Dr. Alicia Swink, MD, SCL Health at St. Mary’s Medical Center
Dr. Alicia Swink of SCL Health at St. Mary’s Medical Center knew she wanted to go into the medical field but never thought she would find herself working in oncology. Cancer is a ruthless disease with sometimes tragic results that requires physicians to have to deliver bad news to people who never thought they would hear the words “You have cancer.” However, during her medical training, Dr. Swink discovered that she is uniquely suited for this work. “Oncology opens the door between physician and patient in a way that nothing else does,” she says. “Having a cancer diagnosis makes a person’s soul permeable, and it’s my honor to meet them in that place and walk through the process with them every step of the way.”
Dr. Swink treats all cancers and specializes in breast cancer and disorders and cancers of the blood. She transferred to Grand Junction with her husband and two sons from Dallas, Texas where she worked in the Hematology/Medical Oncology Division at Baylor Sammons Cancer Center. She joined the SCL Health team in 2019. “I love Grand Junction because it reminds me of the small town I grew up in in West Texas,” she says. “Even though I’ve been educated in the big city, I’m really a small-town girl at heart. Grand Junction feels like home.”
“Oncology opens the door between physician and patient in a way that nothing else does. Having a cancer diagnosis makes a person’s soul permeable, and it’s my honor to meet them in that place and walk through the process with them every step of the way.”
The people part of the work is what makes Dr. Swink most passionate about what she does. “People are terrified when they get a cancer diagnosis; it’s like getting a two-by-four to the head,” she says. “But that’s when we step in, reassuring them that they’re not alone and that our team is surrounding them on every side and supporting them in whatever way they need.” Studies have shown that the most difficult time in the cancer process is the time between hearing the diagnosis and when the patient finally starts treatment. With kindness and honesty, Dr. Swink and her team are able to comfort many patients’ anxieties by sharing all treatment options, dispelling myths, and shedding light on the actual set of circumstances. “It’s not that the journey gets easier, but it does get better,” says Dr. Swink. “I remind them that my team and I will be there with them no matter what the end result is.”
While many physicians choose to keep patients at an arm’s length emotionally, Dr. Swink takes a different approach. “I’m all in with my patients,” she says. “My whole heart is open to them. Of course, that might not be the right approach for all physicians, but it’s what works for me.” Often, when patients are choosing which treatments to pursue, they ask what she would do if she were in a similar situation, a position that feels all too familiar to Dr. Swink. Her own mother is a breast cancer survivor, and she knows firsthand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of tough information in an oncologist’s office. However, she has chosen to use this experience to relate to her patients’ pain. “I treat each patient as if we are family,” she says. “Walking with people as they face their greatest fears, I can relate not because I don’t have fears; it’s because I do. I’ve been there.”
Despite being a small-town girl, Dr. Swink wants to bring big-city, cutting-edge oncology science and research to the Western Slope. Currently, some cancer patients have to travel to Denver or Utah for treatment and to be a part of clinical trials that could lead to cancer science breakthroughs. Her team, which includes Kyle Work, DO, Kris Hansen, DO, Kim Gibson, MD, and Swink herself, are working to build a one-stop shop oncology practice that provides all the technology and access of the big-city while still remaining local. “There is no reason why someone should have to go to Denver to access what we have here,” she adds.
Dr. Swink feels privileged to work with the brilliant oncology team at SCL Health at St. Mary’s. “The people here are so committed and dedicated to our patients. There is no question in my mind that my team members have my patients’ best interest in mind.”
As for the future, Dr. Swink is decided about where she wants to be and where her priorities lie. “My family, my team, and I are putting down roots here. This is not a stepping stone for me,” she says. “I chose the people of the Grand Valley and SCL Health. I want to be here, and I’m here for the long haul.”