Medical students celebrate 'Match Day' at University of Mississippi

Graduates share stories of how caring doctors inspired their career paths in obstetrics, internal medicine, and more

Mar. 24, 2026 at 4:50am

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Deshauntra Green-Johnson and Alex Michelletti were among 154 medical school graduates at the University of Mississippi Medical Center who announced their residency placements during the annual Match Day ceremony. Green-Johnson matched in obstetrics-gynecology, inspired by the compassionate care her mother received for breast cancer and her own experience with preeclampsia. Michelletti matched in internal medicine, driven by his brother's health crisis in high school. Both plan to return to rural Mississippi communities to practice, continuing the legacy of caring doctors who shaped their career paths.

Why it matters

Match Day is a significant milestone for aspiring physicians, as it marks the transition from medical school to residency training. The stories of Green-Johnson and Michelletti highlight how personal experiences with the healthcare system can inspire students to pursue careers in medicine, with the goal of providing the same level of compassionate care to their future patients. Their decisions to return to Mississippi also address the state's ongoing need for more primary care physicians in rural areas.

The details

During the Match Day ceremony, 154 fourth-year medical students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center found out where they will continue their training as resident physicians. Green-Johnson matched in obstetrics-gynecology, inspired by her mother's breast cancer journey and her own experience with preeclampsia, while Michelletti matched in internal medicine after witnessing his brother's health crisis in high school. Both plan to return to rural Mississippi communities to practice, following in the footsteps of the caring doctors who shaped their career paths.

  • The Match Day ceremony was held on Friday, March 24, 2026.
  • Green-Johnson and Michelletti will begin their residencies in the summer of 2026.

The players

Deshauntra Green-Johnson

A medical school graduate from Fayette, Mississippi who matched in obstetrics-gynecology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Alex Michelletti

A medical school graduate from Philadelphia, Mississippi who matched in internal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

University of Mississippi Medical Center

The medical school where Green-Johnson and Michelletti graduated and will begin their residencies.

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What they’re saying

“My mom had breast cancer and I found out while a senior at Ole Miss in Oxford, before I was in med school. Her journey was what first put me on a health care track. Through her interactions with the people at MD Anderson in Houston, I truly saw what it was like to have caring attention from someone in women's care.”

— Deshauntra Green-Johnson

“In the eighth grade, he suffered a spontaneous lung collapse, or pneumothorax. He was in and out of the hospital his senior year of high school having a chest tube put in, having his lung collapse again, then having to get the tube put back in again. Seeing how the nurses, physicians and everyone else in the hospital helped him was fascinating to me.”

— Alex Michelletti

What’s next

The new resident physicians will begin their training programs in the summer of 2026.

The takeaway

The stories of Green-Johnson and Michelletti demonstrate how personal experiences with the healthcare system can inspire students to pursue careers in medicine, with the goal of providing the same level of compassionate care to their future patients. Their decisions to return to rural Mississippi communities also address the state's ongoing need for more primary care physicians in underserved areas.