Match Day is always a time of tremendous pride and excitement for the Heersink School of Medicine, and 2026 was no exception. On March 20, our students gathered with family, friends, and faculty at the historic Alabama Theatre to learn where the next chapter of their medical training journey will unfold.
With an exceptional 99.5 percent match rate, the Class of 2026 demonstrated the strength of their preparation, determination, and commitment to excellence. Our students matched in residency programs across the country, with 71 graduates remaining in Alabama and 53 matching here at UAB—an important metric as physicians tend to practice in the state where they trained. Our impact in this area was recognized in the recent U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings, in which our school ranked highly in several key categories:
- No. 10: Most Graduates Practicing in Medically Underserved Areas
- No. 37 Most Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas
- No. 50 Most Graduates Practicing in Primary Care
Match Day also highlights the extraordinary reach and quality of our graduate medical education (GME) programs. This June, UAB will welcome 235 new residents from 82 medical schools, including 48 U.S. institutions and 34 international medical schools, into 28 residency programs across Birmingham, Huntsville, and Montgomery. When combined with our incoming fellows, we will welcome 335 new residents and fellows into 106 ACGME accredited training programs.
Today, UAB Hospital ranks among the top 32 largest sponsoring institutions for ACGME accredited GME programs nationwide, and second in the East South Central region, just behind Vanderbilt. This growth is not about scale alone—it reflects a deliberate strategy to expand training opportunities where they are most needed and to align education with patient care, research, and community impact.
Since 2021, we have launched new accredited programs in areas such as addiction medicine, laboratory genetics and genomics, emergency medical services, neurocritical care, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, interventional pulmonology, and, most recently, spinal cord injury medicine and sports medicine. We have also expanded our geographic footprint with new psychiatry residency programs at our regional campuses in Huntsville, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa, and at multiple rural sites through the Cahaba+UAB Rural Psychiatry Residency Program, enhancing much-needed access to mental healthcare across Alabama.
The Class of 2026 will celebrate their final medical school milestone at Commencement on May 16 at Bartow Arena. We will welcome Victor Montori, M.D., as the keynote speaker. Dr. Montori, the Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, is a renowned endocrinologist, health services researcher, and a recognized expert in evidence-based medicine, shared decision-making, and minimally disruptive medicine.
We were also honored to feature an outstanding alumna, Sharmila Makhija, M.D., MBA, at the latest Heersink Grand Rounds. Dr. Makhija is the founding dean and CEO of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas, one of the nation’s newest medical schools with a mission of improving healthcare for underserved and rural communities. She shared a fascinating look at her distinguished career in academic medicine and her leadership journey.
As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in innovative approaches to medical education as a cornerstone of our mission. The success of Match Day 2026 is a reminder that when we commit to exceptional training, we shape not only our students' careers but also the future of healthcare for the communities they will serve.