Erica Swanson

On my interview day, I was met with the most down-to-earth people I know, and I left thinking it would be such an honor to be a part of the Indiana University School of Medicine's team of residents. This has proven to be true in my short time here so far. The transition to intern year is tough, and I have found that the people around me have been what have helped me the most so far, whether that be my fellow co-interns, upper year residents, chiefs, attendings, nurses/support staff, and administration. Beyond the people, I was drawn here for the unique global health opportunities with AMPATH, ambulatory block education with training in nutrition, exercise, and wellness, as well as diverse training sites to serve the underserved population in Eskenazi, veterans at the VA, and more of a private sector at Methodist/Indiana University Health. Indianapolis itself is an affordable, midwest city with much to offer, from multiple food choices and outdoor parks without the hassle of long commutes. I am happy to call it home for the next three years!

Yara Sarkis

I am currently only a couple of months into my residency and I can say with absolute certainty that I love this program and all the people in it. Matching into IU was probably one of the best things that happened to me. In this program, diversity is embraced, teaching is encouraged, cases are interesting and colleagues are amazing. As a woman, it was also wonderful to see that this program works toward women empowerment and values women as physicians. From the first medical encounter I had, I realized that training here will be professionally fulfilling and personally gratifying. And so, my medical curiosity will not be “disappointed”. Coming from Beirut, Lebanon, it was important for me to find a HOME in my residency program; and IU offered me that!

Brett Walker

As we face the coming challenges and opportunities of an aging  population, it is more important than ever to have physicians well trained in caring for the distinct needs of older adults. IU offers unique opportunities for residents to grow in their knowledge and skill in practicing geriatric medicine. As a resident, I have been able to experience an extra half-day of clinic during my non-ward months with a licensed geriatrician. I now feel more comfortable in recognizing and treating common geriatric issues such as cognitive impairment, polypharmacy, and debility. Geriatrics clinic has made me a better physician in caring for my own patient panel in continuity clinic. In addition, my experiences in the inpatient Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) units, both at Methodist and Eskenazi, have allowed me to care for older adults in the hospital from a holistic perspective. This has all been with the support of compassionate geriatricians that love to educate and mentor residents. The training provided by IU has left me well-prepared and confident for geriatrics fellowship and beyond. I couldn’t recommend IU and their geriatric medicine pathway more highly if you are a resident interested in becoming a more well-rounded physician that can compassionately care for a vulnerable yet rewarding patient population.

Brittany Baker

Being a lifelong Indiana resident and having attended IUPUI for my

Cardiology

Asad Torabi (IU)

I wanted to train in Indiana for fellowship because I'm a Hoosier. This is my home state and I've trained here since medical school. The cardiology faculty here are excellent and I have a lot of mentors here at IU after training here for residency. I have a special interest in both interventional cardiology and echocardiography and our program is very strong in both of these subspecialties. I also really like general cardiology and I'm looking to learn as much as I can in other areas of cardiology such as EP and advanced heart failure. We also have a lot of unique opportunities such a having echo conference every week with Dr. Feigenbaum, the father of echocardiography. The program also provides a tremendous amount of cardiology resources to help you prepare for your cardiology boards. My co-fellows here are amazing. Stephanie, our program coordinator, goes above and beyond to make sure we have everything we need. This is a heavy clinical program with a lot of volume but very unique because it is such a big tertiary referral center in the state of Indiana. We also have a new chair, Dr. Raman, and she is looking to add more to department, such as strengthening our training in cardiac MRI/advanced imaging. Dr. Bhakta, our program director, has been wonderful. We are two weeks into training and I've truly enjoyed the experience thus far.

Fatima Ezzeddine (Mayo Clinic)

As an IMG, IU was the first home for me in the United States. I still remember when I interviewed at IU, I felt very comfortable and welcomed. I was also impressed by the great things the residents had to say about the program. What stood out about IU during my interview trail and residency training was the diverse patient population seen in a four-hospital system. The unparalleled clinical experience, strong emphasis on resident education, and supportive environment pushed me to do my best every day. As I advanced through my training, I had a growing interest in cardiology, particularly in EP. At first, I was a little bit hesitant about being focused on EP that early in my training. However, with the help and guidance of great mentors, I realized that my early exposure to the EP field gave me enough time to become familiar with this analytical subspecialty. Overall, I felt well prepared for fellowship following residency. I matched at Mayo Clinic (Rochester) for cardiology fellowship, and the transition has been very smooth.  If I had to go back and do residency again, I’d definitely choose IU. 
 

Gastroenterology

Jenn Peng (IU)

My name is Jenn Peng, and I will be starting as a first year Gastroenterology Fellow. I completed both my medical school and residency here at Indiana University. The decision to stay at IU for GI fellowship was easy. Not only are there amazing role models and mentors within the faculty and fellows, but also the educational opportunities here are truly endless. Fellows are exposed to a wide variety of GI pathology in addition to specialized training in Advanced Endoscopy, complex IBD, Motility, and Transplant Hepatology. The expert attendings here provide world-class education and are generous in their approach to teaching. Most importantly, I value the camaraderie and family-like atmosphere IU promotes within its GI fellowship program. Fellow well-being, happiness, and priorities truly come first. I am very excited to continue my training here.

Hematology/Oncology

Jenny King (IU)

I’m one of the “lifers”. I did medical school, residency, and now will be entering fellowship all at IU. I am originally from Indiana and almost all of my family now lives in Indianapolis. I’m married with two kids, and we bought a house in the Eagle Creek area shortly before I started residency. Given that, it would seem it would just make sense that I would want to stay put for my continued training. And while that’s partially true, I actually went into fellowship interview season with an open mind and my husband’s nudging of, “maybe it’s time to try something new”. I was even almost won over by some of the more mountainous terrains and warm climates of the other programs I visited (I will always hate Indiana winters), but as the interview season drew to a close, I knew IU was where I wanted to continue training. Throughout my residency, I was able to form relationships with several of the hematologists and oncologists at IU through mentorship, research opportunities, and many oncology elective rotations. I stayed for a chief year, where I also saw how many of the faculty helped with medical education and mentorship for so many of our residents. The opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s top oncologists in the supportive and productive environment that I had already witnessed as a resident was what solidified my desire to stay. I’m so excited to be starting fellowship here, and I’m so thankful to be a “lifer”.

Bharathi Muthusamy (Cleveland Clinic)

I chose IU Internal Medicine for residency because of the diversity of patients due to its multiple hospitals and the solid clinical training I would get. As someone who went to medical school at IU (the main campus), I saw how well-trained the residents first hand, before starting residency. I did my Sub-I in the ICU and near the end was totally surprised to find out that my resident was going into Endocrinology and not Pulm/Critical Care. She was not only so capable clinically, but she was so excited about learning. It definitely helped that both the staff we were with were enthusiastic about teaching and answering all our questions. I knew after this experience that I wanted to be part of such an environment. Since graduating and starting Hematology/Oncology fellowship, I can't stress enough the importance of a program that helps you feel confident clinically and as a leader. I have felt it has made my transition a whole lot easier since I was given a good amount of autonomy during residency. Also because of the emphasis on education at IU, I feel comfortable asking questions to my staff and co-fellows. If there was some sort of "glitch in the matrix" and I had to do residency again, I would still choose IU School of Medicine. I am lucky to have trained in such a supportive learning environment. 

Ahmed Khalid (IU)

I actually had no idea I wanted to be a part of Indiana University Internal Medicine really badly until I had my pre-interview dinner and my interview day. I was blown away by how nice and friendly the people were including the residents, the coordinators and the program directors. Even though I spent less than 24 hours in the city, it felt like a nice cozy place to be at. Having spent a year in the program now, I am so glad and thankful I came here and that this place chose to have me. The greatest asset this program has are its people. Everyone from the program director down to the residents has been very approachable, friendly and easy to work with. I imagine intern year is not easy anywhere but the people here made sure I never felt overwhelmed and that I had all the help I needed. Perhaps most importantly, I feel like this program has instilled in me the value of always helping or offering help to your colleagues, interns or medical students. This culture of always having people to count on and never ever feeling like you're alone is what makes this program a cut above the rest. 10/10, love this place. 

Hospital Medicine

Dan Edwards (IU/VAMC)

I went into intern year with an open mind regarding what my future career would look like. I remember going through subspecialty rotations and finding aspects of each that I appreciated. By the time I became an upper-level, I ultimately fell in love with the variety, acuity, and work-life balance that hospitalist medicine can provide. I feel like IU prepared me quite well as a budding hospitalist. As a 4-hospital system, I was able to train in a variety of settings and was exposed to a wide range of demographics, including our underserved/underrepresented population at Eskenazi, our veterans at the VA, and more specialized cases seen at Methodist and University hospitals, our quaternary-care referral center accepting transfers from across the state. The majority of our time on the general medicine wards was spent at Eskenazi and the VA, which provided a steady volume of patients without feeling overwhelming thanks to non-teaching hospitalist teams making sure our resident teams stayed under cap. This program also did a great job fostering autonomy, allowing me to feel prepared running rapid responses/codes and performing procedures by the time I was an upper level, all while having additional support readily available if it was ever requested. Finally, as an added bonus I found it helpful when looking for jobs to be comfortable with 3 of the most widely-used EMRs in the country (Epic, Cerner, CPRS).

Pulmonology/Critical Care

Russell Purpura (Cleveland Clinic)

My wife and I couples matched to Indiana University (IU) from Texas for Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine without every stepping foot in Indianapolis, except interview day. We both knew the IU programs would best prepare us and our future for multiple reasons. I personally wanted a wide variety of clinical pathology with high volume. This was easily attained since IU residents rotate between four hospital systems including a VA, county, tertiary and private hospitals. I also wanted robust learning opportunities during rounds and at daily conferences, along with personal teaching opportunities to interns and medical students. Each of these expectations at IU were met and more. I was constantly pushed to improve my clinical judgement, my bedside manner and my communication skills. I was inspired most by the Pulmonary and Critical Care staff at IU, which was the career path I chose. My research mentor, Dr. Khan, and other mentors such as Drs. Carlos and Bosslet supported me throughout all of residency and their guidance was ultimately how I got into my dream fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. I wouldn’t be the doctor I am today without IU’s diverse pathology, staff and learning opportunities. I strongly encourage all future applicants to consider Indy as your home during residency.                        

Nick Iannazo (IU)

When applying for residency there are a ton of factors that go into making this important decision. When I went to medical school in Chicago, I always thought I would eventually make my way back to Connecticut where my family is. I never really gave the Midwest a second thought, until my interview at IU. The people I met during my interview day helped me realize what a special place this is. Every instance I tried to rearrange my rank list, IU always seemed to be at the top, even though I didn't have any family members within a 12 hour drive. I ended up matching here and it was the best decision of my life. Here I met a great group of people while also receiving a fantastic training in internal medicine. IU gave me the ability to tailor my residency into what I needed to get me to my fellowship, even when I changed my focus after my first year. Due to the size of the program and all of our clinical sites I was able to experience everything I wanted to in order to make my fellowship decision. I enjoyed the program and the city so much, that I decided to stay for an extra chief year and then three more years of pulmonary/critical care fellowship. It is true that there are a lot of things that go into picking a residency, but for me it was the feeling I had when interviewing at IU that made the most difference to me. Given the opportunity, I would chose IU every time.  

Nephrology

Skye El Sayegh (IU)

Looking back through residency years, makes me feel so grateful and glad that it was at IU. There will be days that feel like eternity, you will feel overwhelmed and stressful at times but these will pass and you will be glad you went through it in a place just like IU. Days were long but years were short and I didn’t want to end my journey with IU and that’s why I decided to stay for fellowship! I met and became friends with great mentors, I began some everlasting friendships. Rotating at four different hospitals with different EMRs and different house staff might seem overwhelming but that what made IU unique and made me stay. IU will provide you with great educators, you will see so many pathologies and disease processes that you might only read in textbooks. If you want to become an expert in your field, IU is the right place for you! For me, nephrology fellowship was my ultimate goal and IU residency program had paved the way by introducing me to mentors and experts in the field of nephrology, the chiefs will work with you to tailor your electives and help you find research potentials based on your future interests. I ultimately decided on pursuing fellowship in the same program I did residency in as I know it will pave the way to a prosperous future career armed with enough knowledge. The other major bonus I got by choosing to stay with IU for fellowship is that I got to stay in a city that I can call home away from home, as I am an international medical graduate coming from Lebanon where my family is. Indy has its own charm from the gorgeous scenery of its parks to the mouthwatering restaurants. You will be glad you chose IU for residency, coming from an IU resident who decided to stay for fellowship as well!

Endocrinology

Mickey Voss (Wisconsin)

IU was a wonderful place to train for residency! All faculty, staff, and residents at IU create a wonderful learning environment while providing excellent patient care from your first day as an intern to graduation. The program leadership is very supportive of residents and goes above and beyond to address resident concerns and well-being through rapid and meaningful changes. A few examples from my three years at IU included leadership:

1. Changing the call schedule at multiple hospitals to create night float systems 
2. Creating new rotations focused on resident learning and subspecialty exposure
3. Granting personal days for life tasks outside of medicine in addition to vacation

These are just a few changes in just three years demonstrating how IU truly cares about residents and helps make them successful. One other way the program helps residents achieve their goals is by providing days off for fellowship/job interviews. This was a huge benefit for scheduling my fellowship interviews that many residents from other programs didn't enjoy. Residency is challenging wherever you train, but I loved my time at IU and would choose to train here for residency again if given the choice. Thank you to everyone at IU for a great 3 years!

 

Karthik Subbu (University North Carolina)

When applying for residency, I knew I wanted to be a part of a program that would support me and a place I could call home. At IU, I felt supported from day one. The relationships with my co-residents and faculty helped nurture my growth from a brand new intern to a confident and capable resident, now pursuing Endocrinology fellowship at UNC. The residency assigns you to a faculty mentor and an upper-level “big sib” early on who you can lean on for advice. In addition, the four hospital system at IU not only provides a breadth of training opportunities but also teaches you to adapt to the different clinical environments you come across and this has helped me become more efficient. Also, knowing that I wanted to pursue a career in Endocrinology which is primarily an outpatient-based specialty, I liked that IU gave me the opportunity to join the Primary Care track. Through this, I had a second half-day of clinic each week during non-ward months, which I dedicated to an Endocrine clinic where I worked with attendings in the community setting. These experiences helped a lot not just with my fellowship application but also ultimately now in my role as a fellow.

Rheumatology

Vivianne Allsop

I arrived at my IU Interview Day feeling a little frazzled after missing the pre-interview dinner due to a late flight, but it didn’t take long for IU to win me over. What struck me most was the people I met, from the kind fellow interviewee I sat next to in the conference room (my future co-chief Resident) to the enthusiastic interviewer who would become my primary care preceptor and a close mentor. I felt that it would be a great place to get strong clinical training in a supportive environment and was thrilled when my husband and I successfully couples matched at IU. As I went through residency, my interest in rheumatology grew and I had a chance to work with mentors, present at a national meeting, and even create my own special elective to explore my interests within rheumatology. At the same time, leadership was thoughtful about making sure I had a strong background in all areas of internal medicine. I feel well prepared as I start my rheumatology fellowship and I’m grateful for the education I received at IU.