Alison Oatsdean, MD

Why I chose Family Medicine: 

Before beginning medical school and after working in hospice during undergrad, I was set on becoming a geriatrician and working solely with an older population of patients. During medical school, however, I realized how much I thoroughly enjoyed women’s health and delivering babies, caring for children, in-office procedures, psychiatric care, and every other aspect of medicine. I loved each of my rotations more than the last, and after discussing my specialty choice dilemma with my cousin who is a rural family medicine physician in a small town in Kansas, I realized that I could practice the kind of full-spectrum care as a family physician. Very few other specialties are able to say that they can see a 9-day-old and a 99-year-old, deliver a baby, perform well-child checks, care for chronic problems in adult patients, see hospital inpatients, and perform a wide variety of procedures all in the same day. 

Why I chose the IU Health Primary Care Central Indianapolis Family Medicine Residency Program:

After several trips to visit friends in Indianapolis, I knew that this city had everything I was looking for: a large population affording a wide range of patient exposure and diversity of case presentations, a lively, walkable downtown with plenty of dog parks and fun restaurants, ample things to do and see on my days off, and multiple hospitals providing high-quality training with ready access to subspecialists. The reason IU stood out the most to me, however, was my interactions with residents during interviews and virtual events. I liked that the residency program is associated with a large university medical school and that they provide the full-scope training I am looking for, but the relationships the residents had with one another as well as their willingness to help answer any questions I had or tell me about their experience really made an impression on me and made me want to train here. 

Interests and hobbies:  

I love anything creative: photography, woodworking, embroidery, sewing, painting, refinishing furniture, cooking, gardening, and resin work. I also enjoy running and taking my dogs to the park to play fetch!