Steven Schwartz

Senior Associate Scientist
Translational Medicine

Dr. Steven Schwartz received his medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and went on to complete internship and residency in Paediatrics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children (Temple University) in Philadelphia, fellowship in Paediatric Cardiology at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital (The University of Michigan) in Ann Arbor, Michigan and fellowship in Paediatric Critical Care Medicine at Children’s Hospital (Harvard University) in Boston, Massachusetts. During this time, he also completed a Master’s of Science at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Biostatistics and Clinical Research Design. Dr. Schwartz was appointed to the faculty of the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996 in the Divisions of Cardiology and Molecular Cardiovascular Biology and served as Co-Director of Cardiac Intensive Care for almost 10 years.

He joined the medical staff at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in January 2006 as Head of the Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, and in December 2021 he was appointed as Chief of the Department of Critical Care Medicine, having served as Interim Department Chief since March 2020. Dr. Schwartz has authored or co-authored numerous papers and book chapters on clinical care and underlying mechanisms of cardiac dysfunction in critically ill infants and children with congenital heart disease and is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings. His recent research involves the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on metabolism and cardiac function, and using continuously captured physiologic data to predict long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes after pediatric heart surgery. Dr. Schwartz is one of the SickKids co-primary investigators for the NIH/NHLBI sponsored Pediatric Heart Network. This network conducts major multicenter research and trials focused on paediatric heart disease.

Dr. Schwartz has previously served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC⁴) and on the Board of Directors of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS). Dr. Schwartz holds certification by the American Board of Pediatrics in both Critical Care Medicine and Cardiology.

Research

Dr. Schwartz’s academic interests include single ventricle physiology and outcomes, the metabolic effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on infants and children, quality and performance in pediatric cardiac critical care, the use of clinical informatics and monitoring tools to predict adverse clinical situations and international program development.

Education and experience

• 2021–Present: Chief, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2020–Present: Interim Chief, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2006–Present: Head, Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 1996–2006: Co-Director, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
• 1994–1996: Fellowship, Paediatric Critical Care Medicine, Anaesthesia/Critical Care, Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• 1993–1995: M.Sc., Biostatistics and Clinical Research Design, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• 1991–1994: Fellowship, Paediatric Cardiology, Paediatrics, C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• 1988–1991: Paediatric Residency, Pediatrics, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
• 1984–1988: MD, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
• 1980–1984: BA, Political Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Achievements

• 2015: Invited member Integrated Data Network for Congenital Heart Disease Working Group (NHLBI)
• 2011–2019: Elected to Executive Committee of the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4)
• 2009–Present: Elected to Board of Directors, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS)
• 2009: Invited member Peri-operative studies working group of the Pediatric Heart Network, NIH/HNLBI 

See a full list of Steven Schwartz's publications

Funding

• 2017–2023: Co-Principal Investigator. Paediatric Heart Network - The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. NIH NHLBI. PI: McCrindle, BW; Schwartz, SM; Mital, S. 1UG1HL135680-01. 
• 2015–2021: Co-Investigator. Cardiovascular Physiology and Brain Development in Newborns with Congenital Heart Disease.  Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Principal Investigator(s): Miller, Steven P; Seed, Mike Co-Investigators: Blaser, SI; Brant, RF; Chau, V; Hickey, EJ; Kingdom, JC; Ly, LG; MacGowan, CK; Schwartz, SM; Sled, JG.