Dr. Swearingen grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and graduated with honors, with a major in economics and a minor in chemistry. He was selected in the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He received his medical degree at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He then continued his training through his residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, completing publications in the field of renal stone disease. During both medical school and residency, he participated in international medical trips, which included travels to Ghana and Peru. He has a strong interest in kidney, prostate and bladder cancer, stone surgery, management of prostatic enlargement, as well as robotic surgery. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Gina, and their golden retriever, Ollie.