The National Resident Matching Program Welcomes New Members to its Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Resident Matching Program^® (NRMP^®) is welcoming five new members to its Board of Directors on July 1, 2025. It will also celebrate a historic milestone when Natasha N. Bray, DO, MSEd becomes Chair of the Board, the first osteopathic physician to serve in this leadership role.

"It is a tremendous honor to become NRMP Board Chair at such a pivotal time in medical education," said Dr. Bray. "Our new members are joining a community of professionals who are deeply committed to helping the NRMP advance initiatives that support all future physicians and ensuring a transparent and efficient Match process."

Dr. Bray succeeds Deborah S. Clements, MD, Chair of Family and Community Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Clements is an esteemed and dedicated leader, expertly guiding the NRMP since July 1, 2023, through critical discussions and actions related to the residency matching process.

"It has been a privilege to serve as Board Chair for the NRMP," said Dr. Clements. "Over the last two years, the organization has made significant progress in strengthening stakeholder engagement, advancing data transparency, and growing the Match community. As I conclude my term, I am confident that Dr. Bray will build on these accomplishments and guide the NRMP with strength and integrity."

Joining NRMP's Board of Directors in July are five distinguished leaders representing a range of expertise across medical education and training:

Cary B. Aarons, MD, MSEd, FACS, FASCRS, currently serves as Program Director for General Surgery and Vice Chair of Education at Columbia University. He is also a Professor of Surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Aarons completed his General Surgery training at Boston University Medical Center followed by a Colorectal Surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Previously he led the General Surgery residency program at the University of Pennsylvania where he also served as Co-Chair of the Medical School admissions Committee and the Assistant Dean for GME – Director of Underrepresented in Medicine Affairs.

Alizeh Abbas, MD, is a General Surgery resident at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB). Her leadership roles include serving as the Vice Chair of the American Journal of Surgery (AJS) Student and Resident Scholar Committee and Assistant Editor of the AJS. She also serves as the Regional Liaison for the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS). Dr. Abbas completed her MBBS in 2018 from Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan.

Glenn T. Ault, MD, MSEd, is a Professor of Clinical Surgery (Educational Scholar) at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, specializing in colon and rectal surgery. Additionally, he is the Chief of Service for the Department of Colorectal Surgery at LAC+USC Medical Center. Previously, he served as Chair of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Review Committee of the ACGME. Dr. Ault completed his surgical and fellowship training at the University of Southern California.

Omari Baines-Waiz, DO, MBA, is a Resident in the Atrium Health Sandra and Leon Levine Psychiatry Residency Program in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Baines-Waiz serves as DEI Committee Chair for the Resident Council at Atrium Health and is a mentor in the Student National Medical Association's Clinical Shadowing and Mentorship Program. Dr. Baines-Waiz received her M.S. in Medical Sciences at the University of South Florida before receiving her M.B.A and D.O. degrees at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. Previously, she was a chemistry teacher at Tampa Bay Technical High School.

Mytien Nguyen, MS, is an MD/PhD student in Immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine. She is also a Graduate Fellow of Yale's BBS Diversity & Inclusion Collective and also has contributed to national committees, most notably the American Council of Educators in Plastic Surgery Research Committee and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Advisory Committee where she advises on the Foundation's strategy to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the health professions. An advocate for health equity, Ms. Nguyen is a co-founder of the National First Gen & Low-Income Medicine Association.

"These five accomplished members will add valuable perspectives as the NRMP works to advance its mission and develop new strategic priorities," said NRMP President and CEO Donna L. Lamb, DHSc, MBA, BSN. "Together with Dr. Bray and our dedicated Board, our newest members will help ensure the NRMP continues to serve applicants and programs and with honesty, trustworthiness, and accountability."

The NRMP Board of Directors is composed of 20 members, including program directors, medical school deans, designated institutional officials, resident and fellow physicians, medical students, and non-physician members. The NRMP acknowledges the commitment and service of the following individuals whose terms on the Board expire June 30, 2025:

• Keith B. Armitage, MD
• Donna D. Elliott, MD, EdD
• Melissa Garrett Mariano, DO
• Claudia A. Mosquera Vasquez, MD
• Bolatito Adeyeri, MD

About NRMP

The National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP®) is a private, non-profit organization established in 1952 to oversee The Match®. The Match was established at the request of medical students to provide an orderly and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors. In addition to the annual Main Residency Match® for more than 50,000 registrants, the NRMP also conducts Fellowship Matches for more than 75 subspecialties through its Specialties Matching Service® (SMS®).

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE National Resident Matching Program