Milestone Moment: CCLCM Students Match into Residency Programs

Amid cheers, high-fives and a few happy tears, medical students from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, of which the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) is a part, learned where the next chapter of their medical training will unfold. On March 20, the students joined their peers nationwide in celebrating Match Day — the day when years of rigorous study culminate in residency placements and the transition from medical student to physician begins.

Christine B. Warren, MD, MS (’09), Interim Executive Dean of CCLCM, addressed the students just before noon, that milestone moment when the students open their envelopes containing their match information. “Whatever program name is inside that envelope, remember this: You earned your place and you belong there,” she said, adding that “We hope you boomerang back to Cleveland someday.”

Graduating student Temiloluwa “Temi” Oladeji addressed her fellow students at the Match Day event.

Of the 227 total Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine students who matched (which include those from CCLCM, the University Program and Medical Scientist Training Program), 66 students are staying in Ohio for residency, with 17 coming to Cleveland Clinic for training. Twenty-six of those students are not originally from the state, which represents an impressive “brain gain” for Ohio.

The top residency program chosen by CCLCM students this year is internal medicine, followed by ophthalmology, psychiatry and urology.

Martina Hale, who will train in orthopaedic surgery, matched to Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. “WashU was my top choice because I loved the emphasis this program placed on intentionality, high surgical standards, intellectual curiosity and research. I look forward to continuing the research career I started at CCLCM and preparing for a career as a surgeon-scientist,” she says.

Lydia (DeAngelo) Lewis and Kieran Lewis matched as a couple and are headed to Mayo Clinic for internal medicine (Lydia) and urology (Kieran). “We are deeply grateful to our teachers and mentors, and for the CCLCM community and friends who have made Cleveland feel like home,” says Lydia.

Destinations for the 2026 CCLCM graduating class include such prestigious organizations as Cleveland Clinic; Brigham & Women’s Hospital; Johns Hopkins Hospital; Massachusetts General Hospital; Mayo Clinic; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Stanford Health Care. Matching to these esteemed organizations is a testament to the students’ achievements and to the outstanding faculty support found at CCLCM.

View the entire Match list

The Lerner College of Medicine graduating class will be honored by their families, faculty, staff and fellow students in a celebration at the InterContinental Hotel on Saturday, May 16. The students will formally graduate on Sunday, May 17, from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, at which time they will receive their degree that reads “Medical Doctor with Special Qualifications in Biomedical Research.”

Of the 2026 graduates

• 48% matched at hospitals listed in Newsweek and Statista's "Best Hospitals 2025 – United States".
• 55% matched at hospitals in the U.S. News "Best Hospitals Honor Roll (2025-2026)”.
• 61% matched at hospitals that have been historically ranked in the top 10 (2009-2026).
• Cumulatively, 55% of our students (n=567) have matched at hospitals historically ranked in the top 10.

In addition, we celebrate the 22 graduates from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine who will train at Cleveland Clinic. Sixteen of those students matched to Cleveland Clinic, including one who will be training at Cleveland Clinic Florida. The additional six students are part of the Heritage Transformative Care Continuum program and automatically stay at Cleveland Clinic through residency, with three training at Lakewood Family Health Center and three training at Akron General Hospital.

In 2015, Cleveland Clinic and Heritage College established a Cleveland campus at South Pointe Hospital to train primary care physicians who will stay in Ohio following graduation.

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Photo credit: Annie O’Neill and Marty Carrick