Bradley Britigan, M.D., dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, announced to students Monday afternoon that the Match Day ceremony scheduled for Friday, March 29, had been canceled.
He cited the progression of the public health emergency related to COVID-19, which has led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local and state governments to place limits on groups of individuals — no more than 50 persons together at a time.
“For all practical purposes, this eliminates our planned Match Day ceremony,” Dr. Britigan said in a letter to the students. “Hopefully, this outbreak will pass soon and we will be able to still gather for an overdue celebration at some point down the road.”
Match Day is a national event when medical students find out where they will spend the next three to six years of training in their chosen medical specialty. Students still will receive notification of where they matched on Friday.
Dr. Britigan emphasized the importance of heeding public health safety recommendations.
“This is not only for your own safety, but for those of your loved ones and immediate family members,” his letter said. “Remember, those diagnosed with this infection are required to complete at least a 14-day mandatory quarantine.”
Dr. Britigan said the College of Medicine would do what it could to provide the best Match Day experience possible for students.
Web page will update campus cancellations
Due to UNMC and University of Nebraska’s policies designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, several campus events have been canceled or postponed.
The UNMC website will have a page that will be updated daily with news of event cancellations or postponements. Each Monday for the foreseeable future, UNMC Today also will run an updated list of cancellations.
To share information about your event on this list, send information to UNMC Today. The web page list will be updated as new information arrives.
I am sorry to all of the med students who worked so hard for this. I am watching my own senior miss out on the celebrations so very well deserved. To each of you, I am sure that I can say on behalf the faculty and staff, we are so proud of your achievements and are celebrating your next steps with you from a distance.