Dr. Virginia Von Schaefer, MD
Preventative Medicine Specialist | Preventive Medicine/Occupational Environmental Medicine
31852 Coast Hwy Suite 204 Laguna Beach CA, 92651About
Dr. Virginia Von Schaefer has been a practicing physician and surgeon for over 25 years. As a general, vascular, and trauma surgeon who is now retired, she has been offering bio-integrative consults to patients of all ages in a range of clinical settings in the Laguna Beach, CA area. Her focus is applying the fundamental ideas of biochemistry and cell biology to tackle medical issues. Her main goal is to assess and treat the full person while considering the interrelationship between the mind, body, and spirit in order to restore biochemical equilibrium.
Dr. Virginia Von Schaefer, MD's Videos
Education and Training
Los Angeles County Harbor UCLA Medical Center, St. Mary Medical Center Fellowship 1992
Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn & Queens PGY-4 General Surgery Residency 1991
St. Vincent’s Hospital Research Fellowship Surgical Oncology 1989
St. Vincent’s Hospital General Surgery Residency, PGY 2 1988
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital General Surgery Residency PGY 1-2 1986
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Internal Medicine Internship 1984
Columbia University MD 1983
Columbia University B.S. Biochemistry 1979
Board Certification
Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners
Provider Details
Dr. Virginia Von Schaefer, MD's Expert Contributions
Why does my mother lose her identity at night?
This is known as sundowning. It is a symptom of dementia that causes confusion in the late afternoon and nighttime. People who experience sundowning may exhibit signs of confusion, anxiety and pacing. READ MORE
Can you get infected with covid again 2 weeks after already having it?
It is possible to get reinfected with COVID-19, depending on the strain of the virus. Please get tested for COVID-19 at your local testing site. READ MORE
Areas of expertise and specialization
Awards
- Phi Beta Kappa 1979 Columbia University
- NIH Grant Recipient 1990 Vascular Surgery Research
- H K Lattimer Annual Urology Prize 1983 Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons
Fellowships
- Los Angeles County Harbor UCLA Medical Center, St. Mary Medical Center Long Beach 1991
Fellowships
- Harbor UCLA0vascular surgery
Dr. Virginia Von Schaefer, MD's Practice location
Dr. Virginia Von Schaefer, MD's reviews
Write ReviewMedia Releases
Get to know General Surgeon Dr. Virginia Von Schaefer, who serves patients in Laguna Beach, California.
An experienced physician, Dr. Von Schaefer has practiced medicine and surgery for over 25 years. She is now a retired general, vascular and trauma surgeon who has been providing bio-integrative consultations to patients of all ages in a variety of clinical settings.
Her passion is utilizing the basic principles of cell biology and biochemistry to solve medical problems. Her focus is to evaluate and treat the whole person, taking into account the mind, body, and spirit connection to restore biochemical balance. Her goal is to provide the most comprehensive and effective plan to solve patients’ medical problems.
“I rely on more than 30 years of clinical experience in general and trauma surgery, endocrinology, and oncology to create strategies to solve our patients’ complex medical problems. Continued study and shared knowledge with colleagues, makes it possible to evaluate and integrate the ever evolving, new advances for optimal patient care” expressed Dr. Von Schaefer.
Academically, she came to study medicine after her first pregnancy turned out to be a tumor, resulting in a septic delivery of a possibly cancerous growth. The experience of this event opened her eyes to the practice of medicine and motivated her to quit her job, return to school to study science and prepare to go to medical school.
To that end, Dr. Von Schaefer attended Columbia University and majored in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the height of new discoveries in cellular anatomy and physiology. She had her first child as a “pre-med” and was the first woman with a child to be accepted to the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons Medical School. Her second child was born during medical school and her next three children were born during internships in both internal medicine and surgery.
Subsequently, she completed surgical training at an affiliate of Cornell University, specializing in trauma surgery and came to California in 1994 to complete a fellowship in vascular surgery at Harbor UCLA.
One year after completing the program, Dr. Von Schaefer sustained a total spinal cord contusion at C4 and C5 and had to stop actively practicing surgery. In the process of her recovery, she turned back to her original passion, cell biology and biochemistry. With new inspiration and insight, she explored the world of metabolic treatment using the principles of biochemistry, endocrinology and nutrition for problem solving.
General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and other body systems. A general surgeon performs a wide range of surgeries for many forms of intestinal and abdominal wall neoplasms, gallbladder disease, gastric and biliary disease. They follow the patient through critical care and surgical recovery all the way to outpatient care.
In her free time, Dr. Von Schaefer enjoys spending time with her children and three Italian greyhounds, gardening, cooking and writing.
Recommended Articles
- What Causes Middle Back Pain?
Middle back pain, also known as upper back pain or thoracic back pain occurs anywhere between the bottom of the neck to the top of the lumbar spine, where the rib cage ends. The ribs are connected to the sternum (a narrow thickened plate in the center of the chest) and then wrap round the...
- Tips for Living with Stroke
A stroke is a severe condition that is brought about by insufficient blood supply to the brain. This can be as a result of a blood clot or a broken blood vessel. According to physicians, stroke can cause different effects. However, if you stick to the treatment options designed by your doctor, a...
- Alternative Treatments for Autism
Many parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or autism, prefer to consider alternative treatments to help improve overall health and behavioral problems.The effectiveness and safety of all alternative treatments has not been fully researched. Every treatment therefore will not work...
- What Conditions Warrant Occupational Therapy?
In general, therapy refers to an attempt of diagnosing a health problem upon identification. Various forms of therapy have been created to address different health problems. Occupational therapy (OT) is among the newer forms of therapies which is very closely related to physical therapy (PT), but is...
- Learn the Signs of Autism
As a parent, it is very critical that you check the heath status of your child regularly. Autism in children can be detected as early as 18 months old. However, the condition can still be treated if discovered later in life. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have unique characteristics...
- Occupational Therapy vs. Physical Therapy
Therapy is synonymous with treatment, which means that it is a course of action taken to correct a particular health problem. As with other fields, there are different approaches to therapy such as occupational and physical therapy. They are both recognized professions and the practitioners must be...