LVHN SELECT Medical Students Learn Their Medical Residency Assignments During Match Day 2024

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (March 15, 2024) – Medical students in the SELECT (Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, Collaborative Training) program with Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN)/University of South Florida (USF) Health Morsani College of Medicine participated today in the annual Match Day. The SELECT students joined fourth year medical students across the country in opening sealed envelopes to reveal the name of their “match” – the medical residency assignment that will shape their careers as physicians. About a dozen SELECT students participated in a celebration at Renaissance Allentown Hotel, while others in the class of 53 participated in Match Day activities at USF’s Tampa campus, or celebrated with family and friends.

Jeffrey Brown of Bethlehem (left) will follow in the footsteps of his mother, Kimberly Brown, MD, as Jeffrey learned on March 15 at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Match Day that he will do his medical residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In all 53 students with LVHN’s SELECT program with the University of South Florida Health’s Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa learned where they will do their residencies after graduating from medical school.

Jeffrey Brown of Bethlehem participated in the Allentown Match event. Brown was matched with University of Pennsylvania for an orthopedic surgery residency. He is the son of pediatrician Kimberly Brown, MD, with Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital and Valley Health Partners, a passionate advocate for children and families.

“I am incredibly fortunate to be a parent with a front row seat to watch Jeff grow, learn and succeed as a USF SELECT medical student,” said Dr. Brown. “We are super excited for Match Day and to find out where Jeff will be for the next phase of his journey to become a great orthopedic surgeon! Thank you to all of the teachers and mentors who have supported him and guided him along the way.”

Brian Holliday (center) of Bethlehem was joined by his wife and son when he learned during Match Day 2024 that he will do his residency in radiology at UPMC after spending the next year at LVHN serving his internship. Holliday’s medical school experience in the University of South Florida’s SELECT program came after he worked in the casino industry for 10 years as a bank manager and was an elementary school teacher in the West Bank (Palestinian territory).

Another student matching in Allentown, Brian Holliday, will spend a year at LVHN before beginning his radiology residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Holliday worked in the casino industry for 10 years as a bank manager and was an elementary school teacher in the West Bank (Palestinian territory) before attending medical school. He is one of two students at the Allentown event juggling the needs of young children while navigating the challenges of medical school.

“Our four-year SELECT program is truly unique among medical school programs,” said Robert Barraco, MD, Associate Dean for Educational Affairs of the Lehigh Valley Campus of USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and LVHN’s Chief Academic Officer. “Our partnership with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine means that students get two years of classroom learning at one of the country’s most progressive medical schools – and the region’s highest ranked medical school – and two years of clinical experience right here, at one of the nation’s top health care systems.

“This partnership allows our students to learn from, and be mentored by, some of the top minds in medical education. They are qualified to now go out and teach the world what it means to care for others and to be leaders who will shape the future of health care.”

Match Day is a much-anticipated national event for graduating medical students. The process: Fourth-year medical students apply to residency programs and attend personal interviews with prospective health organizations. After completing the interview phase, students submit a rank order list (ROL) of their preferred training programs to the National Resident Matching Program. Residency program directors also submit an ROL of their preferred students. A database aggregates the lists to come up with residency assignments that shape the careers of future medical doctors. The results are binding.

The USF/LVHN affiliation creating SELECT began in 2011. The region’s highest-ranked medical school according to U.S. News & World Report, SELECT offers a medical education curriculum that trains a new generation of 21st century physician leaders. LVHN serves as the northern instructional medical campus of USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Students attend USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Tampa campus in Florida for their first two years of medical school, and then transition to LVHN for their last two years.

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) includes 14 hospital campuses, four in Allentown, two in Bethlehem, one in Easton, one in Macungie, one in East Stroudsburg, one in Hazleton, two in Pottsville, one in Dickson City, and one in Lehighton, Pa.; 28 health centers; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices; 20 ExpressCARE locations including the area’s only Children’s ExpressCARE; pharmacy, imaging, home health, rehabilitation and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes: trauma care for adults and children, burn care at the Regional Burn Center; kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer, orthopedics, neurology, complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, and robotic surgery in 10 specialties. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence, Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute and Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute physicians provide the most advanced treatments. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute is a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance (MSK Cancer Alliance), an initiative that helps community providers improve the quality of cancer care and offers access to MSK clinical trials. Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, the community’s first and most trusted children’s hospital, provides access to the most pediatric specialties in the region and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH) is ranked 27th in the country for orthopedic care and among the top 10 hospitals in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report. LVH is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the top hospital in the Allentown metro area for the 10th year in a row. Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest, LVH–17th Street and LVH–Muhlenberg are the region’s only Magnet® hospitals for nursing excellence. Additional information is available by visiting LVHN.org or following us on Facebook , LinkedIn and Instagram.

Information provided to TVL by:
Brian Downs
Public Information Officer
Marketing and Public Affairs
Lehigh Valley Health Network
LVHN.org