WesternU COMP celebrates 100% residency placement for second consecutive year
Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) achieved 100% residency placement for the second consecutive year.
COMP celebrated Match Day on March 20, 2026, in Ontario, California, joining medical students across the country in learning where they would begin their clinical training. COMP Class of 2026 students shared this special moment with family, friends and classmates as they opened envelopes containing their residency placement.
COMP and COMP-Northwest Dean Lisa Warren, DO ’01, MBA, said Match Day is emotional, exciting, and overwhelming. She reassured students that they are ready for this next stage in their lives and careers.
“You all have proven that in these last four years you can do it. That makes me so proud and confident that you’re going to be in a place where you are going to change lives and make a big impact on the institutions and communities you are going to be living in,” Warren said. “You spent long hours studying. You have already touched and changed many patients through all your experiences. Please take this moment to acknowledge yourself in that no matter what is in that letter, you have everything within you to make a huge impact in the future. These residency programs are going to be very fortunate to have you.”
Match Day is celebrated across the U.S. as fourth-year medical students learn which U.S. residency programs they will train in for the next three to seven years. All DO and MD medical students enter the same residency pool and will become residents together in the same post-graduate training programs. The Match is hosted by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), through which medical students obtain residency positions in accredited training programs. NRMP announced that more than 44,000 residency positions were offered in over 6,800 program tracks across the U.S.
Among active applicants, 38,354 matched to a post graduate year-1 (“PGY-1”) position, an increase of 687 (1.8 percent) from 2025, according to NRMP. U.S. DO seniors achieved their highest PGY-1 match rate on record. There were 8,503 active applicants, an increase of 111 over last year, with a PGY-1 match rate of 93.2 percent, an increase of 0.6 percent from 2025, according to NRMP.
COMP Class of 2026 students in Pomona had a 100% placement rate, with 55% pursuing careers in primary care. The top specialty placements for COMP students are: Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Anesthesiology.
Fourth-year COMP student Andrew Avila matched into his No. 1 choice, a family medicine residency at Adventist Health Glendale. He chose this program because he loves how the faculty is invested in making sure the residents are successful, and how they challenge the residents every day to grow. He chose family medicine to help patients in the best way possible.
“To be able to be a primary care physician, I can give them as many resources as I could from the initial visit all the way to when they are older,” Avila said. “I love the idea of incorporating mental health into general health and well-being, doing different procedures and, whether it’s a 15-minute visit or a one-hour physical in the hospital, to set them up for success.
“I am filled with so much gratitude and happiness,” he added. “This has been several years in the making, and to see this fulfilled in this moment is humbling, overwhelming and great.”
Fourth-year COMP student Esmeralda Santos said she was happy but nervous prior to opening her envelope. She matched into a family medicine residency at Loma Linda University, which she chose because she wants to build strong patient relationships.
“I like to talk to patients and learn more about them,” Santos said. “I wanted a broad specialty that will give me something different every day.”
Fourth-year COMP student Cory Gaines matched into an emergency medicine residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga.
“Emergency medicine serves all society as the safety net,” Gaines said. “I wanted to be part of that and I want to help educate patients and be at the forefront of medicine.”
Second-generation COMP student Catly Winn matched into an internal medicine residency at Loma Linda University Health. Her father, James Winn, DO ’89, graduated from COMP in 1989. She chose internal medicine because she wants to cultivate relationships with her patients and determine how to best see them as a whole person.
“I’m surrounded by people who love me, who know that I’m going to make a difference in this field,” Catly Winn said. “My father inspired me to go into medicine. I have a lot of friends in the area. We’re celebrating together.”
Dr. James Winn said Match Day has grown into a much bigger event compared to when he was at COMP. The campus is also much larger.
“I trust this school. I know this school and I’m happy she followed in my footsteps,” Dr. Winn said.
However, he never pressured her to follow him into medicine or to COMP. She came to those decisions on her own.
“I told her to find her own path. Whatever she wants, I will support her 100 percent. I’m here for her,” Winn said. “I’m happy she decided to choose medicine.”
His advice to her?
“Be patient, learn, and be humble,” he said. “Don’t think you know everything. In medicine, you never stop learning until the end of your career. You keep on learning every day.”
