Graduate Medical Education, more commonly known as residency, begins this summer for the nearly 300 medical students who make up the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Class of 2024. Most of these physicians-in-training – and thousands of others across the county – won’t know where, and with who, they will practice medicine until noon March 15, when the National Resident Matching Program announces the Main Match results for the majority of medical specialties.

But a portion of the Warrior M.D. Class of 2024 who participated in early matches for post-graduation residency programs in the specialties of Urology, Ophthalmology and the Military Match, their future has already been revealed.

Cullen Hudson is among the WSU students who matched into a Urology residency Feb. 1. He secured a position with the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

The Urology Residency Match Program is coordinated by the American Urological Association in conjunction with the Society of Academic Urologists.

“Urology is an incredible surgical specialty with a multitude of interesting pathologies. Many of these pathologies disproportionately impact underserved communities. I want to address these issues throughout my career and develop treatment strategies to improve on these patients’ outcomes,” Hudson said. “(Wayne State University School of Medicine) did a wonderful job supporting me throughout this journey. The school’s ability to prepare me clinically for any and all situations is what stood out to me the most.”

His classmate, Codrut Radoui, will enter his Urology residency in a familiar location – he matched with the Wayne State University School of Medicine Urology Residency Program in Detroit. He is the first college graduate and medical student in his family.

“Success is definitely possible with the help of mentors and dedication to what you love doing,” Radoui said. “I started running around when I found out because I was so excited to be continuing my training in an awesome city alongside amazing faculty and residents within the program.”

Jessica Tan and Eric Sherman are among the WSU medical students who will begin Ophthalmology residencies, a sought-after specialty, in July. They received the news Feb. 8 through the San Francisco Match portal.

Jessica Tan will move to Dallas after graduating for her residency at UT Southwestern. She selected Ophthalmology because of how detail-oriented the field is, the amount of surgical precision involved, the integration of technology and innovation “and of course, the relationships you get to form with the patients,” she said. “Being able to preserve and restore vision is such a unique privilege, and that naturally lends itself to a special patient-physician partnership.”

Sherman knew Urology would be his chosen specialty by his second year, in part because Wayne State provided him with a broad range of experiences early in his medical education.

“I have always enjoyed fixing things. Ophthalmology allows for great opportunities to fix eye problems and restore vision. I also find it fascinating how there can be evidence of systemic disease found in the eyes,” he said.

Sherman will remain in Michigan for a residency with Corewell Health. “Immediately after matching, I felt immense relief and excitement that I would be joining my specialty of choice. I was especially happy to be staying near my family for residency,” he said.

In addition to specialty results announced earlier this month, U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Samual Cain and U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Benjamin Wright matched with military medicine programs in December. They attend the School of Medicine as part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Health Professions Scholarship Program.

“I think that the access to clinical sites, experiences, and responsibilities greatly contributed to my performance on audition rotations and later to my residency as a whole,” Cain said. “I feel like I know how to learn now more than ever, and will be able to easily slot into the on-the-job education provided in residency.”

Cain matched into a Psychiatry residency at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. “I had done a lot of soul-searching in order to rank my residency selections, and decided on Wright-Pat in Dayton as my top choice, so I’d gone through a lot of ‘what-ifs’ and imagining roads not taken prior to the Match. As soon as I got the email, it was sort of like puzzle pieces clicking into place, like a plan both fitting into place and also opening up in front of me.”

Wright will be an Emergency Medicine resident at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Lakewood, Wash. He returned home on his match day to celebrate with his family. His father served as an officer in the Army for 23 years.

“I was exposed to the military community from an early age, making multiple moves across the country and even living in Korea for several years. Upon discovering my passion for medicine and wanting to help others, I knew I wanted to give back to the community that has supported my family,” he said. “I found out my results by receiving a phone call by the program director, assistant program director and chief resident at Madigan Army Medical Center congratulating me. I was very relieved to know that I was selected for an Emergency Medicine residency.”

Ultimately, Wright would like to focus his military career on operational medicine, taking care of soldiers in low-resource environments near the frontlines.

“The training I have received through the emergency departments at Detroit Receiving Hospital and Ascension St. John Hospital prepared me for almost anything that came through the door during my audition rotations,” he said. “Detroit can be a difficult place to thrive for a medical student, but it can also push students to become the best versions of themselves. With my time at Wayne State coming to an end, I know every graduate from this program has a strong commitment to hard work, compassion and a desire to leave their community in a better place than it was before. I am grateful to the School of Medicine for selecting me as one of their medical students.”

The remaining members of the Class of 2024 will learn their residency match March 15 as participants in the National Residency Match Program’s Main Residency Match, and in the Canadian Resident Matching Service on March 19.