Residency Match Day: Black Women in Medicine 

Residency Match Day is the defining moment in every medical student’s career. It’s the day where they discover where they will complete their medical training, or residency, to become a licensed professional in their desired field. For Black women in medicine, Match Day is more than just an announcement, it’s a testament to the hard work and ongoing fight for Black representation in the medical industry. 

What is Residency Match Day? 

Held every year on the third Friday of March, Residency Match Day is facilitated by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). During their final year of medical school, students can start submitting their applications to their desired residency programs in September. After going through interviews, both the applicants and residency programs will make lists of their preferences. After evaluating the lists, the algorithm from the NRMP will run the lists through the system to ultimately determine a match between students and residencies. Luckily, if a student is not matched, they are notified. This allows those who have not matched to quickly apply to unfilled positions over the next few days in what’s known as the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program. 

HBCU Medical Schools 

For HBCU medical schools, like Morehouse School of Medicine and Howard School of Medicine, Residency Match Day is a celebration of what’s to come. Over the years, these schools have seen tremendous match rates in various fields like pediatrics, neurology, and family medicine. In 2020, Morehouse School of Medicine had 82% of their students successfully match to the residencies on their list. Morehouse School of Medicine has a residency match rate of 89%, ranking number one for Most Diverse Medical School in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 ratings. These schools’ dedication and commitment to serve underrepresented communities is demonstrated by the well-trained professionals that are products of these institutions. 

Black Women in Medicine 

• Last year,  Zindzi Thompson became the youngest Black woman to graduate from Meharry Medical College, another HBCU medical school in Nashville. Thompson hopes to have a long career in psychiatry, accepting a residency at Washington University Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.  
• Dr. Adayna Upchurch-Burrows is a board certified pediatrician and a graduate from Howard University and Howard School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Howard University Hospital. Dr. Upchurch-Burrows is dedicated to serving low-income communities and aims to fight health equity, specifically for the Black community. 
• Dr. Tamia Potter made history as the first Black woman to join Vanderbilt’s Neurosurgery Residency Program. As an alum of Florida A&M, Dr. Potter’s goal is to make neurosurgery more accessible to people that look like her. 

No matter the school, Black women are changing the face of medicine. In 2018, Black women represented only 2.8% of all physicians in the United States. As time goes on, and the number gradually increases, one thing remains the same: Black women in medicine are crucial for improving the landscape that we see in the medical field today.