Stephen M. Schwartz (January 1, 1942 – March 17, 2020) was an American pathologist at the
University of Washington. He researched vascular
biology, investigating the structure of blood vessels and smooth muscle cells.
He died from complications brought on by
COVID-19 during the early days of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Seattle.
Biography
Schwartz was born on
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
in
Boston to a
Jewish family.
Schwartz's father was a physician and was one of the first to treat victims of
Nazi concentration camps at the end of
World War II.
Judaism remained a strong part of Schwartz's cultural identity throughout his life.
Schwartz received a
BA in biology from
Harvard University in 1963 and a
Doctor of Medicine from
Boston University in 1967.
He started a residency at the University of Washington in 1967, but was more interested in an academic than clinical career, and obtained his Ph.D. in pathology from the institution in 1973, under the mentorship of
Earl Benditt.
Schwartz served briefly as the Associate Chief of Pathology at the
United States Navy Medical Center from 1973 to 1974,
before returning the University of Washington, where he remained for the duration of his career.
At the University of Washington, Schwartz served as an
assistant professor of pathology from 1974 to 1979, an
associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
from 1979 to 1984, and ultimately a
full professor starting in 1984.
He was an adjunct professor in the medicine and
bioengineering
Biological engineering or
bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...
departments. He helped found the
North American Vascular Biology Organisation,
and create the
Earl P. Benditt Award, which he received in 2001.
Schwartz died from
COVID-19 on March 17, 2020, at the age of 78.
Work
Schwartz is considered one of the founders of the field of modern vascular biology.
Schwartz wrote or coauthored approximately 700 scientific publications during the span of his career,
making significant contributions to the understanding of the nature and underlying causes of atherosclerosis and the vascularization of cancers.
References
1942 births
2020 deaths
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington (state)
University of Washington faculty
American pathologists
Harvard College alumni
Boston University School of Medicine alumni
20th-century American physicians
21st-century American physicians
20th-century American biologists
21st-century American biologists
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