Alan Swenson, MD, FAAOS is a fellowship-trained hand and microvascular surgeon from Anchorage, Alaska. He pursued sub-specialization in hand and microvascular surgery for its complexity and the depth and breadth of the field. He says the best part of his job, though, “is getting people back to the lives and activities they love.”

Dr. Swenson was born and raised in Alaska where he excelled academically before completing his medical education at the University of Washington. There he completed both his medical school and orthopedic residency training. He was then selected for further sub-specialization training in hand and microvascular surgery at the University of Cincinnati. There he spent an entire year focusing solely on disorders of the hand and upper extremity with the world renowned hand surgeon, Peter Stern. After formal training Dr. Swenson has continued to pursue further education and training. Presently, he is one of the only surgeons in the state of Alaska to have been awarded dual designations as a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.

More recently, Dr. Swenson was one of the first surgeons trained in the United States on an innovative treatment for thumb arthritis. He is the only surgeon in Alaska certified and trained to perform this advanced procedure. This procedure is a novel total joint replacement for the thumb using the Touch® CMC prosthesis. This surgery is a game changing treatment that offers shorter recovery times with the possibility of improved functional outcomes compared to traditional procedures.

Today Dr. Swenson is a vital member of the OPA hand specialty team with many publications, presentations and honors to his name. He says, “I am incredibly excited to be able to bring my education and training back to Alaska, and to provide care to my fellow Alaskans from all across the state.”

When not in the clinic helping others, he is probably out with his wife and child, hiking, fishing, camping, surfing, reading, or spending time with family and friends.

Biography