POMONA, Calif., March 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Prior to the big reveal for Match Day 2026, the room was filled with warm smiles, gentle hugs and a peaceful calmness. Then, with their future in their hands and the opening of an envelope, the room filled with pure jubilation – students, classmates, family, friends, and teachers erupted with cheers, high fives, fist pumps, and tears of joy.
Western University of Health Sciences’ (WesternU) College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM) held its annual Match Day celebration at Mountain Meadows Golf Course in Pomona, Calif. on Friday, March 20, 2026. For the 13th consecutive year, CPM achieved a 100% residency placement rate.
College of Podiatric Medicine Dean Jonathan Labovitz, DPM, FACFAS, CHCQM, expressed his excitement and pride for the students and the greater CPM community.
“We are extremely proud of the Class of 2026. The dedication and determination combined with their belief and support in one another resulted in a 100% residency placement rate,” he said. “Their hard work is evident as they are headed to some of the top residency programs in the nation. The success of our students is a testament to our faculty and staff, who are truly dedicated to preparing our students to excel during residency.”
CPM students earned residency at some of the nation’s most prestigious and respected medical centers and teaching hospitals: Boston University Medical Center (MA), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles (CA), Chino Valley Medical Center (CA), Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver (CO), Department of Veteran Affairs Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA Medical Center (CA), John Peter Smith Hospital, Fort Worth (TX), Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto (CA), Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (CA) and University Hospital, Newark (NJ).
CPM student Kirakos Tomas is excited for his future at Kaiser Permanente Northern California-Santa Clara (CA). He took a moment to reflect on those that helped him achieve his dream.
“All day, the emotions were mixed into one from happiness to overwhelming excitement,” Tomas said. “I am grateful for all the support I have had from my family, my wife, the school, the faculty. Just having that support, pushing us through to do great things in our life is what made us stand her today to get the choices we wanted.”
For Tomas, he is thankful that his parents have been so supportive. He understands just how much it meant to his parents as his father, Krikor Tomas, a doctor, beamed with pride and his mother could not hold back the tears.
Krikor summed up the emotions of he and his wife, “We are so proud of his achievement. The end of one chapter and the beginning of the other more important chapter. A new life for him as a doctor. We are very happy and very, very proud of him. There are no words to tell.”
The support of family and classmates was a factor for CPM student Isaiah Claudio who will be doing his residency at Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Oakland (CA).
“As a first-year, it seemed like a long journey. Now I am here looking back in retrospect, it went by so fast. It is exciting and it is prideful knowing all the time and effort it took,” shared Claudio. “I am definitely grateful for my support – family and friends. It is not something you can do alone. We had a core group of friends during our first year. We stuck together throughout this journey and it’s been nice. Embracing the fact that we made it to being a doctor.”
CPM Assistant Dean for Clinical Education and Faculty Affairs Rebecca Moellmer, DPM, FACFAS, FAAPSM, DABPM, reflected on the celebration and the importance of having a good support team.
“The energy in the room, each year, is off the charts as students open their residency match envelopes and celebrate the next step toward their careers in Podiatric Medicine,” shared Moellmer. “Equally special is seeing the pride on the faces of those who stood by them through these challenging years – a reflection of the dedication, sacrifice and perseverance that brought DPM2026 to this moment. They studied hard and prepared well – and it showed. We had an outstanding Match Day.”
For some students, the journey is not only emotional, but it is also geographical. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, CPM student Selma Koo will be packing her belongings from WesternU California and heading to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah.
“It feels good. I can finally breathe,” said Koo. “It is exciting to know where I am going to be for the next three years. Knowing that it is somewhere where I can enjoy myself and learn a lot, improving my hands-on skills, learning how to be a better podiatrist and surgeon.”
Koo’s classmate, Suzie Davtyan, will also be heading east. The California native has been placed at Corewell Health Wayne Hospital in Wayne, Michigan.
“I knew it was going to be a lot of work. Studying medicine is always hard. I knew I was going to make a lot of sacrifices in my personal life,” shared Davtyan. “I am finally going to work towards what I have been studying for. I am actually going to be in a hospital doing surgery. I am really excited.
“I am grateful for all the dedication and fun spent at this school,” she added. “WesternU taught me everything I need to know to be a good doctor.”
Match Day is a nationwide event. Across the entire country, on the third Friday of March every year medical students find out simultaneously where they have been placed for residency. Since 1976, the Central Application Service for Podiatric Residencies has coordinated this annual rite of passage for podiatric medical and surgical residencies.
About Western University of Health Sciences
Western University of Health Sciences (www.westernu.edu), located in Pomona, Calif. and Lebanon, Ore., is an independent nonprofit health professions university, conferring degrees in biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences, dental medicine, medical sciences, nursing, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, podiatric medicine and veterinary medicine. WesternU is home to WesternU Health, where the best in collaborative health care services is offered.
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SOURCE Western University of Health Sciences
