Joshua Brinkerhoff, M.D.

I was born and raised in rural Southern Utah. My hometown was quite small. The nearest stoplight was about an hour away and my best friend in high school finally got telephone service our senior year. It is because of this background that I have developed an interest in rural medicine and underserved populations.

After getting a degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development at Brigham Young University I attended medical school at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. I decided to leave the beautiful mountains of the West for a while in order to receive my residency training here at Ball Memorial Family Medicine Residency. After considering many different residency programs I felt that Ball Memorial had exactly what I wanted in a training program. Since I am interested in medicine for the rural and underserved I need training that is wide in scope yet sufficient in depth. The strenght of training in obstetrics, various proceedures, and general medicine were all key to why I chose Ball Memorial. I was also very impressed with the opportunities thy offer in international medicine. There is no doubt that the atmosphere of comeradery and friendship that I felt during my interviews here were also key to my choice to come to Ball Memorial.

Some of my current hobbies and interests are outdoor activities such as hiking and biking. I also enjoy playing sports - particularly basketball, volleyball, and utlimate frisby.

Peter Crane, M.D.

I grew up in a very small town called Bennington, Idaho located in the beautiful Bear Lake Valley (famous for raspberry shakes and sunburns).  After finishing a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology at Brigham Young University I completed medical school at the University of Utah School of Medicine.  During my time at Brigham Young University I married my wife Kristy, and during medical school we were blessed with two beautiful children.

I enjoy spending time with my family, camping, skiing, hiking, and snowmobiling (my wife thinks this one borders on addiction), and traveling.  I am learning to enjoy many of these same activities with no mountains while living in Indiana, but I have a hard time with directions because there are no mountains for landmarks.  Following residency I plan to practice in a rural community in the intermountain west.  Ball Memorial offers solid training in all areas of family medicine as well as the procedural training I will need as a rural family physician, and the curriculum is flexible enough to allow me to learn what I want to learn.  The thing that sets this program apart from others that offer the same scope of training is the degree of approachability and interaction that is obviously present among all faculty members and residents. I chose Ball Memorial because during medical school every time I interacted with residents from this program they seemed happy and excited about learning.  I knew that my family would be as much a part of the residency community as me and that we could afford a comfortable home on a resident salary.  I am really pleased to be able to learn and work in such a fantastic environment.

Julia Degler, M.D.

I want to take the opportunity to tell you why I chose Ball Memorial Family Medicine Residency.  What impressed me most was the excellent training in obstetric, adult, and pediatric medicine.  In addition, there is opportunity for extensive procedural training.  The residents and faculty are quality physicians.

I grew up in Indianapolis, IN.  Then, I went to Purdue University for an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry.  My medical school training was at Indiana University.  In our free time, my husband, Todd, and I enjoy playing games together.  My hobbies and interest include gardening, sewing, and spending time with family and friends.

Bradley Haupricht, M.D.

Hello! I was born and raised in Swanton, Ohio, a small town near Toledo.  I completed my undergraduate at Bowling Green State University and then medical school at the University of Toledo College of Medicine (Formerly Medical College of Ohio.)  I enjoy playing sports, mountain biking and music.  My wife Lara and I like hiking, spending time with family and pretty much anything outdoors. 

I found out about Ball Memorial at the National Family Medicine Resident and Student Conference in Kansas City, MO.  I was looking for a program where the opportunities for training in all different areas of family medicine abounded. I was attracted to the opportunities to be well-trained in OB-Gyn, scopes, procedural training all with a strong medicine and pediatric foundation.  Then what truly sealed the deal for me was how friendly and family-like everyone was toward me and one another at the Kansas City conference, my interview, and then finally at second look.  Everyone from the office support staff to the residents to the faculty enjoyed their jobs, where they worked, and genuinely cared for the people they work with.  This was the place where I could see both my wife and I spending the next three years, where I felt they were not only looking out for my best interest but also my wife’s.  And had it been just for that I would have been ecstatic to match there, but combine all of those things with the great benefits and the low cost of living make residency a time where I can comfortably live and easily enjoy my time here in Muncie. 

Loren Hurst, M.D.

I grew up in Hudson, Ohio, 30 miles outside of Cleveland. I earned my B.S. in biology from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where I also enjoyed being part of the crew team. I went to the University of Toledo for medical school.  My interests include hiking/camping, running, scuba diving, skiing, and rock climbing.  I love being outdoors, traveling, music, and spending time with friends and family. I am also a huge Cleveland Indians fan.

Originally determined to move out west where there are mountains for residency, I was so impressed with the program at Ball Memorial that after 23 years in Ohio I decided to move one state west and join my family in Indiana (now in Evansville). I choose Ball Memorial because of the welcoming atmosphere, the quality and friendliness of the residents and faculty, the focus on full-spectrum family medicine, and the excellent opportunities for procedures, international experiences, and sports medicine.

Curtis O'Loughlin, M.D.

Being born on a family farm near Independence, Iowa, I grew up with numerous activities including raising corn, soybeans, alfalfa, beef cattle, hogs, various poultry, and goats.  My undergraduate education was at the University of Iowa where I earned a Biology degree with an emphasis on ecology and evolution.  I received my medical education at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.  During my studies I had the opportunity to travel to Cuba, research leishmania, and promote global food security through the World Food Prize Foundation.

My free time is spent enjoying movies, being outdoors, gardening, Hawkeye football, current events, and reading historical non-fiction.  Time permitting, I like going home to help on the farm.  I have had the pleasure of traveling and visiting Europe, Mexico, India, Singapore, and Canada along with numerous destinations throughout the USA.

Ball Memorial first came on my radar when I worked with a family physician in rural Iowa.  I was impressed with the quality of his training and inquired about his residency.  When he said he trained at Ball Memorial, I felt I would further investigate the institution that delivered this fine doctor.  What I found surpassed my expectations.  The Ball Memorial program offers the opportunity to become the clinician I am interested in becoming with a balance of procedural training, pediatrics, OB/GYN, preventative medicine, all in a community setting.  To top it off, everyone in the program was friendly and appeared to love working at Ball.

I am looking forward to the numerous opportunities available at Ball Memorial Hospital which will allow me to grow as a physician.

 Stephanie Russ, D.O.

I was born and raised not far from Muncie in Elwood, IN.  After earning my chemistry degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, I decided to spread my wings and leave Indiana to complete my medical education.  I attended the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech.  After spending time away, I am eager to return to Indiana to complete residency training at Ball Memorial Hospital.  I chose Ball because it encompasses all the aspects I was looking for in a program – excellent education, great people, and a work environment where people wanted to be.    It truly is a great place to be for Family Medicine! 

When away from the hospital I enjoy reading, traveling, watching movies, and spending time with my husband. 

  Anastasia Spencer, M.D.

Hi! I'm Anastasia Spencer, and I've lived more places than you can shake a stick at!  Thus, the innocent question, "Where are you from?" is a puzzle I have not yet solved.  I usually settle now for "I'm from New York City."  I was born in its shadows and as a little girl concluded it was the greatest city on earth, so it was no surprise it drew me back for four wonderful years as a student at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.  Most people wonder how so tortuous a path as mine that wound around the globe to Africa and Central America and throughout the United States (with a stop in Florida for undergrad at Pensacola Christian College) could now be heading to Muncie, IN.  The answer is simple.  "Ball Memorial is the best!"  In my first year in medical school I became impressed with the idea of the family physician. I knew it was exactly the doctor I was striving to be.  It took a couple years of research and a transcontinental interview trail from Boston to Oregon to find the program that would best enable me to do this, but when I arrived in Muncie, all the pieces fell into place. The opportunities were unparalleled, the numbers and credentials strong, but most of all, the people were amazing.  It is the atmosphere of caring, knowledge, warmth, and humor that convinces me that I cannot find a better place to train. 

When I am not traveling and exploring, I love to cook for and be with family and friends, read, take pictures, write, and spend as much time as possible with my beloved fiancé Daniel.  I am an active member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and the Gold Humanism Honor Society.