Dr. Michael Warren Schwartz is a distinguished endocrinologist and leading authority in metabolic neuroscience at the forefront of understanding the brain's role in obesity and diabetes pathogenesis. He currently holds the Robert H. Williams Endowed Chair in Medicine and serves as Professor of Medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition at the University of Washington School of Medicine. After earning his MD from Rush Medical College in 1983, he completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington in 1986, followed by fellowship training in Endocrinology and Metabolism under Dr. Daniel Porte, Jr. at the same institution, which he completed in 1990. Dr. Schwartz joined the full-time faculty at the University of Washington in 1993, rising to prominence through his innovative research and clinical expertise, and served as Director of the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute from 2017 to 2024 while founding the UW Medicine Diabetes and Obesity Center of Excellence.
Dr. Schwartz's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of hypothalamic and neuroendocrine control mechanisms governing body weight regulation and glucose metabolism, establishing critical links between central nervous system function and metabolic disorders. His laboratory has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 25 years, producing more than 250 publications that have significantly advanced the field of metabolic neuroscience. His seminal work investigating how the brain responds to adiposity- and nutrient-related signals to maintain energy balance homeostasis has provided essential insights into the pathogenesis of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. A major contribution of his research program has been elucidating the central actions of fibroblast growth factors in regulating peripheral glucose metabolism, opening new therapeutic avenues for metabolic disorders through his pioneering investigations of brain-peripheral tissue communication pathways.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Schwartz has been instrumental in shaping the field of metabolic medicine through his leadership roles including as former director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the University of Washington and his influential editorial positions with the Journal of Clinical Investigation and American Journal of Physiology. He is an elected member of both the American Society for Clinical Investigation, to which he was elected in 1999, and the Association of American Physicians, prestigious recognitions of his scholarly contributions to biomedical science. His ongoing research continues to explore novel neural mechanisms of metabolic regulation with the goal of developing more effective interventions for obesity and diabetes. As a mentor and thought leader, Dr. Schwartz has profoundly influenced the next generation of metabolic researchers while maintaining his position at the forefront of translational discoveries that bridge fundamental physiology with clinical applications in diabetes care.
