On Purpose, Pediatrics, and Pioneering Care A Conversation with Dr. Lisa Swanson

Young MD Connect recently hosted a mentorship session with pediatric dermatologist Dr. Lisa Swanson to learn from a practicing professional in the field of dermatology in a relaxed “Ask Me Anything” setting. Dr. Swanson practiced in Colorado for 10 years before moving to Boise, Idaho, to become the state’s first and only board-certified pediatric dermatologist. She currently practices at Ada West Dermatology and is affiliated with St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. Dr. Swanson also serves as associate medical editor of Practical Dermatology. 

Path to Pediatrics

Dr. Swanson’s interest in dermatology was sparked by her experiences as a patient with her own dermatologist. During residency, she discovered pediatric dermatology while rotating through a subspecialty clinic and immediately felt at home. She found herself consistently happier during these rotations and quickly realized she was drawn to every aspect of the field. Exposure to pediatric dermatology is important, and up to one-third of residency programs do not have a pediatric dermatologist on staff. There is a huge workforce shortage of pediatric dermatologists with a little more than 400 practicing board-certified pediatric dermatologists, and seven states without a single one. Many fellowship spots go unfilled each year and there is a huge need for more providers in this field. Dr. Swanson pursued a transitional year that had more elective time and did not necessarily need a pediatric preliminary year. She then pursued a pediatric dermatology fellowship at Phoenix Children’s. 

Pediatric Dermatology in Private Practice

Most pediatric dermatologists work in an academic setting; Dr. Swanson is one of the few in private practice. She opted for this model due to greater flexibility in management decisions and practice style. Beginning in private practice in Denver working with 15 other dermatologists, she was then recruited to a private practice in Boise, Idaho, as part of an ESOP where everyone owns a portion of the business (including the front desk staff, medical assistants, and billing administrators). While working in private practice, Dr. Swanson had an affiliation with the Children’s Hospital in Denver and continued a similar partnership with St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. With this affiliation, she saw inpatient consults and continued to do procedures under general anesthesia while billing through her private practice. 

To bring high-quality pediatric dermatology care to Idaho, Dr. Swanson visited colleagues in Salt Lake City to learn from their clinical model and adapt it to meet the needs of her own community. Dr. Swanson is part of a dedicated network of pediatric dermatologists who practice in geographic isolation, often as the only provider in their state or across a vast region. At St. Luke’s, Dr. Swanson played a pivotal role in establishing both a multidisciplinary vascular malformations team and the foundation for a pediatric residency program. Prior to her arrival, pediatric dermatology was the only subspecialty missing to complete the program’s accreditation requirements. Today, medical students and residents in pediatrics and family medicine rotate with Dr. Swanson and gain hands-on experience in pediatric dermatology. Her expertise in managing rare genetic skin disorders, including Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, CLOVES, and epidermolysis bullosa, makes her a valuable resource, and one that many patients continue to rely on well into adulthood.

Beyond the Clinical Setting

Dr. Swanson frequently speaks at events around the country. She started out in this area with Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses for local pediatricians and primary care physicians in Denver. As she began to speak more, there was a snowball effect. She continued to receive widespread invitations to give CME for the state of Colorado and eventually the southwestern US. With more experience, she was then invited to speak for industry partners, which gave her an opportunity to work with new treatments. It was the process of giving all of these talks that helped Dr. Swanson reinvigorate her passion for dermatology and combat burnout. She described giving talks and going to clinic as the balance of yin and yang to professional life. Being in clinic gave Dr. Swanson the opportunity to hear patient stories and to experience the different wins and losses with different treatments and outcomes, which she could then incorporate in her talks. Giving these talks then reenergized her to go back to clinic, which Dr. Swanson said was a great cycle. 

Beyond practice and speaking engagements, Dr. Swanson is a strong advocate for her patients. She takes the time to stand up and fight for their access to treatment with appeal letters or peer-to-peer calls with insurance providers. She has also been able to work with a medical director to help reform insurance policies for some patients. While time-consuming, it is worth it to deliver the care that you want to deliver, she says, adding that a little music and caffeine doesn’t hurt, either. For practicing physicians, Dr. Swanson recommends keeping documentation up to date and incorporating the most relevant information (such as itch score, IGA, and body surface area) in order to facilitate insurance approval. 

Another beneficial asset she noted was having a designated biologics coordinator to help patients get access to their treatments more easily and allow physicians to focus strictly on delivering patient care. 

Upholding the motto from her residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester (“The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered”), Dr. Swanson has honed her career to make doubly sure her patient’s interests are truly the interest being considered. 

YoungMD Connect (YMDC) is an editorially independent platform. YMDC would like to extend its gratitude to June 2025 platform sponsors Incyte (silver) and Almirall (bronze). Sponsorships help us bring these valuable sessions to our members.