Richard Schwartz

Department Chair

Richard Schwartz

Department Chair

Professor

Academic Appointment(s)

Medical College of Georgia
Department of Emergency Medicine

The Graduate School

College of Allied Health Sciences
Department of Physician Assistant

Bio

Dr. Schwartz is a 1989 graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine. He completed his internship at William Beaumont Army Medical Center and then completed his Emergency Medicine Residency training at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. He has extensive military operational experience. He served with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He also served with the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) and the Joint Special Operations Command (Airborne). Dr. Schwartz was Chief of Emergency Medicine at Eisenhower Army Medical Center before joining the MCG faculty and received numerous awards during his Army service including the bronze star and two meritorious service medals.

Dr. Schwartz was recruited to the Medical College of Georgia, Department of Emergency Medicine as the Residency Program Director in 1998 and was promoted to Director of Academic Programs in December 2001. In January 2003, Dr. Schwartz was named Director for the Center of Operational Medicine within the Department of Emergency Medicine. The Center embodies EMS, Tactical and Military Medicine, Disaster Medicine, International Medicine, Wilderness and Survival Medicine, Event Medicine, and Maritime Medicine. Dr. Schwartz was named Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in August 2004 and remains in that position today.

While at MCG, he has been instrumental in curriculum development. He was one of the original developers of the National Disaster Life Support Courses. These innovative courses such as Basic and Advanced Disaster Life Support (BDLS and ADLS) bridge the gap between numerous military and civilian groups that may need to work together during major disasters. The courses have been taught in forty-eight states leading to the training of over one hundred thousand providers. More recently he has worked on the development of standardized training for tactical emergency medical support. He is very active in research pertaining to improving the methods employed in austere and disaster medical situations. His relevant publications include three Disaster Medicine textbooks (editor) and chapters in three additional texts. Dr. Schwartz has published extensively in the field with numerous abstracts and peer-reviewed articles pertaining to Disaster Medicine. Dr. Schwartz was an active participant in the Terrorism Injuries, Information, Dissemination and Exchange (TIIDE) project with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This project has helped lead effort for standardized disaster triage through the National Association for EMS Physicians (NAEMSP). He has led the development of a Georgia Tele-Emergency Medicine program, linking rural hospitals with state of the art emergency care. He is also a medical device innovator and has developed a unique video airway management system and hemorrhage control device. He holds fourteen patents.

Specialty Focus: Disaster Medicine, Tactical Medicine, Military Medicine, Airway Management, Hemorrhage Control, Tele-Medicine

  • (706) 721-4910
  • AF 2036

Education

  • MD, Medicine Wayne State University, 1989

  • BS, Nutrition Sciences Michigan State University, 1985

Certifications

  • EMS Certification American Board of Emergency Medicine, 2015

  • Diplomat of the American Board of Emergency Medicine American Board of Emergency Medicine, 1997

  • Georgia Medical License 1996

  • DEAL US Dept Of Justice, 2020

  • ATLS ACS Committee on Trauma, 2018

  • PHY GA Composite State Medical Brd, 1996

  • PALS American Heart Association, 2018

  • ACLS American Heart Association, 2018

  • BLS American Heart Association, 2017

  • ACL AHA, 2016

  • BLS AHA, 2016

  • ABEM American Brd of Emergency Med, 2007

Awards & Honors

  • Distinguished Faculty Award for Institutional Service Augusta University, Faculty Senate, 2017

  • Teaching Excellence Program Award Augusta University, 2016

  • Military Award Decorations: Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Joint Services Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, (two awards), Combat Medical Badge, Southwest Asia Campaign Ribbon (two awards), Kuwait Liberation Medal, National Defense Service Ribbon, Honor Graduate U.S. Navy Diving Medical Officers Course United States Army, 1998

  • Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award Medical College of Georgia, Department of Emergency Medicine, 1997

  • “Best Presenter” Runner-up CPC Competition, Society of Academic Emergency Medicine, 1997

Teaching Interests

Airway Management
Wilderness and Environmental Medicine
Disaster Medicine

Tactical Medicine
Hemorrhage Control
Sports Medicine

Scholarship

Selected Recent Publications

  • Rapid Initiation of Nasal Saline Irrigation to Reduce Severity in High-Risk COVID+ Outpatients, 2022
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Recovery from Copperhead Snake Envenomation: Role of Age, Sex, Bite Location, Severity, and Treatment, 2020
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Comparing the Accuracy of Mass Casualty Triage Systems When Used in an Adult Population, 2020
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Validity and Reliability of Telephone Administration of the Patient Specific Functional Scale for the Assessment of Recovery from Snakebite Envenomation, 2019
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • A Combination Treatment Strategy for Hemorrhagic Shock in a Rat Model Modulates Autophagy, 2019
    Journal Article, Academic Journal

Research Interests

Specialty Focus: Disaster Medicine, Tactical Medicine, Military Medicine, Airway Management, Hemorrhage Control, Tele-Medicine

University Service

  • Throughput Committee, Augusta University Medical Center 2016 - Present

  • Ambulatory Care Medical Group Leadership Committee, Augusta University Medical Center 2014 - Present

    Role: Committee Member
  • Chairperson, High Level Disinfection/Sterilization Subcommittee, Augusta University Medical Center 2014 - Present

  • Trauma Research Committee, Augusta University Medical Center 2012 - Present

  • ED Quality Unit Council, Augusta University Medical Center 2011 - Present

Professional Service

  • External Advisory Committee for the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin 2017 - Present

  • Voting Committee Member, Committee for Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) 2012 - Present

  • Academic Emergency Medicine Journal 2010 - Present

    Role: Reviewer
  • American Journal of Cardiology 2010 - Present

    Role: Reviewer
  • American Journal of Disaster Medicine Editorial Board 2010 - Present

    Role: Member