Foster School of Medicine Students Learn Their Futures on Match Day
Texas Tech Health El Paso celebrated the Class of 2026 on Match Day as 107 medical students discovered where they will spend the next phase of their physician training. The event, held in the Medical Science Building II auditorium, was filled with cheers, laughter, and tears as students opened sealed envelopes revealing their residency placements.
For many students, the moment carried special significance, as some will remain in El Paso to continue serving the community where they trained. Among the class are 13 students from El Paso and one from Las Cruces, New Mexico. El Paso native Stephen Contreras, who matched locally, described the experience as “incredibly meaningful” and expressed excitement to continue serving his community.
“Match Day represents the moment our students take the next step toward becoming the physicians our communities need,” said Eric M. Rohren, M.D., Ph.D., FACR, dean of the Foster School of Medicine. “Whether they remain here in El Paso or train elsewhere across the country, they carry with them a commitment to compassionate care and improving the health of the communities they serve.”
The Class of 2026 reflects Texas Tech Health El Paso’s mission to address the physician shortage in the Borderplex and other U.S.–Mexico border regions. El Paso County currently has approximately one primary care physician for every 2,500 residents, underscoring the critical need for locally trained doctors. Since its founding in 2009, the institution has helped grow the number of physicians in the region from 1,034 to 1,792.
Among the graduates, personal experiences shaped their paths to medicine. El Paso native Carolina Mendez matched into emergency medicine at the University of Southern California, inspired by her father’s battle with pancreatic cancer. Mason Bettes, an El Paso native and kidney transplant recipient, matched into internal medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock and will return home to serve local patients.
The residency matching process, coordinated through the National Resident Matching Program, pairs students with programs based on mutual preferences using a computerized algorithm. Texas Tech Health El Paso currently trains over 350 resident physicians in affiliated hospitals and clinics, including University Medical Center of El Paso, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, and The Hospitals of Providence – Transmountain Campus.
