Dr. Karl Schwarz

Dr. Karl Schwarz, a native Montrealer, left Canada in 1991 to pursue his education in the United States. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology-chemistry from Skidmore College, where he was also on the varsity hockey and rowing teams. Next, he completed a Masters in physiology and biophysics at the prestigious Georgetown University in Washington, DC. In 2001, he graduated from The George Washington University School of Medicine with honors, winning the first prize in surgery among 170 students. After obtaining his M.D., Dr. Schwarz completed a 6-year residency in plastic surgery at Georgetown University Hospital, one of North America’s premiere training programs. During this time, he published research papers and textbook chapters on breast reconstruction and aesthetic surgery.

In 2007, Dr. Schwarz returned to Montreal after being recruited to join the plastic surgery faculty at McGill University. He spent from 2007-2014 as an Associate professor at the McGill University Hospital Centre, teaching and performing a wide variety of reconstructive procedures to treat accident victims and people with birth deformities, but focusing on the reconstruction of breast cancer patients who had undergone mastectomies. He also established a successful cosmetic surgery practice at the Centre de Chirurgie Plastique et Esthetique de Montreal, one of Montreal’s longest-standing and respected private clinics. His expertise allowed him to train future plastic surgeons to perform the latest cutting-edge techniques.

Since his return to Montreal, Dr. Schwarz has published many research papers and given countless talks on cosmetic surgery and reconstructive breast surgery (see publications section). His specialty and passion remain breast cancer reconstruction (performing microsurgical DIEP flaps) and aesthetic surgery of the breast, face, and body. He is board-certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.