Featured Speaker
Wade T. Swenson, M.D., M.P.H., MBA, FACP, FACHE, Founder of the Rural Cancer Institute
Wade T. Swenson, M.D., M.P.H., MBA, FACP, FACHE, is a medical oncologist and hematologist who focuses on delivering cancer care to underserved rural areas. After completing his internal medicine residency and medical oncology/hematology fellowship at the University of Iowa, Dr. Swenson spent 17 years as Medical Director of the cancer program at Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, before joining Lakewood Health System in Staples, Minnesota in 2022. At his clinical practice at Lakewood Health System, he provides direct patient care and leads a team dedicated to identifying solutions to closing the rural cancer gap.
During his more than 20 years in rural oncology practice, Dr. Swenson recognized that geographic isolation, income inequality and structural barriers — not simply lack of resources — drive the most significant cancer outcome disparities in the United States. This insight became the foundation for the Rural Cancer Institute, which he founded in October 2022, to shift the national conversation from documenting disparities to generating actionable solutions through research, policy and best practices.
In 2025, Dr. Swenson was appointed Professor of Internal Medicine at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, in Fort Worth, Texas — a remote position focused on student mentorship and research support. He also completed an executive master’s in policy leadership at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, adding rigorous policy training to his clinical, public health and business credentials.
