Alana Podwika
I grew up in Dunmore, PA. During my final year of pharmacy school I came out here to visit some friends and fell in love with Arizona. I wanted to live somewhere different than what I was used to. Fast forward to today and I have a husband, two kids and an amazing career at Mountain Park Health Center, where I have devoted many years of my life. I love everything about this place: the patients, the staff and the leadership. Working for and with Dr. Swagert is amazing. I love the mission of the organization and the way we care for our patients. Coming from a retail setting, when I started working at Mountain Park it was such an eye opener because I wasn’t used to caring for the patient like we do here.
As a little girl I either wanted to be a ballerina or do something in healthcare. The one thing that pulled me toward medicine was my dad. He has been living with Polio since he was 6-years old. His story fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about infectious diseases, how they were treated and how to prevent them with vaccines.
Outside of Mountain Park I spend a lot of time with my family. My husband Carl and I have a daughter and a son and as most moms, I enjoy watching my kids play tennis and soccer.
When I came to Mountain Park in 2000 there was no pharmacy program, and I was terrified to start one. CeeCee Hofberger, told me, “Take it one day at a time. We are all here to help you…it will be okay.” To this day I hear her words echo through the halls and I am proud to work with an amazing team who is always here to help. I am excited to see Mountain Park expand and look forward to the adventure.
Education:
University of Pittsburgh (1998)
University of Phoenix (2004)
Fun Fact: I am addicted to Bootcamp.