Dr. Michael J Schwartz MD

Michael J. Schwartz, MD is a specialist in robotic, laparoscopic, and minimally invasive surgery. His expertise in nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy and performance of laparoscopic kidney-sparing surgery for renal cancers has led him to become Director of Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgery for the Smith Institute for Urology. He also currently serves an educational role as Associate Residency Program Director for Urology at North Shore-LIJ. Dr. Schwartz practice encompasses urologic oncology including surgical treatment of prostate, kidney, bladder, adrenal, and testicular cancers. He has additional expertise in benign urologic disease such as treatment of kidney stones and in laparoscopic reconstructive surgery of the kidney, ureters, and bladder. Dr. Schwartz’s practice also encompasses active surveillance for prostate and kidney cancers, which has become a viable option for many patients in selected cases. Focusing on a patient-centered approach in urologic care, Dr. Schwartz takes great pride in educating his patients on their individual disease process, with the goal being to help each patient come to a treatment decision which fits them best. Minimizing treatment impact on each patient’s quality of life is one of Dr. Schwartz’s highest priorities. After completing medical school at Brown University, Dr. Schwartz went on to his urology residency training at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During his time there, he received several awards including the Outstanding Laparoscopic Resident Award from the Society of Laparoscopic Surgeons, and First Prize and Second Prizes in the Ferdinand C. Valentine Essay Contest. Dr. Schwartz was also the honored recipient of the International Volunteers in Urology Traveling Resident Scholarship, through which he was able to teach endoscopic and laparoscopic surgical techniques to groups of urologists in Hue,Vietnam. Following his residency training, Dr. Schwartz went on to fellowship in advanced laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery under the mentorship of Dr. Louis Kavoussi at North Shore and Long Island Jewish Hospital. His current research interests mainly focus on urologic malignancy and he has published numerous peer reviewed articles on kidney, bladder, prostate, and testis cancer. His work may be found in leading journals such as Cancer, Journal of Urology, European Urology, Annals of Surgery, British Journal of Urology International, Urology, Advances in Urology, Journal of Oncology and Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dr. Schwartz has also authored several textbook chapters on laparoscopic surgery, including the chapter on Laparoscopic Surgery of the Kidney which appears in Campbell’s Urology, the leading textbook for urologists worldwide.