Fourth-year medical students from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center found out where they were heading for residency Friday.
Odessa’s Match Day was held at the Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. It was emceed by Dr. John Garcia, assistant dean of medical education.
There were 24 in the class and Garcia said 16 were on hand Friday. They opened their envelopes at 11 a.m. Central Time and similar scenes played out nationwide.
“This group was very impressive. We’re lucky to have students of this caliber on our campus. We’re very excited for how they’re going to be able to represent our medical school as they go on to their residencies and beyond,” Garcia said.
Miriam Shayeb was matched with TTUHSC. She is the daughter of Drs. Joseph and Eileen Sheridan-Shayeb.
“I’m going into psychiatry. I’m very excited. It’s a field with a lot of need and we’re excited to be serving this area,” Shayeb said.
Stefan Raicevic is heading to University of Alabama in Birmingham to do his residency in pediatrics. He said he chose Texas Tech because they gave him a chance.
“I wanted a change of pace and medical schools have gotten very expensive …,” so this will make his life in residency easier, Raicevic said.
He added that he found TTUHSC to be top notch.
“Alabama is going to be really fun. It’s going to be awesome; great medical, and again, a change of pace. I’ve been in Texas the last 10 years,” said Raicevic, who grew up in San Diego and Escondido, Calif.
Gabriela Moro is going to Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. She is from San Antonio.
“I am so excited. It’s an amazing program and I feel like it’s a great fit for me and I’m excited to train there,” Moro said.
“Texas Tech was an easy choice. … It honestly reminded me a lot of my undergrad institution, Notre Dame, because the faculty, the students, everyone around the campus and the faculty were just so supportive and it made me feel like home so that was a big factor in me choosing Texas Tech,” Moro said.
Travis Pham, who is from Houston, is going into psychiatry and will be doing his residency at TTUHSC.
“I think in this day and age, especially with this generation, you see so many people who have so many mental health concerns. I’m really excited to be part of the conversation and continuing awareness of mental health,” Pham said.
Before the matches were revealed, he said the feeling in the room was palpable nervousness.
“It’s nice to see all the hard work come to … fruition …,” Pham said.
Regional Dean Dr. Timothy Benton said the event went well.
“It was nice to have all of our students going where they wanted to go and moving to the next step in their careers,” Benton said.
Like Garcia, he found the students remarkable.
“They’re all very dedicated; great performance academically. They all did well during their time here, including involvement and engagement in our community,” Benton said.
