The following is a joint statement from Isabella Grumbach, MD, PhD, Interim Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, and Manish Suneja, MD, Vice Chair for Education and Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program.
The Department of Internal Medicine celebrates the incoming class of interns for the 2023–24 academic year. It is almost three years to the week exactly since the pandemic changed the way we recruited forever; it now seems strange to imagine we would ever go back to recruiting fully and solely in-person. Our ability to successfully “Zoom recruit” is just another example of our program’s creativity and responsiveness to change. The quality of recruits in this year’s match, as with every year, shows that we remain a top choice for medical students who want to pursue a career in internal medicine.
Credit for this success must first go to the incredible Education Leadership team who dedicate significant portions of time reviewing applications and preparing for interviews, but also because they are leaders in providing a fulfilling and personalized training experience to our current residents. It is our residents’ testimony and their evident happiness with their experience that pushes many recruits to move Iowa from “maybe” to “must match.” And that interview day experience also depends on the organizational skills of Abbey Gilpin, Cindy Batzkiel, and Denise Floerchinger. We are grateful for their behind-the-scenes preparations throughout a lengthy interview season that help recruits trust that they will be protected and supported in this next phase of their careers. Finally, a thanks to the many other faculty members who took time to participate in the interview process. You helped send a message that education is something we all deeply value across the department and its divisions. Each resident knows that every attending, regardless of their current rotation, will offer lessons and experiences that will last them the rest of their careers.
Who is in this incoming class? The medical schools where they studied are among some of the best in the country and we will soon update our map. They come from 24 programs in 19 states in every corner of the country, including 4 graduates from our Carver College of Medicine. (Watch their page for data on how many of Iowa’s graduating medical students choose internal medicine as their specialty.) These 34 physicians also include 3 preliminary trainees, who after a year in Internal Medicine will go on to residency in other specialties. That total also includes 2 Medicine-Psychiatry residents and 1 trainee entering our Physician-Scientist Training Pathway.
We are excited to start the new academic year, which will bring them to our wards, clinics, and classrooms. Each class of incoming residents brings with them a commitment to excellence, a desire to learn and to teach, and a passion for providing world-class care to everyone. It is these qualities they share with our faculty who will train them that makes Iowa one of the best programs in the country. Class after class of interns is transformed by our educators, but they also shape those of us who have the great privilege to guide them through this next stage of their careers. To this incoming class, we say: We are up to the challenge, and we know that you are too. Welcome to Iowa!