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March is always a particularly busy month here at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. For two weeks, our 32 graduating students along with numerous faculty members are consumed with capstone activities, which includes our annual Research Day and culminates with Match Day.
This year’s capstone included 46 courses led or co-led by 66 instructors. The rigorous curriculum, most of which involves refining clinical skills, is designed to ensure that students are well-prepared for residency, the next stage of their medical career journey. I cannot overemphasize the amount of time that our administration and faculty devote to organizing and delivering capstone, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who commits their energy toward this valuable educational experience. I invite you to view the highlights and photos from this year’s capstone activities.
Research Day, which took place on March 14, gives our graduating students a chance to spotlight the results of their thesis research project. In year 4, the students conduct hands-on research on a basic science, translational, clinical or health systems topic, closely guided by their research mentor, most of whom are Cleveland Clinic researchers. The students have access to an abundance of research opportunities at Cleveland Clinic including thousands of active, IRB-approved human research protocols. Many students share their research findings through oral and poster presentations at national conferences and through publication in scholarly journals. Read more about Research Day and view the photos.
On March 21, the graduating students participated in Match Day, the day when medical students across the country find out where they are headed for residency. I’m delighted to report that of our 32 graduating students, eight are staying at Cleveland Clinic for their residencies. More than half our students, cumulatively, have matched at hospitals historically ranked in the top 10 according to U.S. News & World Report (2009-23), Newsweek and Statista (2024 and 2025). While we’re proud of this statistic, we understand that our students have uniquely personal reasons for choosing where they wish to train. Some choose large academic medical centers such as Cleveland Clinic, and others choose community or rural hospitals with residency programs. What’s truly important is that the residency program meets the graduating students’ goals. Read about this year’s Match Day and view the photos.
Finally, this month we participated in the survey site visit by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the national accrediting authority for medical education programs. LCME accreditation ensures that medical education programs meet established standards and that the graduates demonstrate professional competencies needed for residency. CCLCM is a program within the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and received accreditation as part of CWRU. Our last LCME review was in 2017, and we received full accreditation. We expect our survey results in third quarter of this year and anticipate a favorable result.
Although this month has been incredibly busy, it has also been highly rewarding. We are in the final stages of preparing our graduates for the next step in their medical education. The excitement of capstone, Research Day and Match Day is coupled with the anticipation of residency, where our graduates will learn and grow yet more. We look forward to witnessing their journey, confident that they will excel and contribute meaningfully to the lives of their patients and to the field of medicine.
Bud Isaacson, MD
Executive Dean
