M. Roy Schwarz, M.D., is a native of the state of Idaho. He received his Bachelor of Science degree at Pacific Lutheran University, and his M.D. (with highest honors) at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Schwarz has served on the faculties at the University of Washington, McGill University and the University of Colorado. He currently holds Professorships at the University of Washington and the University of California at San Diego. His research interests have spanned cellular immunology, nucleic acid metabolism, experimental medical education, and the use of communications satellites in education and health care.
His administrative posts have included Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Founding Director of the WAMI (Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) Program at the University of Washington, Director, Experimental Satellite Communications Program at the University of Washington, Dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Senior Vice President of Medical Education and Science at the American Medical Association.
He stepped down from the Presidency of the China Medical Board of New York, Inc. on July 1, 2006. The China Medical Board is a private foundation established in 1914 to promote high quality, western medicine in China and elsewhere in Asia. Currently, the Board has programs in China, Thailand, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam and Mongolia. For his work he has been awarded thirteen Honorary Professorships, eight major national, city or provincial awards, three honorary degrees and an Honorary Dean appointment. These include the Great Wall Friendship Award from the City of Beijing, The Magnolia Award from the City of Shanghai, the Health Award from the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China and the Friendship Award from the People's Republic of China (highest honor given to foreigners).
The author of over 175 articles, books and abstracts, Dr. Schwarz serves on the Board of Research!America and the Visiting Committees of Dartmouth Medical School and the University of Chicago's Council for the Division of Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine of which he is the Chair. He is also a member of the Bretton Woods Committee.
In his scientific career, Dr. Schwarz contributed to the elucidation of the cellular sequences of immunity, the introduction of neonatal tolerance, the role of the thymus in the immune response and measurement of immune suppression.
The WAMI Program, which Dr. Schwarz initiated, provides medical education to three states without medical schools. This is accomplished by teaching the first year of medical school at four universities without medical schools and providing clinical education for students and residents in community locations, using practicing physicians as faculty members. After a 34 years of operation, it has placed large numbers of primary care and specialists physicians in underserved areas of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
The satellite experiments in delivering medical education and health care across the WAMI region were the first of their kind in the world. These efforts, which began in 1974, proved that telecommunications can be effective in delivering education, health care and administrative services to remote sites.
While at the China Medical Board, Dr. Schwarz established an Institute for International Medical Education. The purpose was to define Global Minimum Essential Requirements for graduates of all medical schools in the world. These were defined and field tested on graduates of eight of China's best medical schools. Report cards on the performances individual students, individual schools and all schools were created to be used to guide education reform in the People's Republic of China.
While at the AMA, Dr. Schwarz was responsible for the AMA's activities in medical education, science, public health, ethics, and practice standards. This included staffing for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME-accredits U.S. Medical Schools), the Accrediting Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME-accredits residency training in the U.S.A.), and the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education (ACCME-accredits continuing education programs). He was also involved in setting professional standards in ethics, quality of care, physician performance, AIDS, drug evaluation, technology assessment, adolescent health, tobacco and drug abuse and biomedical research.