Excitement and anticipation were in the air February 26 as UBC medical students around B.C. learned the results from match day — the first round of the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS), which pairs MD students with residency programs across Canada. At MD training sites in Victoria, Prince George, Kelowna and Vancouver, fourth-year students celebrated their achievements and shared well-wishes for the journey ahead.
Meet a few of these students, and join us in celebrating their next steps
Lara Brewster
Matched to: Family Medicine, Surrey – South Fraser
“I’m really excited to be matched in Surrey and to Family Medicine. Surrey is my hometown, and I’m looking forward to training in my own community and to meeting all of the amazing doctors who I hope to work with when I set up my own practice. It means a lot to be able to train in my home and in the place I want to stay for the long term.”
Chi Hung (Jeff) Chen
Matched to: Pediatrics, Vancouver
“My family immigrated here when I was pretty young, and I feel like B.C. and Vancouver has given me so much. Working with children in pediatrics there is such a big opportunity to change the way their life goes, and there is no place I would rather do that than in the community where I grew up.”
Emma Garson
Matched to: Family Medicine, Kamloops
“Family Medicine will allow me to work within any size community, with patients from pediatrics to geriatrics, while building longitudinal relationships. The idea of understanding the context of an individual’s health in their day-to-day lives and as that changes over time creates one of the most rewarding experiences for a practitioner. I cannot wait for the journey ahead in my hometown (Kamloops)!”
Eric Busto
Matched to: Psychiatry, Prince George
“After spending the third year of my medical school training in Terrace, I am super excited to become a Northerner again. With Psychiatry, I’m really looking forward to having a lot of time with my patients, learning their stories, and being able to help them in whatever way I can.”
Bryn Fell
Matched to: Family Medicine, Prince George
“I am excited about the diversity of practice available to family doctors, especially in Northern B.C. I am very happy to have matched to the Prince George Family Medicine residency, which is where I did my clerkship rotations through the Northern Medical Program. I love the dedication of the preceptors, the diverse and interesting patient population, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the community that I live and will ultimately practice in.”
Kiran Rikhraj
Matched to: Emergency Medicine, Vancouver
“I’m so thrilled to have matched with UBC Emergency Medicine because of the opportunity to rotate through all of the different training sites across B.C. The people in the program are so nurturing, patient and kind. I’m so blessed – I can’t wait to join the team!”
Neil Webb
Matched to: Family Medicine, Vancouver Island
“I chose my program because I wanted to work with underserved populations, and I like the spirit that the residency program brings to the table. I chose family medicine because I want to build relationships over time—be a part of their lives and get to know them well, and to be able to advocate for them.”
Cheryl Gascoyne
Matched to: Family Medicine, Vancouver
“Today means the world to me. I matched to one of my top choices: Family Medicine at St. Paul’s. I really want to work with addiction medicine, inner city health and Indigenous health, so I’m very excited to be training at this site. I’m looking forward to the future.”
Arun Dhir
Matched to: Internal Medicine, Vancouver
“I’ve matched to UBC Internal Medicine, which was my top choice. I’m really grateful to be moving on to residency and to be able to continue helping people, which has always been my dream. Vancouver’s my home, so to be staying here and to continue working with people I know and love is the best.”
