3, 2, 1... Get ready for Match Day, one of the most exciting and meaningful days in a medical student's life! On March 21st, graduating medical students at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and across the U.S. will find out where they'll be doing their residency training. Feel the buzz as these future doctors open their envelopes, revealing the next step in their medical journey.

Watch the Livestream

Congratulations to the Class of 2025!

Match Day Celebration Program

Friday, March 21, 2025
Armstrong Medical Education Building, 2nd Floor Atrium

Program

Slideshow, Class of 2025

11:20 a.m. – Musical Performance by The Synaptic Clefs

11:30 a.m. – Welcome & Messages for the Class of 2025

• Dr. Katherine C. Chretien, Associate Dean for Medical Student Affairs
• JHUSOM Faculty

11:35 a.m. – Guest Speakers

• Dr. Theodore L. DeWeese, Dean of the Medical Faculty & Chief Executive Officer, Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Dr. Roy C. Ziegelstein, Vice Dean for Education
• Marcelina Kubica, Representative for the Class of 2025
• Dr. Katherine C. Chretien, Associate Dean for Medical Student Affairs

11:50 a.m. – Envelope Distribution

11:55 a.m. – Countdown 

• Dr. Mitchell Goldstein, Director, Colleges Advisory Program
• Dr. Nancy Hueppchen, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education
• Dr. Janet Record, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education
• Dr. Nathan Irvin, Assistant Dean for Medical Student Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Dr. Paul O’Rourke, Assistant Dean for Medical Student Affairs
• Dr. Silka Patel, Assistant Dean for Medical Student Affairs
• Dr. Katherine C. Chretien, Associate Dean for Medical Student Affairs
  
  

Meet Our Students

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

Manuj Shah

General Surgery 

Where is your hometown? 

Austin, Texas 

What made you want to enter into the medical field? 

Some of my best childhood memories are just sitting and chatting with my mom, a pediatrician, about her experiences in the ER. Those stories sparked my early interest in medicine. Since then, I’ve been lucky to explore different sides of the field — diving into research, problem-solving as an EMT, and learning the true value of care during my global health internships. 

My curiosity, love of learning and desire to help others are what push me toward becoming a physician. To me, medicine is the perfect mix of science and service — and an incredible privilege. 

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

Johns Hopkins is known for its top-tier medical education and patient care — definitely an exciting place to learn. But what really stood out to me was the strong sense of community. Talking with faculty and senior students, I could tell this was a place where I’d be surrounded by amazing mentors and peers — people who would challenge me to think bigger, work harder and always put patients first. 

What is your focus area of study? 

General surgery 

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

My sub-internship in surgical oncology was an incredible experience! In the OR, I got to assist with complex, fascinating procedures, but the highlight was working directly with my attending during a case to remove the gallbladder with electrocautery and surgical ligation. 

The rotation was academically intense, but what stuck with me the most was chance to connect with patients and their families. Hearing their stories and seeing their gratitude for our care team was a powerful reminder of the human side of medicine — something I’ll carry with me and continue to build on throughout my training and career. 

What would you most like to be remembered for? 

I want to be remembered for the sincerity and care I show toward others, especially patients. Beyond technical skill, I hope I leave behind a sense of compassion, trust and advocacy. I want to make every patient feel seen, heard and valued, ensuring that humanism remains at the heart of medicine. 

What are your plans for the future? 

As an academic surgeon, I’m excited to combine my passions for research, medical education and global surgery. I hope to develop innovative training and simulation tools to enhance surgical education while also finding ways to make surgical care more accessible both locally and globally. In the end, I want to help train the next generation of surgeons, expand care in underserved areas and work toward a more equitable health care system worldwide. 

Tell us something interesting about yourself that makes you unique. 

I enjoy spending my free time creating new artworks! Whether it’s charcoal still lifes, pencil portraits or oil landscapes on canvas, it’s been a lot of fun to try out new mediums and styles. My family and I also love to travel around the world, so I often will try to capture a memorable scene whenever we come back from our trips — most recently, it’s been Peru’s Machu Picchu and Copenhagen’s Nyhavn!   

Elizabeth Olatunji

Radiation Oncology 

Where is your hometown? 

Wesley Chapel, Florida, and Lagos, Nigeria 

What made you want to enter into the medical field? 

As a Nigerian immigrant, I grew up having conversations with my family about the differences in health care between the U.S. and Nigeria. These discussions sparked an interest in medicine and global health that I explored through research, study abroad and clinical experiences during my undergraduate years. I chose to pursue a career in medicine because I want to provide care for people in underserved communities and be a compassionate, conscientious provider who considers patients’ needs holistically, to ensure they receive the exceptional care they deserve. 

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

I chose the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for its unparalleled clinical exposure and training, extensive global health opportunities, and the prospect of being mentored by leaders in medicine. The mentorship at Hopkins is exceptional — our faculty are deeply committed to student growth, fostering a culture of support, innovation and lifelong learning. 

What is your focus area of study? 

I applied into radiation oncology — the best specialty in medicine! Radiation oncologists use targeted radiation therapy to treat cancer and certain benign conditions while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. 

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

Connecting with patients and their loved ones was the most memorable part of my time at Hopkins. During my clinical rotations, I had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life, hearing their stories and learning from them. It was an honor to play even a small role in their journey and to share some life-changing moments with them. 

 What would you most like to be remembered for? 

My faith is the center of my life. I want to be remembered for loving and serving God, and extending to others the grace, love and compassion that God has shown me. 

What are your plans for the future? 

I intend to devote time to both clinical care in radiation oncology and global oncology research, primarily focused on ways to increase access to care. I will continue my work with HypoAfrica, a phase 2 clinical trial assessing the feasibility and efficacy of utilizing hypofractionated radiotherapy to treat patients with prostate cancer in Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa. We hope to make cancer treatment more accessible and affordable across sub-Saharan Africa. 

Additionally, I will continue to mentor undergraduate and medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine, to augment the diversity in our field and, subsequently, improve the quality of our patient care. 

Tell us something interesting about yourself that makes you unique. 

I love exploring new places and am skilled at finding budget-friendly ways to travel. During medical school, I took a solo trip to Colombia, where I stayed in a remote, family-run hostel nestled in the Andes mountains. There, I learned about hand-picked coffee harvesting, rode horses through the countryside, met fellow solo travelers from around the world, wandered the colorful streets of the city below, and enjoyed breathtaking views from a hammock overlooking the mountain range. 

Eduardo Paredes

Internal Medicine 
 
Where is your hometown?  

I was born in Quito, Ecuador, and grew up in Miami, Florida.  

What made you want to enter into the medical field?  

As a first-generation immigrant, I witnessed my loved ones struggle with the language barrier, navigate rampant misinformation on family WhatsApp groups, and grapple with complicated health insurance policies. After falling in love with science and public health in college, I pursued medicine to use my newfound passions to care for vulnerable patients and give back to my community.  

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

I chose to study at Johns Hopkins because of its unwavering commitment to clinical excellence, its legacy as the birthplace of modern American medicine and its position as a safety-net hospital in a city with a rapidly growing Latino population. It is an extraordinary honor to learn at the same institution where legends like Osler and Halsted shaped the future of medicine. I aspire to become a master clinician, and I knew that coming to Hopkins would lay the foundation for that journey.  

What is your focus area of study?  

I applied to internal medicine, and am interested in medical education, immigrant health and Latino community advocacy.  

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

My most memorable experience was the first time I received news that one of our patients at the HEAL Clinic, a single mother fleeing violence in her home country, had been granted asylum in the United States. Knowing that our work conducting her forensic evaluation and crafting her medical affidavit played a role in securing her safety was incredibly humbling and fulfilling.  

What would you most like to be remembered for?  

I hope to be remembered as someone who truly listens and goes the extra mile for his patients. It is essential to know our patients as people and spend time learning about their upbringing, families, interests and motivations. Above all, I want to understand what matters most to my patients and ensure they never feel defined by their disease. Humanism is a vital aspect of medicine, and I aspire to embody its ideals throughout my career.  

What are your plans for the future?  

I plan to subspecialize after completing my internal medicine residency. Right now, I’m leaning toward hematology/oncology, but I’m excited to see if and how my interests change over time.  

Tell us something interesting about yourself that makes you unique.  

I love playing soccer! My fiancé, Jess, and I are members of Bobson, a local community soccer group that competes in Baltimore’s co-ed Volo leagues and plays pickup games in Hampden. Soccer brings us immense joy and has helped us make incredible friends across the city. We recently won the Wednesday night winter league in Brewer’s Hill and hope to repeat as champions next season!  

Matthew Kelly

Psychiatry 

Where is your hometown?

Harrison, New Jersey 

What made you want to enter into the medical field? 

Growing up, my family very rarely visited physicians. Most illnesses were treated with ginger ale and Vicks VapoRub. As a result, I have long been interested in understanding the factors that influence communities’ engagement with medicine — and the fracture lines that form between patients and clinicians. I initially explored these topics using different disciplinary lenses, studying biomedical ethics in college and earning an M.P.H. and Ph.D. in sociomedical sciences, before making the decision to become a clinician. I am interested in pursuing a clinical practice that rebuilds relationships between clinicians and vulnerable communities and that works to repair the fracture lines that perpetuate health inequities across generations. 

Why did you choose the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine? 
 
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is an institution perched at the crossroads of history and innovation. Its halls reverberate with the echoes of past innovations in clinical care and the role the medical school’s faculty and students have played in shaping our profession. Those echoes are met by the sound of research, inquiry and discovery — the efforts by countless clinicians who recognize that the institution’s strength is defined not by its past but by its ability to shape a brighter, healthier and fairer future. It is refreshing to find in Hopkins an institution rooted in history and fueled by innovation, constituted by leaders who recognize that one cannot move forward by going backward — and that one can celebrate history while working tirelessly to imagine a future not limited by the past. 

What is your focus area of study? 

Psychiatry  

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

I have been incredibly fortunate to conduct research under Dr. Paul Nestadt, wherein we are examining suicide risk factors for youth who die by firearm suicide. As part of this research, I have conducted many three-to-four-hour interviews with the parents of youth who died by firearm suicide. The conversations are profoundly humbling, capturing the tremendous challenges arising out of efforts to safeguard youth from suicide. Just as importantly, they underscore the potential for innovation and collaboration to protect the lives of vulnerable young people. 

What would you most like to be remembered for? 

I am the first person in my family to attend college. 

What are your plans for the future? 

I plan to pursue residency training in psychiatry and to chart a career that combines clinical care with research, drawing together my passion for the humanities, social sciences and public health. 

Tell us something interesting about yourself that makes you unique. 

For many years, I have worked as a playwright and opera librettist, collaborating with theatre groups throughout the U.S. and the world in the development of various works of theatre. During the start of the third year of medical school, I visited San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a developmental workshop of a new opera! 

Terrence Tsou

Anesthesiology 

Where is your hometown? 

Los Angeles, California 

What made you want to enter into the medical field? 

I was inspired by one of my research mentors who cared for patients with metastatic lung cancer. Seeing the impact she made on patients both during clinic visits and through her research motivated me to pursue a career at the intersection of patient care, research and advocacy. 

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

I chose Hopkins for its strong advising system and ample research opportunities. I also wanted to care for patients who were medically complex and from underserved communities. 

What is your focus area of study? 

I’m applying into anesthesiology. 

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

My most memorable experience was receiving the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) Outstanding Trainee: Predoctoral Scholar Award at the ACTS conference in Las Vegas, surrounded by my friends and mentors. We also got to explore the city — it was a blast! 
 
What would you most like to be remembered for? 

I want to be remembered as someone who took the time to listen to patients, heard what they had to say and advocated for them. 

What are your plans for the future? 

After residency, I hope to complete a fellowship in obstetric anesthesia and start my career as an academic anesthesiologist. 

Tell us something interesting about yourself that makes you unique. 

I enjoy travel and landscape photography. 

Katie Sorensen 

Pediatrics 

Where is your hometown? 

Portland, Oregon 

What made you want to enter into the medical field? 

My background prior to medical school is in community and public health. I didn’t know any physicians growing up, so my first exposure to medicine as a field was through this work. After my first day at a federally qualified health center, working in a Spanish-language prenatal care clinic for immigrant families, I knew I couldn’t do anything else. I loved how the physicians I worked with were advocates for their patients both inside and outside the clinic, and I began to see medicine as a way to work for change in the way that institutions serve vulnerable communities. 

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

I knew I wanted to train somewhere that would support me both in becoming an excellent clinician and in continuing to pursue my interest in public health. At Hopkins, I was confident that I would get excellent clinical training while also being surrounded by people who would encourage me to think about the structural factors that impact health. I was also drawn to the linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic diversity of our patient population — I’ve learned so much from the many, many different patient communities here in Baltimore who have trusted me as a member of their care team. 

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

Building relationships with our newly arrived immigrant patients, whether in primary care clinic, the inpatient wards or at HEAL, our asylum clinic. There have been multiple times when I have had the privilege of being the first provider to see a patient in the United States, and often the first person to ask about how the stress of adapting to a new country, language and culture has affected their physical and mental health. Providers are rightfully cautious to avoid asking patients to disclose their immigration status, but I’ve found that this caution often translates to an avoidance of any discussion of the impact of migration on well-being. When I have invited patients to share what has been challenging or exciting about life in a new place, they often tell me how affirming it is to have someone recognize what is often left unsaid — that migration can be isolating, overwhelming and hopeful, all at once. In these conversations, I’m reminded what a gift it is to get to hold our patients’ stories and to be trusted with their fears and hopes. 

What would you most like to be remembered for?  

I hope to be remembered by the way I make my patients and their families feel. I hope to be the kind of physician who can connect with patients of all backgrounds, even across cultural and linguistic barriers, and who families trust to advocate for their children at both the individual and structural levels. I am proud to be the first physician in my family, and would also like to be remembered as someone who always made the time to support other first-generation trainees in becoming the first in their families, too! 

What are your plans for the future? 

As a pediatrician, I hope to advocate for the needs of immigrant families by combining clinical work serving immigrant children with health equity research that addresses the unique needs of this population. After residency, I hope to pursue a PICU fellowship, and plan to use my background in population health to research structural barriers to health for immigrant children in the critical-care setting and to develop evidence-based solutions to address them. 

Tell us something interesting about yourself that makes you unique.  

I grew up in a town with a big distance-running culture — I started running around my Portland neighborhood when I was 11, and have been running ever since! In college, I worked as a counselor at a high-altitude running camp in the Oregon high desert. I love running in Baltimore, and ran my first road marathon this past fall, in the middle of my PICU rotation!