(Photo: Faculty and staff celebrated match results with the Class of 2022 via Zoom)
On March 18, members of the Campbell Medicine Class of 2022 learned where they will continue their medical training after graduation through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).
Campbell’s soon to be graduates were among the 47,675 registered for the 2022 Main Residency Match and their 58% match into areas of primary care — family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and OB/GYN — mirrors the national growth in these fields for 2022 and a specific increase among future osteopathic physicians.
Dr. James Cappola, chair and associate professor of internal medicine at Campbell, shared the significance of what the Class of 2022 represents for medicine.
“What makes these students all the more special is that they are becoming osteopathic physicians in the midst of the worst health crisis in a century. Never in our lifetimes have physicians in our hospitals, emergency departments, offices and clinics faced a challenge like COVID-19. It is a true inspiration for me as a medical educator to work with such talented and dedicated soon-to-be doctors through all the suffering our local community, our state and the world have endured through the pandemic.
“I know these young osteopathic physicians will make me and make Campbell proud wherever they go. We are in great, caring hands with this next generation of physicians from CUSOM.
“I am so proud of our CUSOM students who have newly matched into their residency programs, especially our 22 students going into internal medicine. Over 58% of the Class of 2022 will train in a primary care field fulfilling a large part of the CUSOM mission.”
The mission of Campbell’s medical school includes a focus on training physicians to practice in rural and underserved communities, and Student Doctor Sarah Lassiter is an example of the school’s success in fulfilling this mission. Lassiter is from Johnston County, North Carolina, proud new mom of twin girls, and when she receives her Doctor of Osteopathy in May, it will be her third degree earned at Campbell University.
“I was a first year student at UNC Chapel Hill, and I decided to visit Campbell again. Even as a student from another university, they made me feel at home, and when I made the decision to transfer, Campbell became home, and I realized I love home.
“I entered college knowing I wanted to pursue rural family medicine, and I knew I wanted to come to Campbell for medical school because there is no better place to learn how to practice medicine for our community than here. Then, when I researched osteopathic medicine, it made even more sense. Knowing I can use the skills and handiwork of my hands and approach patients more wholistically as a DO, that’s something I know will take me very far and will be beneficial to my patients as a family physician in Harnett, Sampson or Johnston county.”
Lassiter has an informed perspective. She worked as a CNA at Johnston Health in Smithfield, NC before medical school where she fell in love with the patient population and the experience affirmed her commitment to rural primary care.
“Being a first generation college student from a blue collar family, I saw the need and the healthcare disparities… You see what your family and neighbors go through, and you know you can make it better. At this moment, it’s all surreal. I get to complete my training at my first choice, Harnett Health, and I could not be happier.”
Sarah has eight classmates who also earned a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences at Campbell before matriculating into medical school and who will graduate as DOs with her in May. They matched into the following areas of medicine demonstrating the diversity of success among the entire class:
- Monyetta Hanson – Family Medicine, Prisma Health University of South Carolina
- Ruth Gakpo – Family Medicine, Ohio Health Dublin Methodist Hospital
- Alexandra Grzybowski – Psychiatry, Cape Fear Valley Health
- Dafe Jessa – Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine
- Mahalia Robinson – Pathology, Johns Hopkins University
- Carissa Sedlacek – Emergency Medicine, Vidant Medical Center/ECU
- Carrie Shropshire – Pediatrics, UNC Health
- Jacob Wells – Internal Medicine, WakeMed
The Class of 2022 is Campbell University’s sixth cohort of osteopathic physicians, and the school is proud to have 58% of them continue the focus on primary care achieved by 59% of its graduates 2017-2021. Additionally, 59% of the class will increase the number of Campbell Medicine Alumni who chose to continue their training in North Carolina and the southeastern United States – 49% overall 2017-2021.
“It is important for us to see these statistics — the career choices of our graduates — reflect our mission as well as advance unique specialties in programs across the country such as radiation oncology,” said Dr. David Tolentino, associate dean for clinical affairs. “Each year is a little bit different. This year we have 12 who will enter residency in the NC Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) programs — this is the largest cohort we’ve ever had, and we are excited to have them spread between Hendersonville, Asheville, and Fayetteville.”