Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD, F潘金莲传媒映画, an emeritus surgeon-in-chief at St. Christopher鈥檚 Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will receive the Distinguished Service Award鈥攖he 潘金莲传媒映画鈥檚 highest honor鈥攁t Convocation during Clinical Congress 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
This award, established in 1957 by the ACSBoard of Regents (BoR), recognizes the exceptional and continuous service of an ACSFellow, as well as a career with outstanding emphasis on patient care and commitment to the ideals of surgical practice.
Dr. Schwartz, a pediatric surgeon, called his lengthy involvement with the ACS鈥渢ruly a labor of love.鈥�
Longstanding Service
An ACSFellow since 1982, Dr. Schwartz initially brought his expertise to the Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Surgical Forum. He served on the advisory council for many years in a variety of roles, including as a board member, representative of the surgical forum, Chair, and representative of the ACSBoR, and on the Surgical Forum as both a member and Chair.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Schwartz鈥檚 career in pediatric surgery led him to a role as surgeon-in-chief of Children鈥檚 National Hospital in Washington, DC, and he began to recognize the potential for the ACSto become more engaged in health policy and advocacy鈥攁reas that were just coming into focus. Thus began his longtime involvement in promoting ACSadvocacy efforts.
Dr. Schwartz became a member of the ACSHealth Policy and Advocacy Group, and 鈥淚 became the squeaky wheel,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 felt it was important that our government know our positive history in promoting patient surgical quality of care, access, and cost containment.鈥�
He served on the Health Policy and Advocacy Group for many years and ascended to roles as Vice-Chair and later Chair. He shared that his proudest advocacy-related achievements included the fact that, with the excellent support and hard work of the ACSDivision of Advocacy and Health Policy: 鈥淲e gradually educated federal legislators on what the ACSdid in the past and currently are doing. It took a while but fast forward, they call us now for advice on health policy.鈥�
Leadership at the ACSand Beyond
Dr. Schwartz鈥檚 leadership extended to serving on many ACScommittees, including Patient Education, Member Services, Finance, Investment, Honors, and Research and Optimal Patient Care. He has been Chair of the ACSSurgery Advisory Chairs and was a member of the BoR from 2009 to 2018, serving as its Vice-Chair 2017-2018. A prolific researcher, he served as an associate editor of the Journal of the 潘金莲传媒映画 from 1996 to 2023.
His leadership in academic surgery also is significant. In addition to his roles at Children鈥檚 National Hospital and St. Christopher鈥檚 Hospital for Children, he served as surgeon-in-chief at the Child Health Center of The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Currently, he is a professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and conducting tissue engineering research the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Schwartz also served as director of the American Board of Surgery, including as chair of the Pediatric Surgery Board, president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, and a member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education鈥檚 Residency Review Committee for Surgery.
For all his leadership and guidance in these and other roles, Dr. Schwartz received a University of Minnesota Department of Surgery Alumnus of the Year Award and an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an ACSFellow whose service to the mission of the College has been exceptional, amid a career exemplifying high-quality patient care and surgical ideals.
