Hello! My name is Garrett Bastin and I was born and raised right here in Fort Wayne. I grew up on the southwest side of town and graduated from Homestead High School in 2011, where I played basketball for four years. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University in Bloomington in 2015, while also minoring in Chemistry, Biology, and Spanish. I achieved my Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2021, where I developed my passion for Family Medicine and all it encompasses. It has been my dream to come back to Fort Wayne and serve my friends and neighbors as a family medicine physician, and I hope to do so by building relationships with my patients, promote overall health and wellbeing, and provide helpful resources tailored to each of my patients’ needs.

The Fort Wayne Medical Education Program was my top choice for residency training; not only because of its excellent reputation as a strong Family Medicine residency program, but because it offers all the aspects of training I was looking for. It provides a challenging environment that will allow me to become the best physician I can be, and for its wonderful and welcoming staff. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the residents for a month as a medical student, and that experience even further solidified this program as my top choice.

Joining me in my move back to Fort Wayne is my wife Morgan (who is an IPFW alum), and our new son, Kenton, who was born in February 2021. Morgan has earned her Master’s degree in School Counseling from IUPUI, and worked as a school counselor for 5 years while we lived in Indianapolis. She is excited to continue her work and help students here in Fort Wayne. I was fortunate enough to have plenty of time at home with our new son during the tail end of my medical school years, and I cannot wait to continue watching him grow up!

Outside of medicine, I enjoy being active in any way that I can, whether it be running, weightlifting, or playing basketball. My family and I also enjoy being up at the lake house in the summer, playing board games, finding new Netflix shows to watch, and spending time with our families (both of our families live in Fort Wayne or a surrounding area). I also look forward to learning home improvement projects with my wife in our new home that we purchased. I am proud to be back in my hometown and serve the great people of Fort Wayne.

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Hello! My name is Sam Brinson. I was born in Georgetown, Ohio, though I've spent the great majority of my life near the small Southern Indiana town of Cross Plains. I come from a blue-collar family and have spent several years of my life working as a Shift Manager at McDonald's. In 2013, after a series of events in my personal life, I decided to strive to make something more of my life and pursue what had once been my childhood dream of becoming a doctor.

In 2017, I graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Biology. Later that year, I began school at A. T. Still University - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, the first osteopathic medical school. I decided to become an osteopathic physician in part due to their unique philosophy, as well having the ability to treat conditions via physical manipulation when indicated. Towards the end of my second year of medical school, I was fortunate enough to have placed with the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program for my clinical rotations in 3rd and 4th year.

Since coming to Fort Wayne, I've been very impressed with their residency program, as well as with the city itself. So, when it became time to think about where to apply for residency, I naturally opted to apply to the same place that I had enjoyed the past couple of years. I am very happy to have matched here, and I look forward to taking the next step forward with the program.

In my spare time, I have a wide array of interests. I enjoy hiking and spending time outdoors, working on computers (huge Apple fan), working on cars, reading, spending time with family, and I love to travel.

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Hi, I’m Carter Chase and I am thrilled to be here at the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program. I was born and raised in Auburn, Indiana, just a few miles north of Fort Wayne. I studied Computer Science at IPFW (now Purdue Fort Wayne) and worked as a software engineer my Junior and Senior years. After college, I completed all four years of medical school here at the Fort Wayne campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine.

FWMEP was my top choice primarily due to their history of success and their commitment to full-spectrum care. I was first exposed to the program through several of my physician mentors who trained here. I had the privilege of rotating with the program for 2 months of medical school and I was struck by the excellent teaching and hands-on learning opportunities. I have a passion for rural medicine and hope to practice at one of the small hospitals in any of the little towns surrounding Fort Wayne. I especially appreciate the opportunity to network and learn from the doctors who will be my future colleagues and partners once I graduate.

Apart from medicine, I am a husband to my wife, Kate, and a father to our 2 children: Enzo (2019) and Addie (2021). When I have time, I am also an avid “do-it-yourselfer” and an amateur car mechanic (my current vehicle has just over 300,000 miles)!

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Hello! I'm Leah, a Midwesterner born and raised. I grew up in a small farming town in Southern Illinois. I spent my undergraduate years at Southern Illinois University studying biology and psychology. When matriculating to medical school I spent my M1 year in Champaign, Illinois before finishing out my medical education in Rockford, Illinois.

I was drawn to Fort Wayne initially because one of my preceptors trained there, but I quickly fell in love with the city and the people. The program met all of the essential criteria that I was looking for: it is unopposed, has a strong OB curriculum, and a great learning environment.

Outside of medicine, I love spending my time outdoors. I enjoy hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, and camping with my German Shepherd. You can also find me at the gym or a hot yoga class in my spare time.

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Hello! My name is Morgan. I am originally from the small town of Denmark, WI about 20 minutes south of Green Bay. For undergrad, I attended Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO, majoring in biology. I then moved to Omaha, NE for medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. It was here that I fell in love with family medicine during a two-month family medicine rotation in small-town rural Nebraska.

Family medicine offers the opportunity to do a little bit of everything which I love, as my interests lie in full-spectrum family medicine. The ability to truly get to know our patients through continuity of care is an invaluable component of primary care. Fort Wayne Medical Education Program was an easy choice for me. The strong curriculum offers a wide variety of areas to learn from. More importantly, the faculty and residents truly offer a supportive and welcoming environment with an obvious love for their program and surrounding community.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband. We love spending time outdoors, exploring local shops and restaurants, watching movies, and spending time with other family and friends. Our Sundays during the fall are always filled with football and cheering on the Green Bay Packers. I especially enjoy biking, lifting weights, playing piano, and cooking (with a special love for Indian food). I am excited to move to Fort Wayne and explore all the city has to offer!

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Hello! My name is Melvin Susanto. I’m excited and honored for the opportunity to do my residency training in Fort Wayne. While I’m originally from Indonesia, I grew up in Fort Wayne and graduated from Carroll High School. For undergrad, I attended Taylor University in Upland, IN where I received my BA in Biology and minored in Chemistry and Spanish. It was also at Taylor University where I met my lovely wife, Lauren. I had a wonderful opportunity to study abroad in Ecuador for a semester where I continued to learn Spanish and deepened my love for medicine at the local hospitals there. Following graduation, I worked as a pharmacy technician before attending medical school at Saba University.

I feel blessed and excited to complete my residency training at the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program. I thoroughly enjoyed my medical school rotation at FWMEP— the residents and faculty were all friendly, eager to teach, and welcoming. I was also impressed with the strength of FWMEP as it offered an unopposed, community-based program with many great training opportunities.

Outside of medicine, my wife and I enjoy spending time with family and friends, reading, traveling, and drinking coffee together. We are currently trying to fine-tune our espresso recipe! I’m a big Indianapolis Colts and FC Barcelona fan and enjoy watching their games whenever possible. Additionally, I love cooking, hiking, watching movies, and going on new adventures.

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Hello! My name is Vijay Veerula and I am so thankful to move back to my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, to continue my medical education. My path to medicine has been unique as I practiced as an attorney before deciding to go to medical school. I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and attended Canterbury. I completed my undergraduate studies at The Ohio State University, then graduated from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. Working as an attorney, I knew something was missing in the work I was doing. Collaborating with individuals to reach their own health goals is why I decided to pursue family medicine. Before applying to medical school, I knew the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program would be a perfect fit. Continuing my medical training in my hometown and being able to train as a full-scope family medicine physician is important to me. I am privileged to join the same profession as my Father, Brother, and Sister who all practice here in Fort Wayne.

Outside of medicine, I enjoy gardening, cooking, and spending as much time as I can with my family. My wife and I are excited to join the FWMEP family. We have two kids, Nathaniel, born in 2018, and Meera, born in 2021!

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Hi there! My name is Dean Williams and I am honored to join FWMEP to become the family doctor I have always wanted to be! My education began in Mishawaka, IN and continued at Butler University in 1995. I tragically lost my parents my junior year and left without my degree, but after many years of working in various fields, I returned to Butler University in 2014 to complete a dual major in Music and Chemistry. The Indiana University School of Medicine became my home for the following 4 years where I completed the majority of my medical degree in Muncie, IN.

As someone with a lot of experience in living and growing, I knew that I wanted to be an advocate and educator for families. Being trained in the full spectrum of family medicine while providing dermatologic and endoscopic procedures for my patients was my dream. The FWMEP program had everything I could ever hope for! My passion for family medicine matches my passion for making a difference in the lives of everyone around me. I am also committed to being a lifelong learner and always practicing the humility that serves my profession, staff, and patients.

I am a classically trained violinist and orchestral conductor who still plays occasionally for family and friends. I love to backpack and hike and take in the awe inspiring beauty of the outdoors. I am an avid, amateur photographer, a food adventurer, and enjoy the shooting sports. I am also an ally for the LGBTQ+ community, an advocate for social justice and gender equality, and am committed to bridging the divide between those on either side of the political spectrum. I believe we are all more alike than we are different and we should celebrate our humanity every chance we get.

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