Match Day for Resident Physicians is March 20, 2026
3/12/2026
Northwest Healthcare’s GME Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Residency Programs Mentor and Coach the Next Generation of Doctors in Pima County
TUCSON, AZ (March 12, 2026) – Match Day, the celebratory occasion when graduating medical students learn which residency program they have matched with, falls on Friday, March 20 – and Northwest Healthcare is looking forward to welcoming a group of new doctors who match with our graduate medical education (GME) program.
For patients, a strong local residency program is vital to short- and long-term health outcomes. For physicians (M.D.s or D.O.s) at the beginning of their careers, residency program training – led by experienced and invested faculty physicians – is vital to long-term career success.
“When I started residency, I thought I had a good idea of what being a physician required,” says former resident, Vijay Nethala, M.D. “This program quickly showed me there is always another level of growth waiting. The learning curve was real, the standards were high, and the expectations pushed me to become more thoughtful, more decisive, and more resilient.
“Along the way, I learned that medicine is truly a team sport,” Dr. Nethala continues. “My co-residents became friends, my attending physicians became mentors, and our patients became our greatest teachers. There were challenging days, humbling moments, and plenty of lessons that will stay with me for life. It shaped not only how I practice medicine, but how I lead, communicate, and care for people during their most vulnerable moments.”
Only one of every five American hospitals is accredited teaching hospital (Arizona has fewer than 10). Northwest Healthcare is proud to have not just one, but three teaching hospitals (Northwest Medical Center, Northwest Medical Center Houghton, and Oro Valley Hospital) in our system.
“Our GME program’s three divisions – family medicine, internal medicine, and the transitional year program – are designed to expand access to medical education and access to care for patients in Southern Arizona,” says GME family medicine program director Lyndsey Kramp, M.D. “We are proud to support our new cohort of resident physicians as they set and accomplish their professional goals.”
Our internal medicine cohort has its first graduating class this year – these graduates will be the first class to complete the entire three years of the program. Soon, the entire GME program will have 79 residents, many of whom will go on to fellowship training.
March is Women’s History Month, and women became the 50%+ majority of GME trainees in the United States during the 2024–25 academic year (women comprise roughly two-thirds of the residents at our GME program).
To learn more about career paths for female physicians, join Dr. Kramp, general surgeon Anyul Ferez-Pinzon, M.D., and colorectal surgeon Jessica Stephens, M.D., at the physician panel Women in Medicine, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wed., March 18, at the Arizona Sands Club. Visit our events site to reserve your free spot at the event.
For more information about the GME program, please visit https://www.nwtucsongme.com/.
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