Match Day marks one of the most emotional and defining milestones in a physician’s journey. At exactly noon today, medical students across the country opened envelopes that revealed where they will spend the next several years training as resident physicians. For students, families, mentors and colleagues, it is a moment years in the making, featuring equal parts anticipation, relief, pride and joy.
That energy filled the Iacocca Conference Center at Lehigh University on Friday as 38 fourth‑year students from the Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine gathered with loved ones for the 2026 Match Day celebration. This year, 13 Temple/St. Luke’s students matched into residency programs at St. Luke’s, continuing the Network’s strong tradition of training and retaining exceptional physicians.
Among them was Michael Cardiges of Fogelsville, PA, whose Match Day moment carried special meaning. Michael matched into the St. Luke’s Internal Medicine Residency at the Anderson Campus, following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Nicholas Cardiges, who has served as a radiation oncologist at St. Luke’s for more than 30 years. In fact, Michael was born at St. Luke’s. His Match Day story reflects the deep sense of community and continuity that defines St. Luke’s.
Two students featured in the Network’s pre‑Match social media countdown also celebrated exciting news. Brian Smoots, who credits the strong mentorship at Temple/St. Luke’s for shaping his medical education, matched into the St. Luke’s Urology Residency. Natalie Sliwowski, who says the hands‑on learning environment at Temple/St. Luke’s inspired her to pursue a career in pediatrics, matched into the St. Luke’s Pediatric Residency. The couple, who are engaged and preparing for a fall wedding, will now continue their training together within the Network.
Earlier this week, their reflections captured the spirit of the day:
Smoots shared that the culture at St. Luke’s shaped his entire medical school experience: “My decision to study at the St. Luke's campus has been reinforced and validated less by a single moment than by the consistency of the attitude and culture which I have found here… That kind of continuity builds trust and strength in mentorship that has made my clinical training to this point second to none.”
Sliwowski echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the value of being welcomed as an active member of the care team: “Throughout my pediatric rotations, I have been fortunate to work with faculty and residents whose excellent teaching and mentorship has shaped me into the kind of physician I hope to become. I look forward to continuing to be a part of this culture and to helping bring up the medical students who come after me.”
The Temple/St. Luke’s celebration in Bethlehem was held simultaneously with Match Day festivities at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine’s North Philadelphia campus. Dean Amy J. Goldberg, MD, and Senior Associate Dean, Shaden T. Eldakar‑Hein, MD, addressed students at both locations via live feed before the countdown to the envelope opening.
Just prior to handing each student their Match envelope, Dr. Eldakar‑Hein praised their dedication.
“You’ve worked hard for this moment. You’ve inspired us along the way with your motivation to heal others and your commitment to our community,” she told the class. “In that envelope is a program that chose you, just like four years ago when you chose us, and we chose you. Those programs saw the value and potential in you that we had, and the support that you will receive in programs that see your value are opportunities for growth and an amazing training environment. My message to those programs is, ‘you are lucky’.”
The Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine campus in Fountain Hill, the Lehigh Valley’s first and only four‑year medical school, continues to offer students a uniquely personal, community‑centered training environment. St. Luke’s University Health Network’s #1 nationwide ranking in quality, safety, and patient experience underscores the exceptional clinical setting in which these future physicians learn and grow.
As the newly matched students celebrated with family and friends, the day served as a reminder of what makes Match Day so powerful: the culmination of years of hard work, the beginning of a new chapter, and the enduring connections that shape a physician’s path.
Below are the residency programs to which St. Luke’s students matched:
Anesthesiology
Penn State Hershey Medical Center, PA
Temple University Hospital, PA
West Virginia University School of Medicine, WV
Emergency Medicine
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Anderson Campus, PA (2)
Loma Linda University, CA
St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, PA
Family Medicine
Creighton University East Valley, AZ
Stamford Hospital/Columbia, CT
UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, PA (2)
General Surgery
Mohawk Valley Health System, NY
NYP Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center, NY
Internal Medicine
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem Campus, PA
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, CA (2)
Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, PA
Rutgers-R.W. Johnson Medical School, NJ
Thomas Jefferson University, PA
Zucker School of Medicine-Northwell NS/LIJ, NY
Interventional Radiology
Brown University
Neurology
Hospital of University of Pennsylvania, PA
Temple University Hospital, PA
Obstetrics-Gynecology
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem Campus, PA
Maimonides Medical Center, NY
Orthopedics
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, MD
Otolaryngology
West Virginia University School of Medicine, WV
Pathology
University of Virginia Medical Center, VA
Pediatrics
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Anderson Campus, PA
Duke University Medical Center, NC
Madigan Army Medical Center, WA
University of Rochester Medical Center, NY
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Rutgers- New Jersey Medical School, NJ
Plastic Surgery
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem Campus, PA
Psychiatry
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Anderson Campus, PA
Lehigh Valley Hospital, PA
Radiology
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Anderson Campus, PA
Radiation Oncology
Ohio State University Medical Center, OH
Urology
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem Campus, PA
Transitional Year
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Bethlehem Campus, PA (2)
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Anderson Campus, PA
Capital Health Regional Medical Center, NJ
