[2] Schwartz's father was a physician and was one of the first to treat victims of Nazi concentration camps at the end of World War II.

[4][5][6] He started a residency at the University of Washington in 1967, but was more interested in an academic than clinical career, and obtained his Ph.D. in pathology from the institution in 1973, under the mentorship of Earl Benditt.

[1][2] Schwartz served briefly as the Associate Chief of Pathology at the United States Navy Medical Center from 1973 to 1974,[5][6] before returning the University of Washington, where he remained for the duration of his career.

He helped found the North American Vascular Biology Organisation,[1] and create the Earl P. Benditt Award, which he received in 2001.

[9][6][2] Schwartz wrote or coauthored approximately 700 scientific publications during the span of his career,[2] making significant contributions to the understanding of the nature and underlying causes of atherosclerosis and the vascularization of cancers.