When Tony Asfour was accepted into the NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and its tuition-free medical program, he couldn’t believe, nor could he ever imagine, he would also meet the love of his life. The aspiring physician sat next to Katie Goldrick class after class during their first year of medical school, where they fell in love. Now engaged, they are the first students in the school’s history to enroll as a couple for Match Day to match to the same residency programs.

“I am a very shy person and was a little late for orientation. The only seat left was next to Katie, and they became our unspoken assigned seats throughout the year,” said Tony. “We became really good friends, but eventually I realized I had found my best friend and the love of my life.”

The couple is among 23 students who will be graduating from the medical school, which was the first in the country to offer a three-year, tuition-free degree with a focus on primary care. Its mission is to help address the shortage of primary care physicians desperately needed locally and in communities across the country.

“We are incredibly proud of our senior students who have successfully matched into residency training programs today,” said Gladys M. Ayala, MD, MPH, FACP, dean and professor of medicine. “This achievement is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the comprehensive education they have received at our institution.”

Match Day is an annual event when medical students find out which residency program they match. Students open envelopes containing their matches during this momentous occasion, which marks the end of medical school and the beginning of residency training.

For Katie, who grew up in Wantagh, Long Island, and Tony, who is from Lebanon, it was a wish come true after they matched to the same Manhattan-based hospital for their residency training. They plan to get married in October after beginning their residencies.
 
“Tony and I bring out the best in one another as people and as future physicians,” said Katie. “He brings magic to every situation and always makes patients smile. I am so excited to be sharing my residency journey with him.” Tony echoed, “Katie is going to make an excellent physician. Patients are going to be lucky to be under her care.”

Among the other students who made matches of their lifetimes:

• Joseph Idoko of Staten Island, who decided to pursue a career in internal medicine after seeing the struggles his father and grandmother had battling chronic health conditions. Joseph worked his way through college as a retail stock person and driver for Uber Eats. He will remain at NYU Langone for a residency in primary care.
• Lilly Drohan, who grew up in in a small town in Massachusetts, where her mother is an obstetrician–gynecologist. Like mother like daughter, Lilly will be following in her mom’s footsteps and will be doing her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, which is affiliated with NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine. 

More than 70 percent of this year’s graduates will be entering primary care specialties such as internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, and obstetrics–gynecology. In total, 9 students in the graduating class matched with NYU Langone, while 10 students matched with other health systems outside of NYU Langone but within New York. This means that more than 80 percent of the class will be staying in New York for residency training, which is a crucial part of our mission to increase the physician workforce in New York.

“These future physicians will play a crucial role in addressing the healthcare needs of the communities they serve, ensuring that quality and comprehensive medical care is accessible to all,” said Dr. Ayala. “We are confident they will have a profound impact on the field of medicine and the lives of their patients.”

About NYU Langone Health

NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone the No. 1 comprehensive academic medical center in the country for three years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently placed nine of its clinical specialties among the top five in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across 7 inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. With $14.2 billion in revenue this year, the system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise with over $1 billion in active awards from the National Institutes of Health.

About NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine

NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine is the only medical school in the country to offer a three-year, tuition-free medical degree in primary care. Its mission is to prepare graduates to deliver outstanding patient care and become authorities in local and national health systems. The school first opened its doors in 2019 and is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the foremost accreditor of medical schools in the U.S and Canada. NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine’s graduate medical education programs offer postgraduate medical education training in more than 20 specialties. Throughout all of these programs, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine encourages research collaboration in basic, clinical, and translational sciences to solve today’s most urgent healthcare needs.

Media Inquiries

Rosemary Gomez
Office: 516-663-2709 
Cell: 516-402-4260
Rosemary.Gomez@NYULangone.org