.

Aluko is interested in specializing in complex care and working with both adult and pediatric patients with high-risk, long-term or multiple health conditions to coordinate and navigate the care they need.

“You’re like their quarterback, because you’re making sure they are making it to their appointments and don’t fall through the cracks while managing multi-layered conditions,” Aluko said. “It’s so rewarding, because these patients need and deserve a lot of love and care.”

Cass Ritter matched into the VCU-affiliated family medicine program at Riverside Regional Medical Center. (Arda Athman, VCU School of Medicine)

For Cass Ritter, matching into the VCU-affiliated family medicine residency program at Riverside Regional Medical in Newport News, Virginia, is the culmination of four years of dedicated specialized training. Ritter declared her interest in the specialty before starting medical school and then joined the Family Medicine Scholars Training and Admission program, a dual admissions program for School of Medicine students committed to becoming family physicians.

“I love the idea of being someone’s first line of care and really helping them navigate their health,” Ritter said. “I'm excited to get to know my patients and create a space where they feel comfortable seeking care.”

Since her M2 year, Ritter has served as a student representative with the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians, where she learned how to advocate for policies and legislation that would benefit her future patients.

“I had never done anything like that before, but it is something I’m definitely going to continue,” Ritter said. “I think we have a responsibility to help make changes that will benefit our patients.”

Looking back at the past four years, Ritter said medical school has been the “hardest, but best” time of her life, and found she was challenged in ways she never expected. Overcoming those challenges, she said, has made her confident in her own abilities as a physician.

“Medical school involves so much delayed gratification, but I made it and I feel ready,” Ritter said. “I can’t wait to do the thing that I love to do.”

Nathan Swift found out last December that he matched into the orthopaedic surgery program at Brooke Army Medical Center. (Arda Athman, VCU School of Medicine)

Nathan Swift already knew the match results tucked in his envelope when he arrived at the science museum on Match Day. Last year, he and three other graduating students went through the Military Match, a separate matching process for medical students in the military through the Health Professions Scholarship Program. Despite knowing his results already, Swift said it was important for him to celebrate the Class of 2026’s achievement together.

“It feels really nice knowing where I’m going and being able to use Match Day to celebrate and hope for the best for my classmates,” Swift said. 

During their clinical education years, HPSP medical students complete away rotations at military medical institutions across the country, giving them a first-hand look at different programs. For Swift, joining the orthopaedic residency program at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, means joining a team and moving to a city that “feels like home.”

“We have fewer options for where we can go, but we also get to really spend time with the people we are going to be working with, which I am so grateful for,” Swift said. “I can’t wait to learn as much as possible and use it to shape my practice.”

As he looks beyond residency, Swift said he is excited to reconnect with his Class of 2026 peers, a group he said was “always looking out for each other.”

“The medicine community is a lot smaller than you think,” Swift said. “I’m excited to see where everyone ends up and where our professional tracks lead us, hopefully back to each other in some way.”

Guiliano Melki (left) and Mikayla Cunney matched into emergency medicine and internal medicine, respectively, at VCU School of Medicine. (Arda Athman, VCU School of Medicine)

Guiliano Melki, president of the Medical Student Government, first spotted Mikayla Cunney at a tennis meet-up during orientation in 2022. He was new to the sport, and immediately in awe of Cunney, a lifelong tennis player whom he said was “crushing two girls” on the court that day. They ended up playing a round of king of the court together with some of their classmates, which is when their relationship started.

Now, three and a half years later, Melki and Cunney are eager to take on the next stage of life together: residency. With the support of their advisors and other graduating couples, they navigated the couples’ match, a complicated process through the National Residency Matching Program for two people who wish to match at the same or nearby institutions.

“We sat down, talked through all of our priorities, where we want to live, what we’re each looking for in a program, and made a big Excel sheet,” Cunney said. “Our main goal was to be together.”

Much like their studying styles, snack schedules and desire to adopt a cat (well, Cunney is still working on Melki with that one), their priorities in finding the right residency were very much aligned. With a shared, deep love of both their school and the city of Richmond that has become their home, they agreed VCU was their top choice.

“Everybody we worked with in the hospital has been incredibly supportive of our medical school and personal journeys,” Melki said. “It would be really hard to give that up and go to a city that is maybe less outdoorsy, has less culture and where the people might not care about who we are.”

After tearing into their envelopes on Match Day, they were elated and relieved to learn that they’ll be staying here to continue their training at VCU Health, with Cunney in internal medicine and Melki in emergency medicine. After taking a much-anticipated trip to Japan in April, the couple are looking forward to their next big milestone: moving in together in the Fan and preparing for residency as a couple.

“I’m just excited to live with Mikayla,” Melki said. “I’m ready to move in and start our life together.”

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