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| Fourth-year medical students, from left, Meg Lyons, Jesse Stutzman, Mary Vansant and Alexander Williams matched in military residency programs. |
The majority of medical students go through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) to find out where they will be doing their residency training following graduation, but students who wish to match in the military participate in a specialty match program that takes place months before Match Day in March.
Lyons was originally drawn to joining the military as a way to “pay it forward” to the multitude of people in her life who were in the military. “Each person went above and beyond to invest in me even when they didn’t have to, and I want to be able to help others in the same way,” she said.
Lyons is a second-generation physician in her family. Her dad serves as a physician in the U.S. Air Force. Through the U.S. Army, she matched in orthopaedic surgery at Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. She looks forward to being a part of a small, personal program and working with the team.
Though he has always been interested in serving in the military, Stutzman didn’t think it was possible to join due to his career goals of working in medical missions. Growing up in war-torn Burma, Stutzman saw firsthand the need for physicians in areas of conflict and gained a passion to serve overseas as a physician. It wasn’t until after speaking with U.S. Air Force physicians that he realized he could be in the military and meet his long-term goals.
Stutzman is a first-generation military member and serves with the U.S. Air Force. He matched in the family medicine residency program at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in the greater metro Washington, D.C., area. “While the program is fantastic, I’m also excited to be closer to family,” he said.
Vansant, a native of Auburn, Alabama, has wanted to join the military since she was in middle school. “When I was accepted into medical school, I was excited I had the opportunity to pursue a military career and applied for the military scholarship program,” she said. She pursued her dream and joined the U.S. Navy.
Vansant matched in the internal medicine residency program at the Naval Medical Center San Diego in California. During a rotation at the Naval Medical Center, she found the hospital to be a great learning environment in a great location. She is looking forward to living in San Diego and experiencing all of the outdoor activities the city has to offer.
During Honors Convocation in May, Lyons, Stutzman, Vansant and Williams will take the military oath of office and receive their new military rank, coinciding with completion of their medical degrees.
The remainder of the Whiddon College of Medicine Class of 2023 will find out where they matched on Match Day, March 17. The event will take place at the Mobile Convention Center in downtown Mobile.
