Karl W. Schwarz, MD

Dr. Karl Schwarz

Dr. Schwarz grew up in Vancouver, Canada, one of four children to Carl and Betty Schwarz.  He was active in water sports, hockey, and lacrosse but ultimately chose an academic career.  While still young, his mother’s precipitous death from a brain aneurysm, and his father’s long battle with bone cancer spawned his interest and dedication to medicine.  Initially, he was drawn to oncology but soon discovered his passion for surgery. It was during surgical reconstruction of a child’s cleft lip that he refined his dream to plastic surgery. “The surgeon I was watching took such care in delicately repairing this child’s lip.  The child’s face was restored in front of my eyes.  I knew at that moment that I was going to be a plastic surgeon”.

After graduating from medical school in London, Ontario, Canada, Dr. Schwarz was accepted to a seven-year residency in general surgery at Detroit Receiving Hospital. While in the program, he completed a Masters Degree in Genetics as well as two years of basic research in wound healing.  Dr. Schwarz then moved with his wife Shauna and three sons to Durham, North Carolina.  It was there that he completed three years of specialty training in Cosmetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery at Duke University Medical Center.  His desire to stay and raise his family in the Triangle, prompted Dr Schwarz to move to Raleigh and establish his practice at the American Institute of Healthcare and Fitness in North Raleigh.

Dr. Schwarz is a kind, compassionate, and skilled surgeon who holds true to his original ideals of becoming a doctor, as manifested by his gratification in reconstructing defects left from cancer.  He is trained in the latest cosmetic surgery techniques and delivers outstanding results.

Training

  • 1993 University of British Columbia BSc (Cell Biology)
  • 1997 University of Western Ontario MD
  • 2002 Wayne State University MS (Molecular Biology and Genetics)
  • 2004 Wayne State University General Surgery Residency
  • 2007 Duke University Medical Center Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Awards

  • 1999-2001 NIH Trauma and Burn Research Fellow
  • 2001 Wayne State Surgical Society Excellence in Research Award
  • 2002 Wayne State Surgical Society Excellence in Research Award
  • 2004 Wayne State University Surgical Resident Teaching Award
  • 2005 North Carolina Society of Plastic Surgeons Georgiade Award