From left: Newly matched interns Sanjay Kishore, Margaret Hayden and Vishal Arora

When Dalia Larios opened the envelope revealing that she had been accepted into the Brigham’s Internal Medicine Residency Program, one feeling came to mind: home.

Having completed her third-year clinical training at the Brigham as a student at Harvard Medical School (HMS), Larios was elated to learn on Match Day, March 15, that she would rejoin the Brigham Internal Medicine community later this year as one of the program’s 77 newly matched interns.

“For a long time, the Brigham has been a sort of home for me,” Larios said. “It has seen me grow up as a medical student, and now I get the opportunity to grow up as a doctor within this same family. I feel so very lucky and humbled to be coming back.”

She, along with several other newly matched interns and their loved ones, celebrated their acceptance into the program with Brigham faculty, residents and staff during a reception later that evening in the Zinner Breakout Room.

During the Match Day celebration, Joel Katz, MD, director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program and vice chair for Medical Education in the Department of Medicine, extended a warm welcome to the next generation of Brigham physicians.

“You’re now part of an incredible community, and you have an amazing group of people you’re going to get to know — some of whom you already know and all of whom will become your very best friends over the next many, many decades,” Katz said. “We congratulate you on this next big, important step of your careers.”

‘I Fell in Love with This Place’

Admitted into the program’s Preliminary Medicine residency, Larios will complete one year of general medicine followed by a specialized residency in radiation oncology also at the Brigham and Harvard. She hopes to reduce the inequities affecting patients from underserved communities, particularly in terms of access to specialty care — a dream inspired by her experiences growing up in the U.S. as an undocumented Mexican immigrant and then gaining protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. From her time as a medical student, Larios said she has come to see the Brigham as place that recognizes the importance of this work and values the people who carry it out.

From left: Newly matched interns Dalia Larios and Alicia Smart

“It’s not just a place where you work with each other — you know each other, and I think that’s really important. It can make all the difference if you’re having a hard day or need a little extra support,” she said.

Vishal Arora, also of HMS, said he too found a welcoming environment at the Brigham while completing a rotation here in cardiology.

“I fell in love with this place and the Brigham family. They really care a lot about their residents,” Arora said. “The transition from medical student to intern is always going to be intimidating, but I feel very fortunate to be in such a supportive, collegial environment.”

Like Larios, he was also motivated to enter medicine based on his life experiences. Once considering a research-oriented career, Arora said his direction shifted when his sister was diagnosed with bone cancer, which led to her death at age 23. Throughout his time at medical school, he further honed his interests and became passionate about ensuring health equity through policy work.

“That blend has really kept me grounded,” he said. “I want to ensure that patients — regardless of gender, socioeconomic status or other factors — have access to affordable, high-quality health care.”

Video: Words of Advice from First-Year Interns

On Friday, March 15, medical students across the country opened envelopes that revealed the name of the residency program they’ll attend as resident physicians. In this video, listen to some words of advice from those who know it best — our current first-year interns.