On Monday, June 26, Northwest Health welcomed its first class of family medicine residents with a traditional white coat ceremony, an event where residents receive a long white physician’s coat to ceremoniously welcome them into the medical profession. The Northwest Health family residency program is the only family medicine residency program in Northwest Indiana.
Residency programs are a clinical training program for doctors who have graduated from medical school and are ready to receive training in their area of specialization. The six new Northwest Health residents will spend the next three years working under the guidance of highly qualified and experienced faculty physicians across Northwest Medical Group, Healthlinc and other Northwest Health medical staff members to gain experience across the full continuum of care.
Northwest Health – Porter will act as the primary inpatient and outpatient training location for the residency program. Healthlinc – Valparaiso will serve as the outpatient continuum of care location.
“Our family medicine residency program is a significant milestone for Northwest Health and Northwest Indiana,” said Ashley Dickinson, CEO, Northwest Health. “I appreciate the dedication of Dr. Joel Bates, program director, and the team that has worked to create this robust program. The addition of graduate medical education gives us the ability to train future physicians who share our commitment to clinical excellence and outstanding patient experience.”
Members of the family medicine residency class of 2026 are:
- Sarah Elassal, MD, Caribbean Medical University School of Medicine
- Chukwuka Ikediashi, MD, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University College of Medicine
- Andrea Origenes, DO, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
- Jessica Swearingen, DO, Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Laura Vives, MD, The University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara Medical School
- Yangyang Wang, MD, Shandong University School of Medicine
Northwest Health Chief Medical Officer James Leonard, DO, opened the ceremony by introducing Northwest Health’s first class of residents. “This is an exciting day for Northwest Health, in partnership with HealthLinc, as we kick off our very first residency program that paves the way for future programs,” said Dr. Leonard. “We are committed to providing our family medicine residents with an outstanding academic education and clinical experiences that will prepare them to always do their best for our
patients.”
During the ceremony Program Director Joel Bates, DO, added, “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to direct this program and I’m looking forward to working with these exceptional resident doctors as they begin their careers in family medicine. In family medicine we often have the extraordinary opportunity to care for some patients over their entire lifetime, having a profound impact on their overall health and the wellbeing of their families and the health of an entire community.”
Northwest Health earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for its new family medicine residency program which will help attract, train and retain physicians to the region. ACGME is an independent organization that sets and monitors the professional educational standards for preparing physicians to deliver safe, high-quality medical care to all Americans.
For more information about Northwest Health, visit NWHealthIn.com.
About Northwest Health
Northwest Health is a comprehensive healthcare system committed to providing communities in Northwest Indiana with high-quality, accessible healthcare—from highly specialized care and surgical services to more routine primary care. The system of more than 60 access points includes three hospitals, five emergency departments, urgent care centers, outpatient surgery centers, an ambulance service, and physician offices. A team of more than 3,000 employees work together with the more than 700 physicians on its medical staffs. Northwest Health is owned in part by physicians. For more information, visit NWHealthIN.com.
