Sara Swenson, MD

Sara Swenson is a superb physician. I’ve been seeing her ever since she assumed my previous internist’s job in the upper echelon’s of Sutter’s Family Healthcare Clinic where her much-​loved predecessor was an extremely tough act to follow.
Be aware that this is a teaching clinic (like UCSF) and Dr. Swenson teaches in the medical school. Chances are that if you call as a new patient requesting an appointment, you will likely have see one of the resident physicians under her supervision – which is fine. The resident will consult w/​either Dr. Swenson or one of her associate attending physicians in any case, but for routine stuff, odds are slim that you will have the opportunity to meet with her for for than a few minutes.
Dr. Swenson’s credentials are impeccable and she is enormously respected by other physicians in the city. Given that she is so firmly entrenched in the Western medicine establishment, I greatly value her judgement-​free tolerance for my scepticism around the American health care system in general as well as my inclinations to explore other modalities like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine.
My view is that she and I are partners in managing my collection of moderate-​to-​severe medical conditions as well as the complex medication regimen that goes with the territory. I appreciate her speaking with me as an equal, one human to another, rather than as some omniscient authority figure accustomed to mute compliance to direction from a superior order of being. There have been moments when we have agreed to disagree, and this is where I especially value having her in my life. Although I always defer to her medical expertise, if there is room for interpretation, she has no problem with allowing me my own contrary perspective.
In my experience, only the very finest physicians have the confidence and self-​assurance not to experience a threat to their authority or become in some weird way reactive and threatened when presented with a patient who dares to say: «I don’t think so.» It’s a rare quality. Lesser doctors do not handle disagreement nearly so graciously.
Let me be clear, however. I also count on her to let me know in plain language if my self-​educated, internet-​gleaned theories are dangerously off base or I have somehow otherwise run off the rails. Like I’ve said at least once already, I am grateful she is in my life.

I saw Dr. Swenson twice. I accidentally went to the wrong address for my physical and as the result was half an hour late. She saw me anyway and was super helpful. I was touched that she asked was bothered me right now, so she can help before I come back for a full physical. She was attentive, both times (I came back for a full physical later) was analytical and supportive at the same time. I referred my husband and he felt the same way.