ACOG Mourns the Passing of Richard H. Schwarz, M.D.

Washington, DC—Hal C. Lawrence III, M.D., executive vice president and CEO of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), released the following statement regarding the death Richard H. Schwarz, M.D.:

“The ACOG community recently learned of the passing of Dr. Richard H. Schwarz after a long struggle with cardio-respiratory disease. We are deeply saddened by this news as he was a giant in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, and was among the first group of obstetricians to be certified as a sub-specialist in maternal-fetal medicine. Dr. Schwarz held the office of ACOG president from 1991–92.

“Dr. Schwarz was a past president of the New York Obstetric Society and the Philadelphia Obstetric Society. In addition to serving as chair of Obstetrics at SUNY Downstate and at Methodist Medical Center, he was also dean, provost and president of SUNY Downstate. Dr. Schwarz was also president of the Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Associated Medical Schools of New York. He ended his career at Maimonides as vice-chair.

“Dr. Schwarz was a member of a diverse number of organizations, such as Planned Parenthood Federation of America, formerly the Association of Planned Parenthood, the American Diabetes Association, the American Society of Human Genetics, and the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. Dr. Schwarz also served on the New York Governor’s Council on Graduate Medical Education, the City of New York’s Health Systems Agency Task for on AIDS, and the Advisory Committee of the City of New York’s Commissioner of Health.

“Dr. Schwarz was educated at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, completed his residency and internship at Philadelphia General Hospital, and authored more than 150 scientific articles, book chapters, and books with topics ranging from amniocentesis to timing of delivery in the diabetic patient. He also wrote widely on AIDS and other infectious diseases.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 58,000 members, ACOG strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. www.acog.org