Dean’s Update 2024-03

March News and Notes from the Dean’s Desk

Dean deJong celebrates Match Day 2024

As March comes to a close, I'd like to discuss our Class of 2024 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students – our future Spartan D.O.s. On March 15th, we celebrated Match Day, when graduating medical school students learn where they will complete their residency training.

This year, the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Class of 2024 achieved a remarkable 99.6% match rate, maintaining our strong average match rate of 99% over recent years. Notably, the class achieved a 100% match rate for both military and international students.

I'm proud of our students and their hard work to reach this point and I'm excited to see what our soon-to-be D.O. alumni will achieve in the coming years.

A significant 77% of our graduating class will stay in Michigan for their residency training. Where physicians complete residency often indicates where they'll practice, which is good news for our state and local communities.

Furthermore, our students matched in 21 specialties, including anesthesiology, family medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), among others. Among the Class of 2024, 46% matched into primary care, addressing a crucial need in Michigan and nationwide.

The college has a history of helping Michigan fill its need for primary care physicians. Currently, we have over 2,100 D.O. alumni practicing in Michigan in primary care specialties such as family practice, pediatrics, and internal medicine. Including OB/GYN, this number rises to over 2,400.

We're honored to be part of the solution for our state's medical needs, especially amidst physician shortages across the U.S.

We continue our work to strengthen partnerships and expand our educational impact. Our Statewide Campus System (SCS), comprising 27 member institutions, provides educational programs and opportunities from pre-doctoral to postdoctoral levels, including osteopathic interns, residents, and fellows.

This year, 44% of our class matched for their residency at an SCS member hospital or medical center.

We look forward to seeing where our Class of 2024 osteopathic physicians' journeys will take them and how they will continue their service to communities in the state, across the U.S. and globally. Congratulations, Class of 2024! We eagerly await celebrating your achievements during your graduation festivities next month.

Warm regards,

Joyce deJong, D.O.
Dean