Meet IU Fort Wayne’s leaders
Deborah R. Garrison, Ph.D.
Inaugural Vice Chancellor and Dean
Dr. Deborah Garrison was appointed to her new role as the Inaugural Vice Chancellor and Dean of °µºÚ±¬ÁÏÍø on July 1, 2022. Garrison leads the IU Fort Wayne campus, working with students, faculty, and staff to foster the achievement of IU Fort Wayne's mission and vision of educating the next generation of health professionals while improving the health and wellbeing of the region. She seeks to build comprehensive partnerships within the community and across the campus, including continuing the strong collaboration with Purdue Fort Wayne. She is dedicated to expanding IU Fort Wayne’s impact in the region through her visible presence in the community. She is eager to learn about the needs of the community and the campus, evidenced by the IU Fort Wayne Forward listening tour that included the input of over 250 individual stakeholders from the community and campus. She is engaged in the implementation of IU Fort Wayne 2030, the strategic plan developed in concert with faculty and staff constituents. IU Fort Wayne is moving forward to fulfill its leadership role in preparing the next generation of health professionals and Dr. Garrison is its great advocate.
Learn more about Dr. GarrisonVice Chancellor's Cabinet
David D. Chappell, Ed.D.
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Operations
David Chappell and his team in the Division of Enrollment Management collaborate with stakeholders across campus to focus on recruiting outstanding students to IU Fort Wayne, supporting their success, and advancing IU Fort Wayne's mission of educating the next generation of health and social services professionals.
Melinda Perry
Director of Development
Melinda Perry creates and leads the strategic philanthropic efforts for IU Fort Wayne. In addition, she proactively identifies opportunities to align community partners and businesses with institutional priorities and donors’ philanthropic interest in the Fort Wayne community and beyond.
Francisco Ruiz
Director of Student Services
Francisco Ruiz designs, leads, manages, and evaluates a comprehensive suite of services that promote undergraduate student engagement, success, persistence, and retention.
IU Fort Wayne School of Medicine Leadership
Dennis O’Brien, MD
Associate Center Director
Dr. Dennis O’Brien is a member of the senior leadership team at the IUSM Fort Wayne Regional Campus, where he plays a key role in strengthening and expanding the medical education experience across all four years of the program. He serves as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at IUSM, teaching and mentoring medical students during their third and fourth year clinical experiences involving Pediatrics. He is a practicing Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, serving the Fort Wayne area since 2007.
Robert D. Sweazey, PhD
Acting Associate Dean
Dr. Robert Sweazey is the Acting Associate Dean and Director at the °µºÚ±¬ÁÏÍø School of Medicine-Fort Wayne and an Associate Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology. He oversees the Fort Wayne leadership team and all aspects of the medical curriculum in Fort Wayne. He is an instructor in numerous courses in the first and second years of the curriculum and serves as site director for the Neuroscience and Behavior, Fundamentals of Health and Disease, and Health System Science 1 courses. He is the Director of the °µºÚ±¬ÁÏÍø School of Medicine-Fort Wayne CNS Tissue Bank for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Conditions. His research focuses on longitudinal changes in nervous system function during aging.
Robin L. Younger, MBA
Director of Operations and Finance
Robin L. Younger is responsible for leading the financial and administrative operations of the IU Fort Wayne School of Medicine.