Heritage College medical students celebrate Match Day success, with 98% placement rate

The third Friday in March, known nationwide as Match Day, is a defining milestone for graduating medical students, marking the moment they learn where they will continue their training as physicians. At the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, the day brought both anticipation and celebration as students opened their results at noon on March 20.

Preliminary numbers show that 98 percent of the Heritage College Class of 2026 successfully matched into residency programs. Of those students, 66 percent will remain in Ohio for their training, and 50 percent matched into primary care specialties. Notably, 36 percent of graduates will practice primary care within Ohio, further advancing the college’s mission to address the state’s health care needs.

“Match Day is one of the most meaningful moments in a medical student’s journey,” said Jennifer Gwilym, D.O. (’03), interim senior dean of the Heritage College. “It represents years of perseverance, growth and commitment to serving others. We are incredibly proud of our students—not only for where they matched, but for the compassion, resilience and purpose they bring to the profession of medicine.”

Match Day culminates months of applications and interviews as students seek residency programs aligned with their professional goals and personal aspirations. While most students across the country received their results simultaneously, some followed alternate timelines, including those matching through military programs or specialized fields such as urology and ophthalmology, as well as participants in the Heritage College’s Transformative Care Continuum (TCC).

The TCC program, developed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic, offers an accelerated pathway into family medicine, with students securing residency placements at Cleveland Clinic Akron General or Cleveland Clinic Lakewood Family Health Center upon graduation.

Returning home to serve: Simon and Solomon Weiss

For twin brothers Simon and Solomon Weiss, Match Day brought both professional fulfillment and a deeply personal homecoming. Born in Vietnam, adopted at age two and raised just south of Youngstown, the pair matched together into family medicine at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, minutes from where they grew up.

“As we take our next step in our career, we are most excited about being able to return to where we grew up to serve and care for the communities that helped us get to where we are today,” they shared. “We are also excited to continue working together, but now as fellow family medicine residents.”

Their path to osteopathic medicine has been rooted in family legacy. Their mother is a nurse practitioner, and their late father, Paul Weiss, D.O., was a surgeon and clinical professor at the Heritage College.

“Even though our father passed away when we were in third grade, we learned of the principles and training that set osteopathic medicine apart from allopathic medicine as we grew older. It became important for us to become a D.O., especially considering our father was one,” they reflected. “Though we never had the chance to ask or learn about medicine from our father, HCOM brought us closer to him.” 

From national leadership to a future as a surgeon: Jonathan Peters

Jonathan Peters, a Dublin campus student from Plain City, Ohio, matched into general surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

“I’m so excited to be stepping into the role as a physician and surgeon,” Peters said. “Medical school gave me a taste of what it’s like to take care of patients, but to finally be the one making decisions, collaborating with colleagues, making recommendations…is very exciting.”

Peters credits his passion for medicine to a combination of scientific curiosity and his mother’s work as a social worker.

“It was inspiring to see and hear how she would so greatly impact someone’s life,” he said.

During his time at the Heritage College, Peters distinguished himself as a national leader in osteopathic medical education. He served on the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP), traveling nationwide to advocate for students and share best practices across institutions.

That leadership led to his selection as the Heritage College’s 2025–2026 Student D.O. of the Year, an honor recognizing exceptional commitment to service, professionalism and the osteopathic profession. Peters also served as president of the Dublin Student Government Association.

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A lifelong calling realized: Meghan Trout

For Athens native Meghan Trout, Match Day fulfilled a dream years in the making. A graduate of Ohio University, Trout matched into obstetrics and gynecology at the Marshall University School of Medicine in West Virginia.

“I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn’t want to be a doctor,” Trout said. “I don’t’ have a specific moment in time but rather small moments that have reassured me that I was on the right path. The first time I delivered a baby, I knew I was doing exactly what I was meant to be doing.”

Continuing a mission to serve Ohio

Each year, Match Day underscores the Heritage College’s longstanding commitment to training physicians who will serve communities across Ohio and beyond—particularly in primary care fields where the need remains greatest.

“As our students take this next step, they carry forward the values of osteopathic medicine—treating the whole person, serving with empathy and improving the health of communities,” Gwilym said. “We are excited to see the impact they will make.”