Christopher A. Baltes, MD
I grew up in Fort Wayne and went to Indiana University graduating with a triple major in Political Science, History, and Biology.  My studies were continued at Purdue University, Indianapolis, where I obtained a Master's of Science in Biology before going to medical school at Saba University.  I am the middle of four children, one older brother and my younger sisters are twins.  

My hobbies include photography and what can only be described as "gadget tinkering".  I worked in retail through most of my undergraduate career, as well as working as a TA in three courses, doing research on flour beetles in population genetics, and volunteering both at the Indiana State Museum and at my local Red Cross branch teaching First Aid, CPR, and AED courses.

I am excited to start my medical career in Fort Wayne because of its rich heritage, blooming social environment, and strong sense of community.  After spending two years abroad I must say that it's great to be back home again in Indiana!

Janel Gagnon, MD
Hi! My name is Janel Gagnon. I am a native Hoosier from Auburn, IN (a town just north of Fort Wayne). I went to Indiana State University through a BA/MD program called the Rural Health Program and medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine.

I have a husband, Paul, who is a Software Engineer and is finishing up his MBA at Purdue. We have a beautiful daughter, Avery. I enjoy playing tennis, painting, cooking and dancing ballet.

I chose Fort Wayne Medical Education Program because of the extensive OB training available and large variety of procedures. Growing up in the area, I knew Fort Wayne was a great place to raise a family and am glad to be coming back!

By the grace of God I was given the opportunity to interview at multiple programs. I was completely overwhelmed with the decision of where I would end up going and who to choose. Then I arrived in Indiana, home of football player Rod Woodson, one of my childhood favorites. During my visit, I realized why Indiana was named the All American City. I measured the rest of my interviews to the Fort Wayne Residency and in the end the decision was simple, I saw myself here and no where else.

Outside of medicine, I'm a sports fan, having grown up watching and playing football, soccer, and my most passionate sport, basketball. I’m also a big movie fan especially with all these 3D movies coming out. I look forward to being part of the Fort Wayne Family.

Julia Ishak, MD
Hello everyone! My name is Julia and I am very pleased to be part of Fort Wayne Family Medicine Residency. This has given me my first chance to experience the “Midwest”, about which I am very excited. I am originally from Massachusetts although I have moved around a lot since high school. My first small step was moving to Montreal, CA where I attended McGill University, receiving my Bachelor in Arts and Science. Then I took a leap of faith and moved to Israel to study at The Medical School for International Health. It was a fascinating 4 years and the great thing is I know I still have so much to learn! My current medical interests are international health and medicine in developing countries, emergency medicine, and obstetrics.

I have some other interests in addition to medicine. I like creative writing. I took a course during my second year of medical school called Literature and Medicine and wrote a short story that I submitted to my school’s literary journal for publication. I also really like learning new languages. Since high school, I have spent time learning French, Spanish, Hebrew and some Arabic.

I feel very blessed to be a resident here. I really like the program’s comprehensive approach with its strong didactics and great exposure to clinical pathology. The opportunity to learn procedures is at my fingertips. Reading the Resident Handbook helped me fully appreciate the program’s vision. Details of the program made me understand this is a program which takes on the dual challenge of supporting the resident so he/she remains healthy, happy and compassionate while at the same time placing on the resident’s shoulders enough professional responsibility to become a seasoned physician. This is makes FWMEP so appealing! I only hope to reflect that great vision through my work as a family physician at the end of 3 years.

I chose Family Medicine because I feel very passionately about disease prevention, continuity of medical care, and holistic approaches to treatment.  I truly feel that my training in Fort Wayne will provide me with the preparation necessary to be an outstanding Family physician.  Long term, I hope to practice in a rural community and to incorporate obstetrics into my scope of practice.  I also have interests in adolescent medicine and sports medicine.

In my free time I enjoy spending quality time with my wonderfully supportive family and friends. In addition, I have a dachshund puppy who keeps me quite busy!  I have always had a love for artistic endeavors of all types: painting, baking, and home decorating (I love HGTV)!  During football season I am always cheering on my home team (GO COLTS!).  When in doubt, I can be found watching Seinfeld reruns or reading a good book.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Daniel Miller, MD
Born in Speedway, Indiana, I grew up listening to the roar of Indy Car engines every May. When I went to college, I traded the Brickyard noise for Sammy dorm life at Taylor University in Upland, IN. I spent my first two years of medical school at the Terre Haute campus of Indiana University School of Medicine. After experiencing a flood and an earthquake, I was ready to return to Indianapolis for my third and fourth-year clerkships. In total, I’ve been in school for the last 21 years, and sometimes it feels like I’ve taken the idea of “life-long learning” far too literally. Nevertheless, I’m excited about continuing my education at the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program because of its strong emphasis on education and diverse training experiences.

The healthcare industry is a rapidly changing field - both technologically and politically - and primary care physicians will be integral to these changes. I look forward to joining this specialty and anticipate being at the forefront of the changing medical environment.

When not in the hospital, I can usually be found cheering for the Colts, competing in live trivia nights, or reading at the local coffee shop. I’m always up for a road trip or travelling internationally. So far this has been limited to global health trips, but I hope to eventually see the running of the bulls in Pamplona and climb Kilimanjaro before the snows melt.

I met my wife (J.K.) while studying Pre-Medicine at Campbellsville University in Kentucky, where I graduated with a BA. We have been married 6 incredible years. She is a high school English teacher, but currently happily serving as a stay at home mom. Words cannot express how much I love and appreciate her taking that self-sacrificing position! Looking back I feel pretty sorry for her as we'd only been married for a year before I went to med school at Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine, and we were both pretty unprepared for the stress that was going to place on our relationship! At the outset, though, I vowed to make it a priority to leave med school married to the same person I began it with, and my second priority was to graduate. Praise God he got us through!  We now have a daughter, Jacqueline, and son, Darren.

In med school I was originally part of the class of 2010, however I was offered a teaching fellowship and spent an additional year instructing 1st and 2nd year students in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine as well as working in several clinics. Most recently we spent my 3rd and 4th years in Dayton, OH.

Beyond having a passion for Family Medicine, I strive very much to be a strong husband and father, pursue a relationship with Christ, am active in church, and am a semi-professional magician. I enjoy reading, writing, exercising, and am a self-professed geek.

Jason F. Tanner, MD
I am thrilled to be a part of the Family Medicine Program in Fort Wayne. Indiana is home for me and I grew up in the north east corner of the state playing sports and enjoying summers on the lakes. Football and basketball occupied most of my time and the preparation and conditioning for them sparked my interest in medicine. To further this interest I attended Central Michigan University where I studied Bio-Medical Sciences and Neuroscience. There I met my future wife and together we traveled to St. Maarten to continue my journey in medicine. I attended the American University of the Caribbean there for basic sciences and traveled back to the U.S. for my clinical work.

What first attracted me to Fort Wayne was the opportunity afforded by having an unopposed family medicine program. Upon interview, I also noticed and appreciated the dedicated staff and strong program goals. This program provides access to and participation in a wide variety of procedures and patient pathology that will help make me a well-rounded physician in the future. In residency I look forward to furthering my clinical interests in rural medicine and obstetrics.

Third World Medicine is an area that I hope to pursue, because it combines my love of travel with the passion that I have for my career. I spent time working in rural Guatemala before medical school, and I loved the feeling of being able to help people who needed it so badly. In the future I hope to spend a good portion of my time travelling around the world to different underserved populations, and I feel that FWMEP will help prepare me well for this. It's unopposed nature will allow me to get the abundant hands on training I need, especially in obstetrics, a definite skill I'll need overseas. As well, the large patient population and varied pathology I will be exposed to will help me to be well prepared for my life as a family physician. I am excited to be a part of the FWMEP residency team, and I look forward to starting this new chapter of my life!

Christi Wallace, MD
Hello!! I was born and raised in Arizona and spent the majority of my summers in New York. For my undergraduate education I went to University of Arizona and majored in both management and marketing. After graduating college, I lived in California, did some traveling, and fell in love with and married my best friend, Matt. After getting married, Matt and I went to Dominica for my first two years of medical school and then completed the majority of clinical rotations in Michigan.

Choosing Fort Wayne Medical Education Program was the easiest decision for me. Incorporating obstetrics into my practice as a physician is something that is very important to me and after months of researching programs I realized that there are no programs out there that offer the level of obstetric experience, exposure, and training like FWMEP. I am so excited that I have the opportunity to train here!

When I have free time, Matt and I LOVE to travel and we are currently thinking of our next destination. I also love cooking, reading, running, wine tasting, and being around people that make me laugh.