CDU Celebrates Match Day 2024
Over two dozen graduating medical students gathered on the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) campus in South Los Angeles with friends, family, faculty, and supporters to participate in a Match Day event on Friday, March 15.
At 9 a.m. local time students simultaneously opened envelopes revealing where the soon-to-be doctors would complete their residency and training positions going forward.
On the third Friday of every March, thousands of graduating medical students nationwide join one another in a dramatic moment as they simultaneously discover where they will spend the next several years of their lives training as residents. Residency is where doctors train in a specialty, so this has a huge impact on the students’ futures.
The ceremony featured remarks from CDU faculty and staff including CDU President and CEO Dr. David M. Carlisle, College of Medicine Dean Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Senior Associate Dean of Medical Student Affairs Dr. Daphne Calmes, and College Chair, Dr. Cesar Barba. Several CDU faculty members were also present to provide congratulatory remarks and encouragement to students.
“I want to say to all of the family members that are here today, your sweat, tears, and perhaps even blood is what gets us to this point today because the sacrifices that are necessary to produce a medical student, to get them into and through medical school are immense,” remarked CDU President and CEO, Dr. David M. Carlisle. “So I want to recognize all of the family members, all of the loved ones, and everyone who is here on behalf of our students because their success is your success as well.”
“I want to let you all know how proud we all are of you and this accomplishment,” said Dr. Roberto Vargas, Assistant Dean for Health Policy and Inter-professional Education within the College of Medicine. “Remembering this day many years ago, it’s anxiety holding the envelope but it’s also a very important milestone as we transition from being a student to actually being the person in care of our patients. We want you to know that we are so proud of you and we want you to carry on the mission, the values, and the vision of this university.”
The CDU ceremony is particularly impactful considering that most of the students come from disadvantaged communities across South Los Angeles and beyond and were selected on the strength of their academic record and on the basis of their demonstrated commitment to serving disadvantaged and underserved populations with compassion. Approximately 14 students were females and 12 students were males. 42% identified as Black and an equal 42% identified as Latinx, making up a combined 84% of the cohort. Additionally, 12% of students identified as Asian/API and 3% of students identified as White.
CDU is one of only four Historically Black Medical Colleges in the country and the only federally-designated Historically Black institution west of Texas. The University is also a charter Hispanic Serving Health Professions Schools member as well as a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Since its inception, CDU has helped nearly ten thousand students start or accelerate their careers in the medical and health professions.
Over 70% of the graduating seniors will remain in California and over 50% of the students picked to complete their residency in Southern California. These soon-to-be doctors will address the shortage of physicians in South Los Angeles and other under-resourced communities, improve physician diversity, and increase healthcare accessibility in communities of color. The students were selected to serve their residencies at top-tier institutions across the country from Massachusetts General Hospital on the east coast to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Across California, Black and Latino physicians are significantly underrepresented in the workforce. According to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, achieving parity would require an additional 37,000 Latino physicians in the state. While recent physician graduates from the Black community are well-represented, they still only constitute 4% of the overall physician workforce, in contrast to their 5.6% share of the total population.
“Being Latino, born and raised in LA County and having family that’s from the east side, Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights, I think I’m happy to be going back to that community and serving that area,” said CDU student Daniel Cordova who was matched to the University of Southern California. “I chose Emergency Medicine because I wanted to work with people and help them on their worst days. I’m really excited to work with them, especially vulnerable populations as well.”
CDU student Nonye Ikeanyi was matched to UCLA Medical Center where she’ll pursue Orthopaedic Surgery through their Non-Primary Care track. “I think it’s also amazing to be a Black woman matching in ortho…,” said Ikeanyi. “I think it’s an opportunity to represent and give patients a sense of security and hopefully safety when they see me walk in a room. They will see that I’m there for them and that I’m going to put them first in terms of making sure that they get the best care.”
Many of the students, like Daniel and Nonye, have pledged to return to communities where they are most needed as part of CDU’s commitment to addressing health disparities.
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is a private non-profit student-centered University that is committed to cultivating diverse health professional leaders who are dedicated to social justice and health equity for underserved populations through outstanding education, research, clinical service, and community engagement. Located in the Watts-Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles, CDU has undergrad, graduate, and doctoral degree programs, as well as certificate programs, to help start or accelerate careers in health care. CDU is also a leader in health disparities research with a focus on education, training, treatment and care in cancer, diabetes, cardiometabolic and HIV/AIDS.