Another perfect Match Day: FIU Medicine class of 2026 achieves 100% residency placement, sets Florida retention record

Match Day is a defining milestone for medical students across the country. It’s the moment they learn where they’ve matched—where they’ll train as physicians in their chosen specialties. Sealed envelopes hold the secret of where that will be. For the fourth year in a row, FIU Medicine obtained a 100% residency placement rate for all 112 graduating students.

Residencies are post-medical school training programs that can last anywhere from three to seven years and are extremely important because you can’t get a doctor’s license without this additional training and residency spots are limited and highly competitive. This year, the National Resident Matching Program reported more than nine-thousand applicants did not match.

“I think it speaks to the strength of FIU—how well students are trained and how supported we are,” said Shaun Crist, who matched into the FIU/Baptist Health General Surgery Residency program. “I’m excited to stay close to home. I couldn’t be happier.”

Crist’s path to surgery started early. At 15, he watched his father undergo open-heart surgery—an experience that inspired him to shadow the cardiothoracic surgeon who performed the procedure. “I’ve been on the road to surgery ever since." He is one of five students who matched into the joint FIU/Baptist Health residency programs, marking the second year FIU has welcomed residents through its partnership with Baptist Health.

Daniel Boaretto is going to be an anesthesiologist at NYU. A Miami native and FIU alum, Match Day marked the realization of a dream made possible through both determination and donor support. He is an Albert and Debbie Taño (full-tuition) Scholar. “I’m very grateful,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for them.”

His mother, Carla Boaretto, is still trying to process it all. She worked at Café Bustelo on campus when her son began medical school and hopes his story encourages others. “Everything is possible with hard work and sacrifice,” she said.

The Taños—longtime supporters of FIU and the College of Medicine—were there to celebrate.
Dr. Taño serves on the FIU Board of Trustees, and Debbie is a member of the FIU Foundation Board. Three of their children are physicians, including two FIU Medicine alumni, with their youngest daughter currently enrolled at FIU Medicine.

For Tarlan Kehtari, Match Day was the culmination of years of focus and perseverance. “You forget how tired you were,” she said. “It all feels worth it to get to this moment.”

Kehtari will be specializing in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, drawn to the field by both her early interest in neuroscience and a personal experience watching her grandmother battle Alzheimer’s disease. “It really shaped how I see illness,” she said. “It affects not just the patient, but everyone around them.”

The college’s namesake Dr. Herbert Wertheim joined the Class of 2026 for the celebration along with FIU Provost Elizabeth Béjar and FIU President Jeanette Nuñez, who joked, “I know we’re not supposed to have favorites, but this is my first Match Day—so you’re my favorite [class].”