Gary Schwartz, MD

Dr. Gary Schwartz is board certified in cardiothoracic and general surgery and serves as Chief of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX and as President-Elect of the Texas Transplantation Society.

Dr. Schwartz completed medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He then trained in general surgery at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York, NY, with surgical certification obtained from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. During his training, he was awarded the Charles McBurney Award for surgical excellence, as well as Chief Resident of the year award. He also spent one year performing animal research in the fields of minimally invasive surgery and complex airway interventions. Following his general surgery training, he trained in cardiothoracic surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD.

In 2015 he joined the staff at Baylor University Medical Center as a thoracic surgeon with a clinical focus on thoracic oncology, lung transplantation, and the management of complex airway disorders. He matured the growing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation program, becoming the Director and obtaining Platinum Center of Excellence status from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization in 2021. He became Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation in 2021.

Dr. Schwartz is particularly interested in clinical ethics and surgical innovation, with a goal of improving the quality of health care delivery. His ethics focus is on patient education and autonomy with a special interest in organ donation and end-of-life decision making. He lives with his wife and 4 children in Dallas with a goal of seeing as much of the world as possible.