PHOENIX (March 25, 2026) – Banner Health will welcome 231 graduating medical students to its residency programs this summer, continuing its mission to train the next generation of physicians across Arizona.
At Match Day ceremonies held Friday, fourth-year medical students nationwide learned where they matched to programs in different specialties at different sites. Students spend part of their fourth year applying and interviewing with prospective programs at chosen locations. The graduate medical education programs then rank all applicants, and a computer algorithm matches the students and programs based on their respective rankings A total of 59 students from the university’s College of Medicine – Phoenix and College of Medicine – Tucson will be training at Banner sites statewide.
Banner Health family physician Stephanie Briney, DO, associate dean of student affairs at the Univesity of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, told the gathered celebration on Friday, “We’ve seen you in action; we’ve worked with you at the bedside and in the clinic; volunteered alongside you; and been inspired by how you’ve led and taught the classes behind you. Without a doubt, every student in the Class of 2026 will make excellent future physicians.”
All told, some 195 graduating medical students will train at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson. Another 136 will train at Banner facilities elsewhere, including 88 at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix, 26 at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, 20 at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City West and two at Banner Payson Medical Center. The incoming residents come from 28 different medical schools, including 64 from the UA’s Phoenix and Tucson campuses.
In its continuing effort to meet the need for more physicians, Banner Health and the U of A announced in 2023 the creation of 229 additional residency positions to help meet the state’s need for more doctors. Banner Health and the university are halfway to that goal.
Banner Health is one of the nation’s largest fully integrated nonprofit health care systems. With 33 hospitals and more than 450 additional care sites, Banner provides a comprehensive continuum of care including health insurance, a broad physician network, outpatient surgery centers, urgent care, home care and hospice services, retail pharmacies, imaging centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services. Through its longstanding, innovative relationship with the University of Arizona, Banner drives clinical discoveries across more than 800 trials, recruits world-class physician scientists to advance diagnosis and treatment, and trains more than 1,300 residents and fellows annually through graduate medical education. We are also proud to train thousands of nurses and hundreds of allied health professionals. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, a partnership with one of the world’s leading cancer programs MD Anderson Cancer Center, cares for more than 100,000 patients a year. Banner Plans and Networks extends the system’s reach through Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial health coverage to more than 1 million members. In 2025, Banner Health provided more than $1 billion worth of community benefits to assist those in need through a range of programs. Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health also has locations in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com.
All photos are courtesy of University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Match Day on March 20.
Match Allen – Marisol Allen holds golden ticket showing her match with Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix
Match Stickels – Michael Stickels shows he is matching in orthopedic surgery at BUMCP.
Match Koolmees – Wyatt Koolmees matched with the internal medicine program.
Match Moore – Raquel Moore is doing a residency in internal medicine.
Match Reynolds – Cindy Reynolds will be doing a residency in general surgery.
Match Couple - Stephen Yao and Brittany Hong are both doing residencies at BUMCP.
Match Tucson – UofA College of Medicine – Phoenix student Lauren Dimalanta is doing her residency in ophthalmology at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson.
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