Match Day is the rite of passage in the lives of graduating medical students, who will advance to a three- to seven-year residency program, getting hands-on experience in a specific discipline. This is a celebration shared among peers, families, and school of medicine faculty and friends.

We are so proud of the class of 2023 and what the future holds for them. Congratulations!

Watch the Recording

 Program for March 17, 2023

Meet Our Students

Meet some of our outstanding medical students as they eagerly await news of where they will match:

Ben Bigelow

Where is your hometown?

Grass Valley, California.

What made you want to enter the medical field?

Prior to medical school, I worked as a paramedic. This initial experience caring for patients inspired me to pursue becoming a physician. I love having the opportunity to continuously learn new information and skills and then apply that knowledge to care for patients.

Why did you choose the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine?

When I interviewed at Johns Hopkins, I recognized immediately that it was a place with caring physicians who focused on patient-centered education and care, and where I would have almost limitless opportunities to pursue research and leadership experiences. 

What is your focus area of study?

I am applying into general surgery programs. 

What has been your best/most memorable experience while at Johns Hopkins?

During my third year at Johns Hopkins, the COVID-19 pandemic began. Because of my past experience working as a paramedic, I had the unique opportunity of being intricately involved with Johns Hopkins’ response to the pandemic, which included taking a two- year break from my studies to focus on health equity projects in the community. During this time, I had the honor of serving as program director for the Johns Hopkins Mobile Vaccine Team, which assisted at 550 community vaccine events and administered more than 45,000 vaccines in areas with historically low access to health care. 

What would you most like to be remembered for? 

I am the first in my family to go to medical school and also received several awards related to my work during the pandemic, including The Reverend Melvin B. Tuggle East Baltimore Community Service Award. 

What are your plans for the future?

To become an academic surgeon focused on expanding access to health education, health screenings and innovating care delivery related to surgical diseases in underserved communities. 

Tell me something interesting about yourself that makes you unique. 

I did not go to college after high school, as no one else in my family had. It was not until I decided to become a physician that I first attended a community college, repeating many of my high school classes I had failed, and eventually transferred to a four-year university where I earned an undergraduate degree. I then started medical school as a second career, after having worked as a paramedic for 10 years. 

Ben matched to Johns Hopkins Hospital for General Surgery.

Darius Johnson

Where is your hometown?

I was born and raised in Baltimore! 

What made you want to enter the medical field?

During college, I volunteered as a patient advocate and found it meaningful to build relationships with people through hearing their stories, as we navigated the health system to meet their needs. I wanted to connect with folks in an intimate and longitudinal way to do what I could to help them reach their medical care goals.

Why did you choose the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine?

I love Baltimore and wanted to utilize the knowledge and social privilege I have accrued through undergrad and medical school to give back to the city I grew up in. 

What is your focus area of study?

I’m going into pediatrics.

What has been your best/most memorable experience while at Johns Hopkins?

Seeing a patient I cared for while on my inpatient subinternship in a hematology clinic, while on elective. Her parents were so thrilled to see me and catch up on how she was doing. It felt great to know that they had a positive experience with me, while I helped care for their child. 

What would you most like to be remembered for?

I want everyone who comes to Hopkins and Baltimore to know that the people who live here are precious, both in and of themselves, and also to someone else in their lives. This city is vast and unique — and these children and people here deserve the best chance at thriving, just like anywhere else. I’d like to be remembered for advancing that goal. 

What are your plans for the future?

Who knows? I’m just taking it step by step. 

Tell me something interesting about yourself that makes you unique. 

Right before medical school, I fell in love with photography. The first day I was at Hopkins, I took a bus to New York for an exhibit I was featured in in Harlem, and then came back that same night for school the next day. My favorite thing is to photograph is my LGBTQIA+ family in portraits. 

Darius matched to Johns Hopkins Hospital for Pediatrics.

Natalie Marrero

Where is your hometown?

Miami, Florida.

What made you want to enter the medical field?

As a first-generation college graduate and the first in my family to pursue an advanced degree, uncovering my passions is what ultimately paved my path into medicine. In high school, as a student in the International Baccalaureate program, my natural curiosity left me fascinated with biology. Motivated by my interest in understanding how the body works, I pursued a biochemistry degree and picked up the psychology double major in college. There, my involvement on campus as a member of Student Government and peer educator for the Counseling Center revealed my interest in leadership, advocacy and health education. Lastly, my time as a volunteer DJ at a local children’s hospital revealed the power of service, as children would sing, dance and embrace life ,regardless of whatever illness they were battling or procedures they had to endure that day. A career in the medical field — unlike any other — would enable me to intertwine my passions for science, service, advocacy, leadership and education.

Why did you choose the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine?

I chose to attend The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for several reasons. First, I was drawn to the Genes to Society curriculum, which emphasizes both scientific achievements and social determinants of health. This unique blend not only resonated with my interests; I believe it is necessary to train the physicians of tomorrow, using this approach. I was also inspired by the great faculty at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. It was an honor to learn from leaders in the field. Lastly, I was inspired by the people I encountered. When I visited Hopkins for my “Second Look” weekend, I immediately connected with a number of future classmates. My classmates inspired me through their personal journeys to medicine and passions. They were genuine, caring, passionate, knowledgeable and inspiring.

What is your focus area of study?

I am most passionate about cardiovascular disease prevention, particularly among Latinos. Much of my extracurricular work at Hopkins has been either furthering clinical research in the realm of preventive cardiology and lipidology or working on culturally and linguistically sensitive health education curricula for Latinos in the Baltimore community.

What has been your best/most memorable experience while at Johns Hopkins?

My most memorable experience while at Hopkins was receiving my acceptance letter from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology for my first-ever, first-author publication. This moment was particularly notable, as it highlighted the importance of perseverance and changed my view about academic medicine. Prior to this experience, I doubted my ability to contribute to the scientific literature and academic medicine. With the guidance of my amazing mentor, Dr. Seamus Whelton, a faculty member at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, I was able to draft an entire manuscript describing the role of lipoprotein(a) and inflammation in risk stratification for aortic valve calcification. This opportunity opened up a number of other doors, including an expert analysis in the field of cardio-oncology and a manuscript on the role of aortic valve calcium scores and lipoprotein(a) as prognostic indicators of long-term severe aortic stenosis. Without the dedicated mentors available at Johns Hopkins and the resources and support provided to students for research opportunities, none of this work would have been possible.

What would you most like to be remembered for?

I would like to be remembered as a first-generation college graduate of Cuban immigrant parents and the first in my family to pursue a medical degree.

What are your plans for the future?

I hope to match into internal medicine. Following my three years of internal medicine training, I hope to pursue a cardiology fellowship, with a focus on general cardiology, cardiac imaging and lipidology. I aim to practice as a preventive cardiologist with board certifications in cardiac computed tomography (CT)and lipidology. I hope to work in academic medicine, continuing my research in clinical preventive cardiology, specifically focusing on the use of cardiac CT and calcium scores for the risk stratification of patients. In addition, I hope to build on my efforts to improve health equity by continuing my work in health education. I would love to continue developing programs that provide health education to Latinos in Spanish to help prevent cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome through improved health education. In addition to crafting programs to raise awareness in the community, I hope to launch a podcast one day to expand the reach of the knowledge. Personally, I hope to become a mom in the not-too-distant future and return home to be near family in South Florida.

Tell me something interesting about yourself that makes you unique.

My passion for preventive cardiology is related to my personal interests. I am an avid fitness enthusiast. My athletics journey began in high school, when I was a short-distance sprinter for my school’s track and field team. In college, I fell in love with indoor cycling, and became an instructor. I continue to be a passionate indoor cyclist and am now a proud Peloton owner. In addition, I love to lift weights and participate in group fitness classes. I also enjoy cooking, particularly plant-based whole foods. In fact, I often joke with friends that if I were not pursing medicine, I’d open up my own healthy food joint — serving everything from smoothies to overnight oats, salads and poke bowls.

Natalie matched to University of Miami for Internal Medicine.

Ruoxi Yu

Where is your hometown?

I was born in Tianjin, China, and my family now lives in Houston, Texas.

What made you want to enter the medical field?

As an immigrant, I saw the ways my family felt uncomfortable and limited in their options of seeking health care. I wanted to become a doctor so that individuals like my family would openly seek care and see the medical field as a place for them as well. In addition, in China, my mother worked hard to become the first doctor in our family, but she had to give up this dream job of hers when we immigrated to the United States in hopes of giving me a better future. 

Why did you choose the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine?

I wanted to learn from the Baltimore patient population and also felt confident that Hopkins would support students' individual passions, regardless of how nontraditional or niche they were. I loved anthropology (and still do!) as an undergraduate and wanted to merge that field of study with medicine. Hopkins was one of few places where I felt could support this endeavor.

What is your focus area of study?

Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN).

What has been your best/most memorable experience while at Johns Hopkins?

I am a part of the Primary Care Leadership Track (PCLT) at Hopkins and have a longitudinal geriatrics clinic that I have gone to throughout my time as a medical student. This has allowed me to develop relationships with wonderful patients whom I've been able to see several times at different stages during my medical training. One of the moments I am most proud of was being able to apply what I learned in my clerkship to the counseling and care of patients in the geriatrics clinic. I was especially moved when I heard feedback from patients and their family members that my suggestions were helpful in improving their quality of life. Outside of clinical care, I have been so fortunate to make lifelong friendships and mentorships during my time here. Without their support, I wouldn't be where I am today.

What would you most like to be remembered for?

This may sound cheesy, but I would feel fulfilled if my care could make more patients more comfortable and willing to come back to the clinic and get routine medical care. I came into medicine to do my best at being another notch in the safety net that is medicine and to ensure that one less individual will fall through the holes of the medical system. I want to be remembered as someone who is humble and caring in my work.

What are your plans for the future?

I hope to become a compassionate and competent Gyn/Ob who can care for a diverse patient population. In particular, my current interests are in destigmatizing infertility and other reproductive choices (such as choosing not to have a child) that individuals make during the course of their life. I've loved research and teaching, so I want to continue working and growing at an academic center where I can both further bridge the gap between anthropology and medicine and mentor future students from nontraditional backgrounds to find their place in medicine and feel confident about pursuing their passions.

Tell me something interesting about yourself that makes you unique.

I am couples-matching this year. My husband is also a Hopkins medical student (we met while at school here!). Before medical school, I worked briefly in the cheese world as a cheesemonger [storyteller about cheese], and then as a cheesemaker. I still occasionally do themed cheese tastings with snack and drink pairings for friends.

Ruoxi matched to UC San Francisco (UCSF) for Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN).