“Our first match results for the Class of 2025 are in,” excitedly shared Marilyn Katz, MD, FACP, assistant dean for Student Affairs at UConn School of Medicine.

Leonard “Lenny” Murphy, 28, of Mattapoisett, Mass. is headed to the Navy for residency training in pediatrics at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

“I always wanted to do military medicine. I come from a military family,” he shared. His father and uncle were in the Coast Guard and his grandfather was in the Navy.

“I always wanted to do pediatrics too!” says Murphy. “I like the energy of kids. They are always so positive, and they are so resilient.”

He chose to attend UConn School of Medicine for medical school because he really liked the School’s focus on team-based learning (TBL) and an added benefit was it was close to home.

He is very happy with his UConn medical school experience but he’s looking forward to Commencement this May 12 and: “finally, practicing medicine!”

Kathryn “Kat” Fama, 25, of Trumbull, Conn. is thrilled to military match into a pediatric residency training program at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA.

“I’m so excited to have already matched. It’s not only a relief to have this done, but it is incredibly exciting to know where the next part of my training will take place. I can’t wait to be a part of the Madigan community!” shared Fama who was in the Army through ROTC in college.

“I am incredibly honored to be able to take care of military children and families. I have always enjoyed working with children, mainly coaching gymnastics and working as a camp counselor. Because of this, I chose a pediatrics CLIC site. My preceptors, Dr. Curi and Dr. Magda, were amazing mentors who showed me this was the specialty for me.”

For over 30 years UConn School of Medicine’s CLIC (Clinical Longitudinal Immersion in the Community) program matches first year medical students to work for three to four years alongside faculty and other community based primary care field physician preceptors, and some clinical subspecialists, so students can build their patient-care skills, patient physician relationships, and see the realities of medicine first hand. CLIC was one of the first of its kind, serving as a national model.

As Fama marches toward Commencement in May she said her experience at UConn was great.

“I have been lucky to work with many excellent preceptors and mentors throughout my rotations who have prepared me to take this next step in my career,” says Fama.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the class match and celebrating with them!” she says.