Page 50 - WesternU View Summer 2019

COMP Pomona Match Day; photos courtesy of Alyssa Estersohn

WesternU COMP students celebrate matching into residencies

By Rodney Tanaka

Match Day for Western University of Health Sciences general surgery (three); neurology (three) with one child
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific students is neurology; and anesthesiology (two); among other
bigger than ever. But the central message remains the specialties.
same: These future osteopathic physicians are going
COMP Dean Paula Crone, DO ’92, addressed both
where they are needed and where they will make a
campuses as the clock wound down to the 9 a.m. reveal.
tremendous impact.
First she thanked Vice President for Enrollment
COMP students from the Management and University
WesternU-Pomona campus Student Affairs Beverly Guidry,
celebrated Match Day March 15, EdD, and Provost and COO Gary
2019 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Of the 226 graduating Gugelchuk, PhD, who retired at the
Hotel in Ontario, California. end of the academic year, for their
COMP-Northwest students seniors in Pomona, support. She toasted both campuses
celebrated Match Day at Boulder 53 percent matched for their accomplishments.
Falls Inn in Lebanon, Oregon.
“Over the last four years you
Match Day is celebrated across the into primary care. learned so much and you’ve grown
U.S. as fourth-year medical students
so much. You started in one place
learn which U.S. residency
in your lives and in four short years
programs they will train in for the
you have just come so far and you
next three to seven years. Students
are now ready to take the next step,” Crone said. “No
opened envelopes at 9 a.m. that revealed the location of
matter where you are going, when you open up that
their residency.
envelope, whether it’s your first choice or your 20th
Once again, a large percentage of COMP students in choice, it doesn’t matter. You are all going places where
Pomona and Lebanon matched into primary care. Of the you are needed. You are all going places where you are
226 graduating seniors celebrating their matched going to be able to make a tremendous impact.”
residency program in Pomona, 53 percent matched into
Fourth-year COMP student Tania Gutierrez matched into
primary care specialties. All residency specialties were
a family medicine residency at Eisenhower Medical
represented in this year’s match.
Center in Palm Springs, her first choice. For the previous
Of the 104 graduating seniors in Lebanon, 58 matched few days, she said, she had been happy and calm simply
into primary care, including family medicine (27), internal from knowing she had matched somewhere.
medicine (21), pediatrics (seven), and OB-GYN (three). “And then this morning I woke up nervous,” she said. “I
Students also placed into emergency medicine residency couldn’t sleep last night wondering where I would be going.
programs (18); psychiatry (five); dermatology (four);
And when I opened it I was so happy. The last four years

48 | WESTERNU VIEW Summer/Fall 2019