Big day: Wright State medical students get their residency placements

Medical student Laura Bute celebrates learning her residency placement after she graduates from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine during the school's Match Day event on Friday, March 20, 2026. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Credit: Erin Pence

Credit: Erin Pence

Medical student Laura Bute celebrates learning her residency placement after she graduates from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine during the school's Match Day event on Friday, March 20, 2026. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Surrounded by family and friends at Boonshoft’s recent Match Day, 129 medical students from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine learned together where they will complete their residencies.

A longstanding tradition at medical schools nationwide, Match Day is the culmination of years of intensive coursework, hospital shifts, and board exams, leading these new doctors to their “matches,” or where will spend the next three to five years in advanced clinical training after graduating from Wright State on May 2.

Medical student Brittany Hughes — who matched in obstetrics and gynecology and will be staying local at a residency with 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.

Medical students from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine celebrate their residency placements during Boonshoft's Match Day on March 20, 2026. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Credit: Erin Pence

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Credit: Erin Pence

More than half will stay in Ohio

This year, 48,050 applicants from all medical school types in the U.S. vied for residency positions at institutions nationwide.

“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 Dr. Raj Mitra, dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine and chief academic officer at Premier Health.

Dr. Raj Mitra, dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine and chief academic officer at Premier Health, talks to medical student Francesca Savona from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine after Savona learned her residency placement for her postgraduate training on March 20, 2026. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Credit: Erin Pence

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Credit: Erin Pence

More than half of the 129 medical students graduating this spring from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine will be completing their postgraduate training in Ohio. Pictured is a map of where some of those future doctors will be placed for their residency. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Credit: Erin Pence

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Credit: Erin Pence

Wright State students matched in programs locally and across the country, including at Wright State University, Johns Hopkins, UCLA Medical Center, Duke, University of Michigan and Baylor College of Medicine, and all major teaching institutions in Ohio like 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, and Wright-Patterson Medical Center. There will be 26 graduates who will complete their residencies at Wright State programs.

Primary care most popular specialty

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 remaining graduates matched across 16 specialties, including obstetrics and gynecology (7.8%), psychiatry (7.8%), emergency medicine (7%), surgery (7%) and anesthesiology (6.2%), according to Wright State.

Medical student Lara Shaker celebrates getting placed in a psychiatry residency at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine at the school's Match Day event on Friday, March 20, 2026. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Credit: Erin Pence

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Credit: Erin Pence

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; general surgery, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; and anesthesiology, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio.

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, according to a press release from Wright State.

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, the press release states.

Medical student Elinor Hackett marks on a map where her residency placement will be during the Match Day event at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine on March 20, 2026. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Credit: Erin Pence

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Credit: Erin Pence

Medical students Lauren Mendonsa, left, and Evan Suppa show off their residency placements during the Match Day event at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine on March 20, 2026. COURTESY OF WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY

Credit: Erin Pence

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Credit: Erin Pence

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