After years of considering which field of medicine to pursue, 107 Johns Hopkins fourth-year medical students—along with thousands of others across the nation—learned where they will begin residency programs this summer. Match Day occurred on March 20 at medical schools throughout the country. At Johns Hopkins, the festivities took place in the Anne and Mike Armstrong Medical Education Building, where students gathered with family members, friends and mentors. Following a brunch, brief program, toast and dramatic countdown, students opened their envelopes and found out which hospital and specialty program accepted them. The top specialties for the Johns Hopkins students this year included internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, emergency medicine and psychiatry. Twenty-one students will be staying at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and four will be heading to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Among those who matched at Johns Hopkins Hospital is Yike Jin, pictured at right. Jin will receive specialized training in neurosurgery. 

Match Day Student Profiles

Photo credit: Julia Oh

Veronica Hocker

Age: 35
Hometown, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Interest: Psychiatry

Why: “With psychiatry, I get to really know patients' stories and work to improve their overall health not only by understanding the biology behind the illness, but also by helping with thought processes, relationships and circumstances.”

Before medical school: Studied at the Joffrey Ballet School and performed with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Bartended in San Francisco.

Undergraduate: Columbia University

Challenge: “It’s pretty unique to be a single parent in medical school,” says Hocker, whose son, Brinson, is 4. During her first year at the school of medicine, she lived with her parents in Lancaster and commuted close to four hours a day.

Quote: “My class is made up of really caring people. It makes me feel good about the future of medicine.”

MATCH: Duke University Medical Center, Psychiatry  

Photo credit: Julia Oh

Howard Choi

Age: 30
Hometown: Toronto
Interest: Emergency medicine

Why: “I want to be able to treat anything and everything. I also want to be there for patients in their time of greatest need, connecting with them and guiding them through it.”

Before medical school: Promoted human rights in Guatemala through a Canadian youth internship program, received a master’s degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, researched Peruvian tuberculosis rates for master’s thesis.

Undergraduate: University of Toronto  

Challenge: “Getting used to the pace, initially.” 

Quote: “I want to be the best part of someone’s worst day.”

MATCH:  New York University School of Medicine, Emergency Medicine

Photo credit: Julia Oh

April Sharp

Age: 29
Hometown: Flintstone, Georgia
Interest: Pediatric neurology

Why: “I’m fascinated by the brain. And I love being around kids.”

Before medical school:  Conducted neuroscience research at Georgetown University and Children’s National Medical Center. Completed a post baccalaureate premedical program at Johns Hopkins.

Undergraduate: St. John’s College in Annapolis, a liberal arts institution with no tests or grades. “I was looking for a place where I could just learn, and it was everything I wanted and more.”

Challenge: As the first in her family to graduate high school, Sharp says her parents were “incredibly supportive, but I had to forge my own path.” Sharp, who is married to Chris Stuart, a public defender, and mother to son Kallan, 2, also had to juggle parenthood and medical school. “It made both of my jobs, as a student and as a mom, more challenging, but it enriched both of them too. It’s nice to come home to my family after a day in the hospital.”

Quote: “The goals of a child are to grow, learn and be happy. The brain and nervous system play the most important roles in each of these things.”

MATCH:  University of Maryland Medical Center, Child Neurology (1 year) followed by residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.  

  –Reported by Julia Oh and Karen Nitkin