Theodore H. Schwartz

Theodore H. Schwartz (born in New York City) is an American medical scientist, academic physician and neurosurgeon.

Schwartz specializes in surgery for brain tumors, pituitary tumors and epilepsy.

He is particularly known for developing and expanding the field of minimally-invasive endonasal endoscopic skull base and pituitary surgery and for his research on neurovascular coupling and propagation of epilepsy.

Schwartz is a Professor of Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology & Neuroscience and the Director of Surgical Neuro-Oncology, Epilepsy & Pituitary Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital.

While in attendance at Harvard, he received the John Harvard Scholarship for Academic Achievement from 1985 to 1987 and was awarded the Hoopes Prize for his senior thesis.

Theodore Schwartz graduated magna cum laude with dual undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and English from Harvard University in 1987.

Schwartz then went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard University Medical School in 1990.

After completing his residency and chief residency in neurosurgery at the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia University Medical Center, Schwartz completed advanced fellowship training at Yale-New Haven Hospital in the surgical treatment of brain tumors and epilepsy.

He was awarded the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Van Wagenen Fellowship named after William P. Van Wagenen, a charter member of the Harvey Cushing Society.

He was further recognized by the German government when he was awarded the Von Humboldt Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Schwartz has provided commentary to the media on his neurosurgical expertise.

This has included the broadcast news organizations of ABC, NBC and CBS.

He has also been a guest on the Larry King Live television show.

His expertise has also been sought through interviews - quoted and published - in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, and Crain's New York Business.

Schwartz lectures and presents his surgical techniques to other neurosurgeons and ENT surgeons around the world.

In addition to serving as Professor of Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology, Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College, Schwartz is a member of several professional societies including: American Medical Association (1993); New York Medical Society (1994); Congress of Neurological Surgery (1995); American Association of Neurological Surgery (1995); American Epilepsy Society (1997); Society for Neuroscience (1997); Society for Neuro-oncology (1998); American College of Surgeons (2003); New York Society for Neurosurgery (2003);The Medical Strollers (2005); Physician's Scientific Society (2005); North American Skull Base Society (2005); The Hospital Graduates (2007); Cornell Alumni Council(2008); Neurosurgical Society of America (2008); Institute for Biomedical Imaging Sciences (2008); International Society for Pituitary Surgeons (2010); American Academy of Neurological Surgery (2010).

To date, Schwartz has co-authored more than 400 research articles, 65 book chapters, as well as co-editing two neurosurgical textbooks on the subject of endoscopic surgery.

In 2014, Schwartz received the first endowed professorship in the Department of Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College being named the David and Ursel Barnes Professor of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery. He is the Director of the Institute for Minimally Invasive Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery Program and the Director of the Epilepsy Research Laboratory in The Department of Neurosurgery investigating brain mapping, neurovascular coupling and other novel techniques for imaging and treating epilepsy.

This epilepsy research laboratory, which is now part of the newly developed Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College, has been funded with K08, R21 and R01 grants by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - a research institute of the National Institutes of Health - and several private organizations.

Schwartz has served as a standing member of the NINDS NSD-C Grant Review Committee and also serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neurosurgery and World Neurosurgery.