Wright State medical students discover where next journey as future doctors will continue at 2026 Match Day celebration

For 129 graduating medical students at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Match Day marked the moment years of preparation became a plan.

Surrounded by family and friends in the Student Union’s Apollo Room on March 20, students tore open their match envelopes at noon — and learned where they will train as resident physicians.

The celebration was electric. Some students took a moment to read their match letters privately, while others took to the stage to announce their match with the room.

A longstanding tradition at medical schools nationwide, Match Day is a pivotal point in students’ medical careers. After years of intensive coursework, hospital rotations and board exams, the annual ceremony reveals to each medical student where they will go next.

Depending on where they matched, graduates will spend the next three to five years as residents receiving advanced clinical training in a primary care field or one of dozens of medical specialties after graduating from Wright State on May 2.

Medical student Brittany Hughes, who matched in obstetrics and gynecology at the Boonshoft School of Medicine, said she was excited to give back to the Dayton community during her residency.

“I love my family, I love this community. And being able to actually impact people who live here is something that I’m really passionate about,” Hughes said.

This year, 48,050 total applicants from all medical school types, including nearly 22,730 from M.D. medical schools in the United States, vied for residency positions at institutions nationwide.

“Today’s Match Day is not only a remarkable achievement for our graduating medical students, but also a powerful reflection of our mission at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine — to serve our communities,” said Raj Mitra, M.D., dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine and chief academic officer at Premier Health. “The fact that 51% of our graduates will remain in Ohio underscores our continued commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of the communities we proudly serve across Raider Country and throughout the state.”

Surrounded by family and friends during Match Day, 129 Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine students learned where they will train as resident physicians. (Photos by Erin Pence)

Where Wright State students matched

Wright State students matched in outstanding programs in Dayton, throughout Ohio and across the country, including at Wright State University, Johns Hopkins, UCLA Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Miami-Jackson, Duke, University of Michigan and Baylor College of Medicine, and all major teaching institutions in Ohio: Cleveland Clinic, Case Western University Hospital, University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University.

During their residencies, 51% of the Wright State graduates will remain in Ohio for training, and 22% will train in Dayton, including at Premier Health, Dayton Children’s, Kettering Health Network and Wright-Patterson Medical Center. Twenty-six graduates will complete their residencies at Wright State University programs.

The class will send 41% of its graduates into a primary care field, a reflection of the Boonshoft School of Medicine’s focus on training physicians who address a pressing health care workforce need:

• Internal Medicine: 18.6%
• Pediatrics: 11.6%
• Family Medicine: 10.1%
• Internal Medicine/Pediatrics: 0.8%

The remainder of the class matched in 16 other specialties:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology: 7.8%
• Psychiatry: 7.8%
• Emergency Medicine: 7%
• Surgery: 7.0%
• Anesthesiology: 6.2%
• Neurology: 4.7%
• Radiology: 3.9%
• Orthopedic Surgery: 3.1%
• Interventional Radiology: 3.1%
• Dermatology: 1.6%
• Urology: 1.6%
• Child Neurology 0.8%
• Ophthalmology: 0.8%
• Otolaryngology: 0.8%
• Pathology: 0.8%
• Plastic Surgery: 0.8%

Six medical students matched for competitive military residencies: pediatrics and surgery, both at Navy Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia; surgery, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, California; transitional year, San Antonio Uniformed Service Health Education Consortium; anesthesiology, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio; and general surgery, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

A complete list of matches is available at medicine.wright.edu/match.

During their residencies, 51% of the Wright State graduates will remain in Ohio for training, and 22% will train in Dayton.

What this year’s match reflects

This year’s match results are the product of years of investment in partnerships, programs and students.

The Boonshoft School of Medicine has deepened its community-based model through expanded partnerships with Premier Health, Dayton Children’s Hospital, the Dayton VA and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

The school supports more than 500 medical students and 420 residency and fellowship positions across 29 programs, creating more opportunities for graduates to train and work locally long-term.

In fact, more than half of Boonshoft School of Medicine graduates remain in Ohio after training, with many staying in the Dayton area, helping address physician shortages that disproportionately affect rural and underserved communities. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school first in Ohio for producing primary care physicians.

Research productivity in the school is rising as well, with new major grant funding and growing initiatives in public health, psychology, neuroscience and translational research.

Student success remains a core focus, reflected in expanded advising and career development support and enriched experiential learning opportunities and growing applications.