“This is what we’ve worked for. We have spent hours and hours in hospitals and classrooms and clinics, and we’ve gotten to a point where we get to do what we want to do—be doctors—and we get to find out where today. So, it’s an emotional day.”
Those were the words of medical student and fourth-year Class President Grace Anne Holladay as she prepared to learn where she would spend the next phase of her training to become an OB-GYN. Holladay was one of 168 students who gathered Friday with friends and family at Beale Street Landing for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine’s 2025 Match Day celebration.
Coordinated by the National Resident Matching Program, Match Day is a highly anticipated event where medical students nationwide simultaneously discover where they will train for residency. The moment students open their envelopes is often filled with emotion, excitement, and joy as they take the next step in their medical careers.
“I want you to hold something in your heart: that you are all amazing people, and you are going to be amazing physicians,” Associate Dean of Student Affairs Catherine Womack, MD, told the students moments before the countdown started. “The reason you are here is that you care about taking care of others. Wherever you go, you will do great things.”
When Holladay opened her envelope, she was thrilled to learn she would be staying at UT Health Science Center for her OB-GYN residency. She joins 74 other students who are staying in Tennessee and 53 who are staying at UT Health Science Center for residency.
“I’m feeling so excited. This is exactly where I want to be,” she said. “I feel really blessed to get to stay here and keep training at the place where I fell in love with OB. It’s a really good fit for me.”
Holladay did not always want to be an OB-GYN, but her rotation in the department as a third-year student sparked her passion for the specialty. “It had everything that I wanted,” she said. “I love the people, I love the patients, and I like the mixture of procedural things and getting to sit down and talk with patients.”
Match Day is a pivotal milestone for medical students, marking years of perseverance and dedication to the field of medicine. G. Nicholas Verne, MD, interim executive dean of the College of Medicine, shared words of pride and encouragement with the students as they reached this defining moment in their training.
“I’m filled with admiration for each one of you for all the accomplishments that we’ve seen you do over the last four years. Your journey through medical school has been challenging, yet you have demonstrated resilience and determination every step of the way,” he said. “Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in your medical careers. Embrace it with enthusiasm and confidence, knowing that you have the skills, knowledge, and support to succeed.”
Similar celebrations took place at the College of Medicine’s campuses in Chattanooga and Knoxville. Fourteen students at the Knoxville campus learned their residency placements at a celebration at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. In Chattanooga, six students gathered with their supporters at The Walden Club to learn where they had matched. After a welcome brunch, Dean James Haynes, MD, addressed the group, encouraging students to reflect on their time in medical school and reminding them to support their colleagues in the next phase of their training.
Of the 168 total students who matched:
- 75 students (45%) matched to residencies in Tennessee.
- 54 students (32%) are staying at UT Health Science Center for residency.
- 76 students (45%) matched to primary care specialties.
- 61 students (36%) matched to non-primary care specialties.
- 31 students (18%) matched to surgical specialties.
- 4 students matched to military residency.
View the slideshow below for more sights from Match Day 2025 in Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.
