Two couples who met at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Ayman Mohammad and Morgan Steelman (left), and Jiwoo Park and Daniel Kwon (right), at Match Day, March 20, 2026.
It began with a shared connection: Jiwoo Park and Daniel Kwon, students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, met on the second day of orientation. When Ms. Park introduced herself as being from Colorado, her classmates told her she “had to meet Daniel,” who is also Korean American and from Colorado.
They learned they shared almost parallel lives: both grew up in the suburbs of Denver, and worked in biotech and pharmaceutical firms during their gap years. Ms. Park and Mr. Kwon soon started dating.
When it came to the point where they had to plan for where they wanted to do their residency training, Ms. Park and Mr. Kwon knew they wanted to match to programs that would allow them to stay together, a process informally known as Couples Match.
“The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match is already a complicated algorithm, and attempting Couples Match is more complicated,” says Valerie Parkas, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at the Icahn School of Medicine. “The students have to put down on their rank list every possible combination of their programs. They need to think through factors that impact career decisions while considering their partner’s preferences also.”
Ms. Park and Mr. Kwon were not the only couple from the Class of 2026 navigating Couples Match. Morgan Steelman and Ayman Mohammad, too, had a romance that blossomed in medical school. They met on the first day, were in the same learning community, and quickly became close friends.
“By the spring of MS1 (first year of medical school), we were spending more time studying together on the 13th floor of the Annenberg building and playing a lot of ping pong in the student lounge,” says Mr. Mohammad. “We shared the same friend group, and it was obvious to them that we really loved each other before we even realized it ourselves!”
Valerie Parkas, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Recruitment at the Icahn School of Medicine, speaking at Match Day on March 20, 2026, and giving the students a toast.
It was Match Day, March 20, when graduating medical students across the country learned where they would be placed for their residency. With bated breath, Ms. Park and Mr. Kwon, and Ms. Steelman and Mr. Mohammad, tore open their envelopes. Both couples were elated: Ms. Park and Mr. Kwon matched to The Mount Sinai Hospital—OB/GYN and plastic surgery, respectively—and Ms. Steelman and Mr. Mohammad to Massachusetts General Hospital—both in internal medicine.
Interestingly, the Class of 2026 saw more students participating in Couples Match than in prior years, remarks Dr. Parkas. “A constellation of factors somehow landed all these folks in one class! But we as advisors are ready to help them succeed together as partners in their next step of their medical and science careers,” she says.
What does it take to successfully navigate the NRMP Match as a couple? Dr. Parkas and the two graduating couples share their stories, tips, and advice.
Start thinking about Couples Match early
“We started thinking about couples matching together pretty early in the process, probably in the summer before residency applications were due,” says Ms. Park. “We’ve always supported each other in aiming high and chasing after our career goals, and we quickly realized that we wanted to stay close to each other throughout residency—which we anticipate will be some of the most challenging years of our medical training.”
Early communication and planning are key to both strong relationships and a successful Couples Match, says Dr. Parkas. This helps them not only decide where to apply, but also where they need to do “away electives”—fourth-year medical school clinical rotations at other institutions.
That conversation about planning looks different for every couple. “We never had a formal conversation about Couples Matching,” says Ms. Steelman. “However, we knew we wanted to be together beyond medical school and we were very upfront with the residency programs we were interested in. It was very fun to finally share with faculty that we were Couples Matching.”
A successful Couples Match might require compromises
Ideally, a successful match for couples sees both graduates placed in the same institution, or at the very least, institutions within the same city.
“We decided to apply to mostly the same programs and tried to cluster programs in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles to maximize our chances of overlapping interview invites,” say Ms. Park and Mr. Kwon.
“Even though we’re both in internal medicine, share similar values, and were looking for many of the same qualities in a program, there were still differences,” Ms. Steelman and Mr. Mohammad note. “As we moved further down our rank list, we had to seriously consider what kinds of professional compromises we might be willing to make for each other, which was not always easy.”
Ms. Park and Mr. Kwon both matched to The Mount Sinai Hospital—OB/GYN and plastic surgery, respectively. “We couldn’t be more excited!” says Mr. Kwon. “Throughout the entire application process, Mount Sinai has consistently been our number one program, and we’re both so grateful that we get to train here.”
“One piece of advice that really stayed with us came from a close friend: ‘It’s a gift to give your partner permission to put themselves first.’ That perspective helped us approach the process with more clarity and generosity,” add Ms. Steelman and Mr. Mohammad.
Applying to areas with multiple programs that are within reasonable commuting distances, strategizing where both partners will do away electives, as well as program signals (an option to express of interest in a program) will increase the chances of being near each other, says Dr. Parkas.
In addition, couples need to discuss if they’re willing to be in programs close to each other, but not in the same city, such as in New York City and Philadelphia, or Boston and Providence, she notes.
Leverage all resources at your disposal
“Your career and specialty advisors will be some of the best help you will have to navigate Couples Match,” says Dr. Parkas. At the Icahn School of Medicine, students can also seek out the Career and Professional Development leadership and the Office for Student Affairs. “The team meets with every couple together as they prepare for applying and as they rank their programs.”
Additionally, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has good resources, and things like Google Maps, Amtrak, and airport accessibility might even factor in should couples need to be flexible about making distances work, she adds.
“Katherine T Chen, MD, MPH, Vice Chair of Education in the OB/GYN department at Mount Sinai, was such an instrumental part of our journey—we couldn’t be more thankful,” says Ms. Park. “She was there to guide us through the entire process, checking in regularly and advocating for us as much as she could. Dr. Parkas was also such a great sounding board and mentor; she checked in regularly and made sure that we felt incredibly supported.”
“The most helpful resource for us was connecting with other couples who had already gone through the process, especially those at programs we were considering,” says Mr. Mohammad. “They told us how to best advocate for each other during interviews. Our faculty made sure we were being honest with each other and ourselves about our individual and shared goals.”
Don’t stress too much
After all, just making it through medical school as a couple to get to the point of Couples Match planning is a testament to a strong relationship. Focus on what makes the relationship special, and the pieces of the puzzle will fall in place.
“I’m truly so grateful that we got to go through medical school together,” says Mr. Kwon. “It was like having a study buddy, support system, and partner in crime, all in one person. In our preclinical years, it was so nice going through each course at the same time, truly being able to study hand in hand. Once we started clinical rotations and sub-internships in our respective specialties, it was so fun and fulfilling to be able to share stories from our day with one another over dinner.”
Ms. Steelman and Mr. Mohammad matched to Massachusetts General Hospital—both in internal medicine, with Ms. Steelman in the Primary Care track. “We’re elated, honored, and grateful!” says Ms. Steelman. “MGH was our number one choice. We think it is an amazing fit for both of us.”
In her years advising students at the Icahn School of Medicine, Dr. Parkas sees a similarity on what makes medical school romances work, and ultimately successful Couples Matches. “While I’m not sure I’m an expert on romance at medical school—I met my husband when we were residents and interns together—it seems what works for med school romance is the same as what improves any other romance: kindness, communication, humor… and talk about things outside of medicine!”
“Every relationship is different, so it’s important to be honest with yourself and your partner about what you want in this next chapter,” says Ms. Steelman. “It’s also worth acknowledging that the process can be exhausting, with so many hypotheticals to consider. Even though we ultimately matched at our top choice, we’re grateful we worked through those decisions together because it made our relationship stronger.”