{"id":6304,"date":"2026-03-06T12:08:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T17:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/?p=6304"},"modified":"2026-03-06T12:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T17:10:17","slug":"making-an-early-match-unc-school-of-medicine-students-share-their-journeys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/md\/news\/2026\/03\/making-an-early-match-unc-school-of-medicine-students-share-their-journeys\/","title":{"rendered":"Making an Early Match: UNC School of Medicine Students Share Their Journeys"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year on the third Friday of March students at University of North Carolina School of Medicine pack into a room to receive an envelope that contains their residency program \u201cmatch.” Two current fourth-year medical students, Katherine Poulos and Avani Desai, are part of a small group of students who will already know what is inside their envelopes. They are early match students, and they hope their opportunity to enter the historically male dominated world of urology will catch the attention of other young female students.<\/p>\n

A Non-Traditional Path to Urology<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Katherine
Poulos with her parents and grandmother after she received notice of her early match.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Katherine Poulos describes herself as a bit of a non-traditional student. She attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for undergrad, majored in psychology with a minor in chemistry and economic justice, then took three gap years, but by no means did she sit idle.<\/p>\n

She obtained a master\u2019s degree in physiology at North Carolina State University, worked as a surgical assistant for an oral surgeon, applied to medical school, and worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at a Raleigh area hospital.<\/p>\n

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI had the best gap years ever. I think it was such a good, rich experience to work different types of patients, different types of medicine, and getting a little bit of academic enrichment, too, by doing the master\u2019s program,\u201d said Poulos.<\/p>\n

It was during her time in Raleigh when Poulos first experienced how a urologist interacts with patients. Her dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. While her parents live in Concord, North Carolina, she traveled home a few times to go with her father to his doctor\u2019s appointments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coolest part was just seeing how their relationship grew over the years, from that early appointment where my dad was really uncomfortable, and then as he kind of loosened up and realized that he could really trust his doctor,\u201d she explained. \u201cI just think that\u2019s a really special relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Five
Katherine Poulos, second from left, received a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Poulos\u2019 relationship with urology continued to grow after she entered medical school. While she admits it is a male-dominated specialty, she learned about the specialty from some of the best women in the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe department at UNC has some really amazing, very inspirational women in it, Dr. Kristy Borawski, Dr. Angie Smith, Dr. Katherine Chan,\u201d Poulos said. \u201cJust seeing them, how influential they are nationally, their department leadership, they\u2019re so incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next step in her journey will take Poulos cross-country to Portland for her urology residency at Oregon Health & Science University. It is the first time she will live outside of North Carolina, but like many other school of medicine alumni, she could return to serve patients in her home state.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to come back to North Carolina, I love Chapel Hill,\u201d Poulos stated. \u201cI spent 8 years of my life here, it\u2019s an amazing place, it\u2019s very bittersweet.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Chapel Hill to the Big Apple<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Avani
Avani Desai as a child, trying on a stethoscope.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Avani Desai is off to New York to complete her residency in urology at Columbia University. Desai grew up in Chapel Hill. She has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember. Over time, experiences volunteering in hospitals, doing research, and studying science and global health helped solidify that path.<\/p>\n

\u201cService is really important to me,\u201d Desai said. \u201cI was drawn to fields where I could help people and on top of that, I loved science.\u201d<\/p>\n

Desai attended undergrad at Duke University with medicine in mind from the start.\u00a0 She majored in biology, with a dual minor focused on chemistry and global health, then like Poulos, Desai took a few gap years before starting medical school.<\/p>\n

\"Avani
Desai proudly displays her early match destination.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI worked as a healthcare consultant in Washington, DC,\u201d said Desai. \u201cThat role helped me build strong research skills and better understand the business side of healthcare, particularly how there are so many stakeholders that shape the healthcare space and clinical practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Desai started medical school in Chapel Hill, she knew she wanted to choose a specialty that combined surgery and medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really loved the\u00a0broad scope of urology and the ability to impact patients across the spectrum of care, from complex oncologic surgery to meaningful quality-of-life interventions,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Desai often shares her experience studying urology with younger medical students and she encourages any who might be interested in it as a specialty to check it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they have an inkling this is a field they may be interested in, I really encourage them to take initiative and explore it because we don\u2019t get a lot of structured exposure to urology, and it is such a great field,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Early Match Edge<\/strong><\/p>\n

Urology is among a handful of residency programs that fall in the early match category. Most medical students participate in the main U.S. residency Match Day program which falls in March every year.<\/p>\n

Poulos is happy that she learned about the next stage of her education sooner than later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not want to wait, so I was very happy about that,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt helps with logistical things since I am moving across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Desai grew up knowing she wanted to be a doctor. While she did not experience the thrill of opening an envelope at the same time with classmates at Roper Hall, her early match experience is still one she will likely never forget.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was surreal to get that email that I had matched and know that this next chapter was officially set in motion. When I learned a week later that I had matched at Columbia, a program that I loved, I was so excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNC School of Medicine Class of 2026 Match Day is scheduled for Friday, March 20. Nearly 185 medical students and their families are expected to attend. <\/em>More information about Match Day can be found at this\u00a0link<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Media contact:\u00a0<\/em>Nancy Bostrom<\/em><\/a>, Manager, Research & National News, UNC Health | UNC School of Medicine<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Katherine Poulos and Avani Desai (Class of 2026) matched early into urology. Poulos will head to Oregon Health & Science University while Desai will train at Columbia University for residency. The other specialties will release their matches on March 20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117964,"featured_media":6305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaking an Early Match: UNC School of Medicine Students Share Their Journeys | Medical Doctorate Program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Katherine Poulos and Avani Desai from the class of 2026 matched early into urology. 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