Schwaitzberg Appointed Interim Chair of Neurology at Jacobs School

Dear colleagues,

I’m pleased to share that Steven D. Schwaitzberg, MD, has accepted the role of interim chair of the Department of Neurology at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

Dr. Schwaitzberg, a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, is a globally recognized expert in minimally invasive surgery. He will continue to lead the Department of Surgery in his current role. 

The Departments of Surgery and Family Medicine have collaboratively established a shared service model, which they are now extending to the Department of Neurology. By identifying strategic opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, they aim to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. Given their success, and his role as one of Jacobs School’s most experienced and accomplished chair, Dr. Schwaitzberg, has been selected as the interim chair for the Department of Neurology. 

Beyond his roles at the Jacobs School, Dr. Schwaitzberg serves as the medical director of surgical program development for Kaleida Health and Erie County Medical Center. His groundbreaking research includes demonstrating the feasibility of using microwaves to warm blood for transfusions, leading to practical device development and federal approval.

Dr. Schwaitzberg’s impressive background includes a medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and a master’s degree from Harvard University. He completed his surgical residency at Baylor Affiliated Hospitals and held positions as chief of surgery at Cambridge Health Alliance and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Notably, he served as chief of surgery during Operation Desert Storm with the 365th Evacuation Hospital, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to healthcare. He is a past president of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. Dr. Schwaitzberg has promoted and taught minimally invasive surgical techniques around the world, including in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Japan, Brazil, Poland, China, India, Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, Italy and France..

As a prolific researcher, Dr. Schwaitzberg has been a principal investigator for industry-sponsored clinical trials and the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and National Science Foundation grants. His work focuses on preventing intra-abdominal adhesions, skill acquisition in minimally invasive surgery, antibiotic evaluation and clinical outcomes. He has made numerous contributions in the preclinical and clinical use of surgical robots.

Dr. Schwaitzberg’ s contributions extend to over 300 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, book chapters and videos. He holds three U.S. patents and was inducted into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2021. His commitment to anti-racism and health care equity is commendable. He also launched an anti-racism and health care equity initiative to address and mitigate the effects of systemic racism and inequality in health care.

Dr. Schwaitzberg has won numerous awards, including the SUNY Distinguished Service Award, SUNY Chancellor’s Award, and the Buffalo Business First Excellence in Health Care award. He was awarded the American College of Surgeons 2010 Health Policy Scholar award and the Computerworld/National Smithsonian Honors 21st Century Laureate Achievement award, among many awards for teaching excellence. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and has served on the Board of Governors.

As we welcome Dr. Schwaitzberg to this interim position, I extend my personal gratitude to him for accepting this new role. I am confident that the Department of Neurology, along with the entire Jacobs School and UB community, will wholeheartedly support him as he assumes leadership during this transition. Our search for the next permanent chair for the Department of Neurology is already underway.

I also want to express my appreciation to Gil Wolfe, MD, for his dedicated years of service as the previous chair of the Department of Neurology.

Marc Halterman, MD, PhD, senior associate dean and executive director of the Office of Research at the Jacobs School will be leading the search committee for the new chair.
 

Warm regards,

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA
Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Vice President for Health Sciences
University at Buffalo