National Doctors' Day

This month marks a special time of recognition and celebration for individuals who have chosen to practice medicine.

March 30 is National Doctors’ Day, a day to celebrate and honor clinicians for their dedication to bettering patients’ lives through compassionate care.

Carl Jung famously said, “Medicines cure diseases, but only doctors can cure patients.” As physicians, we play a vital role in our communities, where we dedicate ourselves not just to improving patients’ health but also their lives as a whole.

On this day, take a moment to think of the patients you’ve served. We carry a heavy responsibility on our shoulders as clinicians, which comes with its own unique set of challenges. The next time you face one of these challenges, I encourage you to think of all the lives you’ve touched through your dedication to service. Think of the smiling faces you’ve seen leaving the clinic and use that as fuel to remind you why you decided to pursue a career in medicine in the first place.

On March 15, more than 100 students in the School of Medicine’s Class of 2027 gathered in Morgantown for the annual John W. Traubert White Coat Ceremony, marking their transition from foundational science education to clinical-based learning.

During the ceremony, each second-year medical student received a handwritten note in the pocket of their white coat with words of inspiration, encouragement and advice from a WVU School of Medicine alum.

One week later, on March 21, our graduating medical students across our Morgantown, Charleston and Eastern campuses celebrated Match Day with their classmates, families, friends and School of Medicine faculty members as they opened their letters and learned which U.S. residency program they matched to for the next phase of their medical training.

A total of 48% of WVU’s Match cohort will stay in West Virginia to complete their residency training, a statistic that bodes well for them staying on to practice here following their training, according to Association of American Medical Colleges data that states more than half of physicians stay and practice where they complete their residency. The remainder of the matched students are spread across 22 states, from California to New Jersey.

I implore each of you — whether you are just starting your journey as a first-year medical student, or you are busy excelling in your career as a practicing physician — to take some time to reflect on your accomplishments and the patients you’ve served. I speak for everyone at the WVU School of Medicine when I say we are proud of you!

Thank you for your commitment to learning and service and for your continued efforts to improve education and health care in West Virginia and beyond.

Happy Doctors’ Day.

Clay Marsh, M.D.

Chancellor and Executive Dean

WVU Health Sciences

The M.D. program's fourth-year medical students have placed in residency programs across the country.

Forty eight percent of West Virginia University’s graduating medical students will remain in West Virginia for their residency programs. The placement announcements were made as part of the University’s Match Day celebration, Friday, March 15, on the Morgantown, Charleston and Eastern campuses.

Match Day is a national celebration where medical students learn in which U.S. residency programs they will train for the next three to seven years. For WVU’s School of Medicine, the celebration unites more than 110 students, families, faculty members and friends on the three campuses as they unveil their “match.”

For students, the Residency Match process begins in the final year of medical school, when they apply to the residency training programs of their choice. Following interviews at programs across the country, applicants and program directors rank each other in order of preference and submit those lists to the National Resident Matching Program, which processes them using a computerized mathematical algorithm to “match” them.

Read more about WVU's Match Day