Not every beginning announces itself. Yet in the swirl of medical and graduate school, many students can trace the start of a lasting relationship back to campus. From chance meetings during orientation, to study groups that turned into something more, to sharing milestones such as White Coat, the university has long been the place for both future careers in healthcare and connections of the heart.

Love doesn’t always spark at first sight, but campus orientation can give things a head start. A simple hello grew into something special; an unforgettable moment turned into a lifelong love story. For many alumni couples who marked the beginning of their relationships on campus, the foundation built over time, shaped by shared experiences and friendship.

The American Medical Association reports that an average of 45% of physicians are married to a physician or another healthcare professional, and these couples report strong satisfaction in their relationships. Reasons cited include connecting with someone who shared similar experiences and could mutually understand the challenges within healthcare settings. Results from a 2025 Medscape survey had more than 80% of the healthcare-provider respondents describing their marriages as “very good” or “good.”

The key to high satisfaction in relationships varied, but respondents emphasized the importance of communication and an intrinsic understanding of the unique nature of healthcare professions. Flexibility and compromise are also important, as can play out leading up to Match Day, the annual national event when students learn their residency and internship placements for the following years. In 2026, 1,258 couples matched nationwide, with 88.5% both matching, according to the National Resident Matching Program.

Several longtime couples from our programs, including Chicago Medical School (CMS), the College of Pharmacy and the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, share how they fell in love and how having a partner during graduate-school training was uniquely supportive, grounding and, yes, good for their heart.

Being Understood
David Shelley, MD ’94, and Carole Shelley, MD ’95

We met during our first year. Tensions were high, and school could be overwhelming. We both thought: “There is no time for a relationship.” A mutual friend introduced us during one of our classes, then we ran into each other again in the old Rathskeller campus hangout that no longer exists. We began as friends and decided to study together. It was great to have someone who really understood the stress and the time commitment of medical school. It certainly was less isolating, and we found it priceless to have each other to provide support on this journey. Then we started dating. Time away from medicine was important, too. We explored Chicago, its festivals and the surrounding areas.

Four years passed quickly. We didn’t match together since Dave was ahead of me. This worked out well since it gave me the opportunity to do audition rotations close to Dave when he matched in general surgery at the University of Cincinnati. There were three OB/GYN programs there, and I was fortunate to match at the same place a year later.

Two-physician households can be challenging, but it also can be a great release, since each understands the ups and downs of practicing medicine. It’s also about compromise, great communication, and mutually finding happiness at work and at home, and sharing responsibilities. After 30 years, we wouldn’t change a thing! —Dr. Carole Shelley

Movies and O’Hare Rides
Lowell Weil Jr., DPM ’94, and Wendy Benton-Weil, DPM ’94

We met during orientation. Only a small subset of first-year students attended, so it was a close-knit group from the onset. We spent days together, and there was programming nearly every night.

By the end of the week, Wendy was leaving town for Labor Day weekend. When she asked the group the best way to get to the airport, I offered her a ride and also offered to pick her up when she returned. On the day of her return flight, I had college friends at my parents’ house; when Wendy called, I immediately kicked everyone out and rushed to the airport to see her. I suggested going to a movie, and funny enough, we saw “Gross Anatomy,” which was about first-year medical-school students. From that day on, we spent all of our time together.

We have fond memories of living in the city and going through our education together. And we continued going to the movies. We often had tests on Friday mornings, so we made a habit of going to the movies right after the test, sometimes two or three.

In the 1990s, finding multiple programs to match in one city was not easy. We worked very hard to find the right city and programs where we could get the best training possible and still be in close proximity to each other. We both landed at two of the best programs in the Philadelphia area (University of Pennsylvania for me, and Wendy was at the West Jersey Health System across the river). We continued to support one another through residency, which was even more difficult than podiatric medical school.

Podiatric medical school is incredibly trying and often overwhelming, so having someone with you side by side to provide encouragement was incredible. For many, it is lonely, but having your partner with you throughout the entire process makes it much easier. —Dr. Lowell Weil Jr.

We often had tests on Friday mornings, so we made a habit of going to the movies right after the test, sometimes two or three.

Inklings at White Coat
Alan Blank, MD ’11, MS ’07, and Sarah Blank, MD ’11, MS ’07

Alan and I met on campus. I remember meeting him and his family at the White Coat Ceremony. His sister jokes to this day that she knew we’d end up together after that one brief meeting.

We got to know each other during long study sessions in the library or unwinding with friends in the Woodlands. It was fun having a study buddy and even better to have someone going through the same experience.

We were blessed to both successfully match at our top programs in New York City. This was a good thing, because we got married two days after Match Day!

We have CMS to thank for bringing us together. We’ve had a great journey from medical school to residency and attending jobs that have taken us from Chicago to New York City and Salt Lake City. Now back in Chicago, we’re very happily settled with our four busy kids and two dogs.
—Dr. Sarah Blank

The Crucible That Shaped Us
Jonathan Rimler, MD ’09, and Shelly Rimler, MD ’10

Our story began during orientation at RFU, when we drove to an orientation event. Looking back, what started as a random introduction turned into the foundation of our entire medical-school journey. Our graduate training wasn’t just a backdrop to our relationship; it was the crucible that shaped it. From those early days of study marathons to navigating residency together at UC Irvine, we essentially grew up as physicians, side by side.

While medical school is notoriously intense, our fondest memories are the moments we carved out to just be a couple amid the chaos of studying. We regularly played ping-pong during study breaks, and we loved running together around Lake Forest. Having a partner in healthcare training was an incredible gift. We never had to explain the exhaustion of being on call or the weight of a difficult patient encounter.

There was an instant, implicit empathy between us. When residency life tested our limits, we didn’t just have a partner at home; we had an ally who completely “got it.” Looking back, our shared journey through the highs and lows of medical school and residency didn’t just make us better partners; it made us more compassionate physicians. We are profoundly grateful for the foundation it built for our marriage and our careers. We recently had the chance to take our two girls to RFU during last year’s summer vacation. It was so fun to show them where we met and spent so much time together.
—Drs. Shelly and Jonathan Rimler

Meet Me in Chicago
Leo Li, MD ’91, and Sharon Hame, MD ’91

Leo and I met during our first year at Chicago Medical School. We looked familiar to each other because we had both graduated from UCLA. It turned out we had a lot of mutual friends, even attended some of the same classes, but we had never met in college.

During our second year, we attended a Friendsgiving with other CMS students, and that started it all. Before long, we were spending time together in downtown Chicago seeing the sights, hanging out with classmates in the Rathskeller and studying together at the Lake Forest Public Library. Toward the end of medical school, Leo was brave enough to couples-match with me despite not being engaged. We matched in New York City together: me in orthopaedic surgery and Leo in internal medicine. After surviving our internships, we were married in our second year of residency and have been married for 33 glorious years. We have three children, one who also graduated from RFU.

We credit CMS for bringing us together all those years ago and remain grateful for all the opportunities, both personal and professional, the school has provided for us.
—Dr. Sharon Hame

Through It All
Albert Shen, MD ’94, and Betty Kung, MD ’94

We met in anatomy class, studied together and helped each other prepare for exams. Having someone who not only cares for you but can commiserate with you through tough times and celebrate the good ones gave me the strength to accomplish anything.

Being in the same school and sharing similar experiences through medical school allowed us to support each other in every way. We shared ups and downs, we cried and laughed together, and we helped each other achieve our goals.

We did a couples-match; I did OB/GYN and Al did pediatrics. We were blessed to match our first choice. We both ended up back in California, close to our families.

—Dr. Betty Kung

Balancing Careers
Tila Thomas, PharmD ’23, and Aaron Dyson, MD ’23

We met pre-pandemic when the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) would do a yearly Black History Month show. I was friends with the presidents of SNMA and was also a part of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA). Aaron was part of SNMA, and that’s where we met and truly became friends! Being involved in those organizations expanded our friendship and future relationship.

Balancing careers has worked in our favor. Aaron matched with the University of Iowa in its anesthesia program, and I was able to get a job right out of school as a pharmacist in retail. As we’re going into our last year at this program, we have been able to navigate the struggles of residency and working together. We have heavily leaned on each other in the process, and we communicate a lot about our goals and what we both want out of our careers with mutual support and planning.

Being able to enjoy time together has been good since RFU. Work is stressful, and we have been able to make it work. Wedding planning was fun, with a great wedding with our families and friends in California. We’re just working hard in our current positions right now and looking toward the future.

—Dr. Tila Thomas

Shout-Out to Kappa Psi
Joseph DeSantis, PharmD ’19, and Nhung DeSantis, PharmD ’21

We were both student pharmacists at the College of Pharmacy and met on campus through one of the professional organizations (shout-out to Kappa Psi!). From that moment on, we became inseparable. We attended our first (and last) College of Pharmacy Banquet in 2019; soon after that, we quarantined together due to the pandemic in 2020.

Because we were both going to school to become pharmacists, our post-graduate goals were similar. We knew what type of partner we needed to be for each other, because we understood the day-to-day life. At Nhung’s graduation party, Joe proposed in front of all our family members. We will always be thankful to RFU for bringing us together.

One of the biggest reasons why our relationship works for us is because, no matter what, we support each other and want the other to be happy. We wanted careers that brought out the best versions of ourselves for our patients and for the profession, so we learned how to be each other’s biggest cheerleader.

We got married in fall 2022 and wanted to grow our little family. We rescued an adorable black lab/shepherd mix in 2021, had our first child (a daughter) in 2024 and our son in 2025 to complete our set. We currently work in Chicago, where Joe is a pharmacist at Capsule Pharmacy and Nhung is the pediatric lead pharmacist at Rush University Medical Center.

—Drs. Joseph and Nhung DeSantis