Dr. Stephan Schwarz obtained his primary medical degree as well as a postgraduate medical research doctorate from the University of Göttingen/Germany. In 1995, he relocated to Vancouver/Canada to pursue a PhD in Pharmacology & Therapeutics at The University of British Columbia (UBC), followed by a residency in anesthesia and completion of the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada Clinician Investigator Program (CIP). 

In 2004, he became member of the anesthesia staff at St. Paul’s Hospital/Providence Health Care, where he subsequently was appointed Anesthesia Research Director, a position he occupied for three terms. Simultaneously, he was appointed as Assistant Professor in the UBC Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, where he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2011 and full Professor in 2017.

In 2014, Dr. Schwarz was awarded UBC’s endowed Dr. Jean Templeton Hugill Chairship in Anesthesia. Since then, he has served as Director of the UBC Hugill Anesthesia Research Centre, a collaborative initiative within the UBC Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics under the aegis of the Hugill Chairship. Nationally, Dr. Schwarz has served on the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS) Research Advisory Committee, the CAS Grant Adjudication Subcommittee, and the CAS Ethics Committee. 

A passionate lecturer, Dr. Schwarz has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences and has won numerous research and teaching awards; in 2017, he was awarded a UBC Killam Teaching Prize, UBC’s most prestigious award in recognition of excellence in education.

Using in vitro and in vivo laboratory techniques as well as clinical studies, Dr. Schwarz’ research explores the neuropharmacology of anesthesia and analgesia and aims to build bridges between bench and bedside. A particular area of focus has been local anesthetic pharmacology. His CV lists over 230 published articles and abstracts. His areas of clinical interest are Adult Anesthesia, Regional Anesthesia, and Perioperative Medicine.

Taking advantage of his multidisciplinary training and activities that include clinical anesthesiology; basic neurosciences and pharmacology; evidence-based medicine; experimental design; and data analysis, Dr. Schwarz is a veteran, internationally recognized editorial peer reviewer. He has been presented with “Top Reviewer” awards from Anesthesiology and the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia and has served as a peer reviewer for The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine. In 2014, he was appointed to the Editorial Board of the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia and in 2020 was selected as its new Editor-in-Chief, a position which he has occupied since January 1, 2021.

Appointments