NEWS RELEASE

The Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) Class of 2020 celebrated Match Day on Friday, March 30, with thousands of medical students across the nation learning where they will complete their residency training over the next three to seven years. In the wake of COVID-19 and social distancing restrictions, in-person celebrations across the nation were canceled; however, that did not stop LMU-DCOM students from celebrating their big day online through social media.

This year, LMU-DCOM has placed 96.6% of its graduating class into postgraduate training programs. Approximately 16% of the graduating class placed into programs within the Appalachian region and 12% within the State of Tennessee.

“We are very proud of the Class of 2020 and their amazing accomplishments. Our graduates have placed in residency programs from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, to the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine here in the heart of Appalachia,” said Brian A. Kessler, DO, FACOFP, vice president and dean of LMU-DCOM. “While we couldn’t come together to celebrate them in person, the Class of 2020 will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we wish them well in the next step of their journey.”

Prior to Match Day, medical students apply to residency programs through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and are interviewed for potential acceptance. After that process is complete, both the medical students and the residency programs rank their choices with a central matching service. On Match Day, the results of this process are announced. The 2020 Main Residency Match was the largest in NRMP history. A record-high 40,084 applicants submitted program choices for 37,256 positions, the most ever offered in the Match.

Approximately 72% of the members of the LMU-DCOM graduating class will enter their first year of residency training in a primary care track, including family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, emergency medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine and transitional year. The members of the Class of 2020 will be practicing in 23 different specialties in 167 different residency programs in 33 states and the District of Columbia.

To join in the LMU-DCOM Match Day celebrations on social media follow #DCOMmatch on Facebook.

The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. LMU-DCOM is an integral part of LMU’s values-based learning community, and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of osteopathic physicians to provide health care in the often underserved region of Appalachia and beyond. For more information about LMU-DCOM, call 1.800.325.0900, ext. 7082, email dcom@LMUnet.edu, or visit us online at www.LMUnet.edu.