Third Year Residents

Justin B. Anderson, MD, MS

I’m a Southerner who is originally from Albany, GA. I graduated with a degree in cellular biology from Tennessee State University, received a master’s degree in biology from Middle Tennessee State University, and received my medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. In my free time I enjoy cooking, playing racquetball, and spending time with friends.

I’m so excited to be continuing my training in the Midwest. On the day of my interview, I knew that IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital was the perfect place for me. I was attracted to the learning atmosphere and the program’s strong commitment to the Muncie community. I feel that such commitments are what personify the field of family medicine.

Ryan P. Brown, MD

I returned to residency after five years of active duty in the United States Navy working as a general practitioner — most recently as a staff physician for the Navy Sports Medicine Clinic in North Carolina. Prior to that assignment, my family and I resided for three years in Okinawa, Japan, where I was stationed as a medical officer in support of the Marine Corps and from which I deployed to Iraq and Cambodia.

Despite my travel, I am decidedly a Hoosier. I was raised in Southern Indiana throughout childhood and attended grade school, high school, and college all within about six city blocks. I graduated from the University of Evansville in 1999, married my college sweetheart, and moved to Georgia, where we taught for Fulton County Schools. Shortly after the birth of our first daughter, I started didactics at Indiana University School of Medicine (’05). My second daughter was born at the beginning of third year clerkships, thus completing our family.

I have devoted a large portion of my life to soccer and recently reached the age wherein I get asked to coach more often than I get asked to play. I plan to complete a fellowship in sports medicine to continue my work within that demography.

In searching for programs, I reviewed faculty credentials, evidence-based medicine and procedures, exposure to specialists, and stability of the directors, but I never ended a search without consideration of health benefits and proximity of parking to the front door. IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital looked good on paper. But the interview made it clear to me that the collegial atmosphere and humanism of the IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital faculty, residents, and staff was unsurpassed by any other program.

Jonathon J. Gries, MD

I hail from a small town in southwest Indiana called Haubstadt, a place that I will always call home. My father is a family physician, which is where I was first exposed to medicine. I went to the University of Southern Indiana where I received my B.S. in biology and later earned my medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. When I have free time away from medicine I enjoy working out through both strength training and running. I am also a sports fanatic. I am a die-hard fan of IU, Colts, Braves, NASCAR (Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart if you must ask), and tennis.

I chose IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital for two main reasons — I was looking for a community-based family medicine program that offered excellent training in both OB/GYN and pediatrics, a rare combination in the family medicine residency world. IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital pulls it off very nicely. Secondly, and more importantly, the camaraderie of the residents and faculty here is unparalleled. I have felt like family from the first time I came to Muncie, and I look forward to being a part of it for the next three years. After residency I hope to practice in a rural or community-based setting, perhaps working my way back down to southwest Indiana.

Roland W. James, MD

I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and stayed close to home for my undergraduate and medical school training. I graduated from Brigham Young University in mechanical engineering and after a few years in the working world decided I’d be happier pursuing a career as a physician. I attended medical school at the University of Utah and couldn’t be more pleased with my decision to return to school and start down the road to becoming a family doctor. I married my beautiful wife after my first year of medical school and we were blessed with our first child two years later. I spend most of my free time these days with my family and love it. Away from medicine, I can be found skiing, biking, running, and traveling.

I dragged my family out to Muncie during medical school for a short rotation and by the end of the rotation we were 100% sold on the IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital Residency Program. The directors, residents, and their families all embraced my family and made us feel at home. As for now, I really have no idea what my practice will look like post residency, hence the IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital program is perfect for me as it trains well rounded physicians in the full spectrum of family medicine. I have no idea if I’ll really be doing C-sections or colonoscopies in the future, but by learning these skills at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, these procedures will at least be an option for my future practice. Other reasons I chose this program include: balance between working hard while maintaining a life outside of the hospital, ability to moonlight 2nd and 3rd year, opportunities for international work during residency, and minimal commute time to work.

Emma J. Nordstrom, MD

Hi! I’m Emma Nordstrom. I grew up in Brownsburg, IN, moved on to Purdue University for my undergraduate education, and attended medical school at Indiana University. Now I am excited to continue my Hoosier education and be a resident here at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie! When I first started looking into a family medicine residency that would fit my husband and I best, various people would suggest IU Health Ball Memorial. Our response was initially, “Well, that’s great, but we aren’t interested in moving to Muncie.” However, our thoughts quickly changed when we met some people from the program in Kansas City, MO for the FM Resident and Student Conference. We were impressed with the supportive environment and curriculum that Ball Memorial had to offer. After interviewing we were confident that this was the proverbial residency "fit" for us!

My husband and I are happy to be at a residency program that is near to both of our families. In addition to spending time with each other and our families, we enjoy walking/hiking, riding our new bikes, reading, cooking, traveling, studying the Bible, and being involved in a local church.
 

Alan M. Young, MD

I was born and raised in Rochester, MI, which is one of the northern suburbs of Detroit. I spent my undergrad years at the University of Michigan where I majored in chemical engineering. I then did the unthinkable for a wolverine and traveled the 60 miles northwest to East Lansing for medical school at Michigan State University. MSU proved to be very good to me. I met my beautiful bride, Erin, during the first week of med school orientation. We married shortly after graduation. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with Erin, working on our new home, running, martial arts, biking, swimming, hiking, camping, and reading. I am really excited to do some hiking in the beautiful hills of Kentucky and Tennessee now that I am much closer than I was in Michigan. I also would be remiss if I did not mention how much I enjoy college sports, especially football and hockey. I love traveling to different college football stadiums in the fall. I enjoy following both Michigan and Michigan State, but the Wolverines are my true passion. Go Blue!

Honestly, when Erin and I applied to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, we did not know a lot about it other than we had heard from a few people that it was a really strong program. I remember thinking that we might as well apply and check the place out, but certainly did not expect it be where we would wind up. I thought we would most likely stay in Michigan close to friends and family. When we drove down to Muncie for our interview, I was truly amazed. The residents and directors were fantastic. They had very diverse interests both in medicine and in their hobbies and were very laid back. They were exactly the type of people that attracted me to the specialty of family medicine in the first place. The opportunity was too great to pass up and I am so thankful that we matched at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. The program has so much to offer. There is a wealth of opportunity for international medicine trips and directors who are experienced in international medicine, great OB training, lots of procedural experience, the opportunity to learn endoscopy, and great exposure to sports medicine through Ball State and local high schools. The residents are as close of a group as any that I came across on the interview trail. I could not be happier to be a part of the IU Health Ball Memorial family.

Erin E. Young, MD

I grew up in the small West Michigan town of Belding. After high school I headed down to Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. It was at Saint Mary’s where I became an Irish fan, played golf and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in general biology. I then proceeded to Michigan State University College of Human Medicine for medical school. It was here where I met by husband and fellow resident, Alan Young. In my free time I enjoy camping, hiking, college sports, board games and reunions with friends.

Alan and I chose IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital for our training for an abundance of reasons. I plan to practice in a rural community upon completion of residency. In addition to covering the full scope of family practice, I would also like to do a high volume of obstetrics in my practice. I feel as though this program offers the complete and thorough training I am looking for in order to succeed as a rural family physician. I also felt as though this program had one of the best quality groups of residents and faculty I came across on the interview trail. I definitely felt at home here in Muncie. In addition, the excellent exposure to procedures and international medicine is remarkable.