Title: Neonatologist
Employer: Onsite Neonatal Partners Inc.
Prior Positions: Colonel, U.S. Air Force

Daniel got his undergraduate degree in Integrative Biology in the Honors Program here at Illinois. IBH helped him on his path to becoming a doctor; he knew if he could do well in Honors Biology, he had the ability and will have received the knowledge needed to do well for the people who trusted him to be their doctor. He learned how to learn in depth, conduct experiments of doctoral quality, and to think critically and use information to make the right decision and/or choose the most appropriate course of action in ambiguous situations.

After his time at Illinois, he attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) which prepared him well for his first assignment at the age of 26 as a family physician and aviation medicine specialist for fighter pilots. After several tours to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, he returned to the academic world, completing his pediatric residency at Wright-Patterson AFB/Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton Ohio and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. After training, he was sent to Okinawa Japan and Landstuhl Germany, to care for military families and to transport their babies with critical care needs such as heart surgery across the ocean for care in the United States.

Throughout his career, he has participated in humanitarian missions to Haiti, Oman, Indonesia, and Afghanistan caring for children and training local healthcare providers in pediatric and neonatal care. He served honorably for 25 years retiring at the rank of Colonel. He continues to practice neonatology as the medical director for a private practice group. He and his wife enjoy the theater, in particular, Shakespearean plays possibly due to the undergraduate research project “Motley” he did with Professor Michael Mullin while at the University of Illinois. He enjoys reading history and playing the Clarinet. He and his wife are blessed with two college age children for which no course at the University could have prepared him.

Daniel would love to talk to anyone interested in a career in the military, and would be a great contact for those interested in the health care fields. Contact Christina Swanson at alumnimentor@sib.illinois.edu if you would like to connect with Daniel.