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Robert A. Swendiman
( out of 92 reviews )

Robert A. Swendiman, MD, MPP, MSCE

Robert A. Swendiman, MD MPP MSCE is an attending pediatric surgeon at Primary Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, UT. He received both his BA and MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds Masters degrees in Public Policy and Clinical Epidemiology from Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. He is the Trauma Medical Director at the Primary Children’s Hospital Miller Campus in Lehi, UT. While Dr. Swendiman treats children with all varieties of conditions from neonates to young adults, he subspecializes in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, complex chest wall deformities (e.g. pectus excavatum and carinatum), and pediatric trauma.

More information about these Centers for Excellence can be found at:

Dr. Swendiman’s research is focused on two main areas: pediatric trauma and inflammatory bowel disease. For the past decade he has studied the management of blunt solid organ injury in children, identifying variations in care when treating children at pediatric and adult trauma centers. The impact has been to improve the rate of splenic salvage nationally and decrease variation of care across centers. This research now directly impacts the triage and transfer criteria for pediatric patients within the state of Utah through the Utah Pediatric Trauma Network.

He was also recently awarded the Early Career Development Research Grant through the Primary Children's Hospital Foundation. This helps fund the research arm of our Complex Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, with special attention to the outcomes of children who require total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (“J-pouch” surgery) for severe ulcerative colitis.

Patient Rating

Patients consistently describe Dr. Swendiman as attentive, compassionate, and skilled with children. Commenters say he listens carefully, explains diagnoses and procedures clearly at the child’s level, and takes time to answer questions. Families report he helps children feel at ease, is personable and calm, and provides respectful, professional care.

Generated via Patient Reviews

4.8 /5
( out of 92 reviews )

The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers. The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

Robert A. Swendiman, MD MPP MSCE is an attending pediatric surgeon at Primary Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, UT. He received both his BA and MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds Masters degrees in Public Policy and Clinical Epidemiology from Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. He is the Trauma Medical Director at the Primary Children’s Hospital Miller Campus in Lehi, UT. While Dr. Swendiman treats children with all varieties of conditions from neonates to young adults, he subspecializes in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, complex chest wall deformities (e.g. pectus excavatum and carinatum), and pediatric trauma.

More information about these Centers for Excellence can be found at:

Dr. Swendiman’s research is focused on two main areas: pediatric trauma and inflammatory bowel disease. For the past decade he has studied the management of blunt solid organ injury in children, identifying variations in care when treating children at pediatric and adult trauma centers. The impact has been to improve the rate of splenic salvage nationally and decrease variation of care across centers. This research now directly impacts the triage and transfer criteria for pediatric patients within the state of Utah through the Utah Pediatric Trauma Network.

He was also recently awarded the Early Career Development Research Grant through the Primary Children's Hospital Foundation. This helps fund the research arm of our Complex Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, with special attention to the outcomes of children who require total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (“J-pouch” surgery) for severe ulcerative colitis.

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments Surgery -Assistant Professor
Academic Divisions Pediatric Surgery

Education history

Fellowship Pediatric General Surgery - University of Utah School of Medicine Fellow
Chief Resident General Surgery - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Chief Resident
Diploma Clinical Epidemiology - University of Pennsylvania M.S.C.E
Residency General Surgery - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Resident
Graduate Training Public Policy - Harvard Kennedy School M.P.P.
Professional Medical Medicine - University of North Carolina School of Medicine M.D.
Undergraduate Chemistry and Political Science - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill B.A.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Wallace MW, Wan HY, Morris D, Russell KW, Swendiman RA, Salt Lake City UT (2026). Management of pediatric high-grade blunt hepatic trauma at adult and pediatric trauma centers: An analysis of the TQIP database. J Trauma Acute Care Surg.
  2. Scaife JH, Martinez DJ, Clinker CE, Glasgow SL, Kahan AM, Roach CM, Russell KW, Swendiman RA (2025). Discordance in CT interpretations between pediatric radiology overreads and community and adult radiologists reads following traumatic injury. J Pediatr Surg, 162765.
  3. Kahan AM, McNamara NE, Iantorno SE, Smith KM, Larsen KE, Swendiman RA, Russell KW (2025). Clinical Characteristics of Pediatric Patients With Cervical Collar-Related Pressure Injuries. J Trauma Nurs.
  4. Kay AB, Glasgow SL, Kahan AM, Swendiman RA, Kastenberg ZJ, Roach CM, Wan HY, Bollo RJ, Iyer RR, Ravindra VM, Morris DS, Yorkgitis BK, Joseph B, Russell KW (2025). Small Change, BIG Impact: Proposal of the Brain Injury Guidelines for Kids (kBIG). J Pediatr Surg, 60(8), 162372.
  5. Scaife JH, Clinker CE, Alexander AJ, Iantorno SE, Eldredge RS, Swendiman RA, Fenton SJ, Russell KW (2024). Association of Initiation of Statewide Pediatric Trauma Collaborative and Hospital Preventable Transfer Rates. J Pediatr Surg, 162004.
  6. Swendiman RA, Russell KW, Larsen K, Eyre M, Fenton SJ (2024). USE OF A STATEWIDE SOLID ORGAN INJURY PROCOTCOL TO OPTIMIZE TRIAGE, TREATMENT, AND TRANSFER FOR PEDIATRIC ABDOMINAL TRAUMA. J Trauma Acute Care Surg.
  7. Iantorno SE, Swendiman RA, Bucher BT, Russell KW (2023). Surge in Pediatric Firearm Injuries Presenting to US Children's Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Pediatr, 177(2), 204-206.
  8. Swendiman RA, Goldshore MA, Fenton SJ, Nance ML (2019). Defining the role of angioembolization in pediatric isolated blunt solid organ injury. J Pediatr Surg, 55(4), 688-692.
  9. Swendiman RA, Marcaccio CL, Han J, Hoffman DI, Weiner TM, Nance ML, Chou CM (2019). Attitudes and habits of highly humanistic surgeons: A single-institution, mixed-methods study. Acad Med, 94(7), 1027-1032.
  10. Swendiman RA, Edmondson AC, Mahmoud NN (2018). Burnout in surgery viewed through the lens of psychological safety. Ann Surg, 269(2), 234-235.

Editorial

  1. Swendiman RA, Hatchimonji JS, Allukian M 3rd, Blinman TA, Nance ML, Nace GW (2020). Pediatric firearm injuries: Anatomy of an epidemic. Surgery, 168(3), 381-384.

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