Two new Bloomington-based IU School of Medicine residency programs gain accreditation

BLOOMINGTON — Southern Indiana will soon become a hotbed for training primary care physicians, as two new Indiana University School of Medicine residency programs have gained the accreditation necessary to begin their crucial work in 2026.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved applications from the Department of Medicine for an internal medicine program and the Department of Emergency Medicine to train emergency medicine physicians.

These programs will provide new doctors across two areas — emergency and internal medicine — that are of need for the state, particularly in rural areas. They also represent a key next step in the ongoing partnership between the IU School of Medicine and Indiana University Health.

"These residencies are the culmination of years of hard work and dedication by an outstanding team who believe in the mission and vision, and who know that graduate medical education will make our patients healthier, our community stronger and our professions more robust," said Katherine M. Hiller, MD, MPH, associate dean of IU School of Medicine—Bloomington.

Both programs will be based out of IU Health Bloomington Hospital at the IU Regional Academic Health Center. This 700,000-square-foot complex boasts a state-of-the-art simulation center and a 365-bed hospital, which includes a Level III trauma center and cancer center. It is a few miles down the road from Indiana University’s Bloomington campus.

"This launch of our new residency programs marks a transformative moment for our hospitals and the communities we serve," said John Sparzo, MD, IU Health South Region chief medical officer. "It not only strengthens our commitment to our patients and to rural health by expanding access to high-quality care where it’s needed most but also reinforces our role as an academic health center and learning hospital. By training the next generation of physicians in a real-world, community-centered environment, we’re investing in both the future of medicine and the health of our region."

In addition to the Bloomington hospital, both residency programs will also offer training in a more rural environment at nearby IU Health Bedford Hospital and IU Health Paoli Hospital — located 30 miles and 45 miles south of Bloomington, respectively.

IU School of Medicine offers residency and fellowship programs in some of Indiana’s most livable cities as part of a unique statewide educational system that gives trainees a variety of clinical and academic environments to meet different styles, needs and interests.

The new internal medicine program will welcome eight new residents in July 2026, eventually scaling up to 24 total across three years of study. The emergency medicine program will train six students per class, later totaling 18, also beginning in July 2026.

"Our dedicated team of faculty members has worked hard to craft a curriculum that will keep learners motivated and engaged while showing off the best that Bloomington and the entire southern region has to offer," said Michael Wilson, MD, PhD, MBA, CPE, director of the Bloomington internal medicine residency program.

The Department of Medicine now offers five residency programs in four Indiana cities: Indianapolis, Evansville, Muncie and Bloomington.

"For generations, our department has been at the forefront of medical education in Indiana and beyond, particularly in the area of residency training and experiences. I am proud to now be expanding this rich educational history to the Bloomington campus," said department chair David Aronoff, MD, FIDSA, FAAM, FRCP.

The emergency medicine residency program will be just the second in the state and the first outside of Indianapolis.

"Residents will have a focus on rural and critical access medicine, which gives the program a little different flavor than others throughout the country," program director Butch Humbert, MD, said.

Both residency programs are expected to lead to increased care access and better health outcomes for patients.

"About 50% of residents choose to practice in the area where their residency took place," Humbert said.

"Given the continued need for highly skilled and highly trained emergency physicians in the state of Indiana, especially those with a heart for rural communities, this is a tremendous opportunity," department chair Peter S. Pang, MD, said. "I'm grateful to the leadership at IU Health, IU School of Medicine and the state for their support, as well as the outstanding physicians in the south-central region who will serve as teachers, mentors and role models."

In addition to several Indianapolis residency offerings, IU School of Medicine offers programs in Bloomington, Muncie, Evansville, Merrillville, Vincennes, Jasper and Lafayette.

About the Indiana University School of Medicine

The IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the IU School of Medicine ranks No. 13 in 2024 National Institutes of Health funding among all public medical schools in the country.

Writer: Rory Appleton, rapplet@iu.edu

For more news, visit the IU School of Medicine Newsroom: medicine.iu.edu/news