Education

• 1990 | B.S. (Summa Cum Laude), Biophysics, University of Pittsburgh
• 1997 | P.h.D., Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Pitsburgh
  • Thesis Advisor - Todd Evans, PhD: "Regulation of GATA-1 and GATA-2, Two Essential Hematopietic Transcription Factors"
• 2007 | M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine

Post-Graduate Education and Training

• 1997-1999 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PI Ram Menon, MD
• 1999-2003 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, PI Jeffrey Robbins, PhD
• 2007-2014 | Residency, Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Maryland Medical Center
  • 2011-2012 Research Fellowship with J. Marc Simard, MD, PhD
• 2014-2015 | Fellow, Surgical Critical Care, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland Medical Center
• 2015 | Fellow, Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Certifications

• American Board of Neurological Surgery (2020)
• Recognition of Focused Practice Neurocritical Care (2022)
• Surgical Critical Care, Board Eligible

Dr. Schwartzbauer currently serves as Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, and Surgical Critical Care in the School of Medicine. He is also Medical Director of the Neurotrauma Critical Care and Neurotrauma Intermediate Care Units, and Medical Director of Neuro Acute Care 5W, where he—together with Unit Manager Jalisa Beck—is leading the expansion of dedicated neurologic Neuro Acute Care beds on 5E. Additionally, he is a co-founder of the UMROI Neuro-Recovery Clinic, which provides transitional care for patients recovering from traumatic brain injury.

A valued faculty member since 2015, Dr. Schwartzbauer is a distinguished clinician, educator, and researcher. He earned his BS in Biochemistry and Biophysics, and his PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Schwartzbauer went on to receive his MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he graduated co-valedictorian and served as President of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society. To conclude his neurosurgical education training, Dr. Schwartzbauer completed his residency at the University of Maryland in 2014.

Dr. Schwartzbauer is the first and only neurosurgeon to complete the top-ranked Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Shock Trauma, where he also pursued an additional fellowship training in Orthopaedic Spine Surgery under the mentorship of Dr. Steven Ludwig. Dr. Schwartzbauer remains one of the few neurosurgeons in the country dual-board certified in Neurosurgery and Surgical Critical Care, enabling him to provide expert and comprehensive, 360-degree care to patients with complex neurological injuries.

A recognized leader at the local, national, and international levels, Dr. Schwartzbauer contributes immensely to the trauma system development, education, and injury prevention initiatives:

• Serves as an adjunct faculty member at Queen Mary University of London Centre for Trauma Sciences.
• Active in national committees of the AANS/CNS and ACS, focusing on trauma and education.
• Serves as Chapter Medical Director for ThinkFirst Maryland Shock Trauma, a national injury prevention foundation.
• Regular advocate in Annapolis on trauma care issues.
• Interviewed by local and national media on TBI prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
• STOP THE BLEED® instructor, educating the community on lifesaving trauma response techniques.

Cerebral edema; traumatic brain injury; TBI; spinal cord injury; SCI; cerebral malaria

1. Simard, JM, Woo, SK, Schwartzbauer, G, Gerzanich, V (2012) Sulfonylurea receptor 1 in central nervous system injury. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2012 Sep;32(9):1699-717
2. Aarabi, B, Simard, JM, Kufera, J, Alexander, M, Zacherl, K, Mirvis, S, Shanmuganathan, K, Schwartzbauer, G, Maulucci, C, Slavin, J, Massetti, J, Eisenberg, H (2012) Intramedullary Lesion Expansion on MRI in Motor-Complete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Patient. J Neurosurg Spine. 2012 Sep;17(3):243-50.
3. Tosun C, Koltz MT, Kurland DB, Ijaz H, Gurakar M, Schwartzbauer G, Coksaygan T, Ivanova S,  Gerzanich V, Simard, JM (2013) The Protective Effect of Glibenclamide in a Model of Hemorrhagic Encephalopathy of Prematurity. Brain Sci., 3(1), 215-238.
4. Simard JM, Pampori A, Keledjian K, Tosun C, Schwartzbauer G, Ivanova S, Gerzanich V (2014) Exposure of the thorax to a sublethal blast wave causes a hydrodynamic pulse that leads to perivenular inflammation in the brain. J Neurotrauma.15: 1292-1304.
5. Schwartzbauer, G and Stein, D. (2016) Critical Care of Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries: Preventing Secondary Injury. Seminars in Neurology (In Press).

Dr. Schwartzbauer is a passionate physician-scientist who currently serves as principal investigator (or site PI) on several NIH, DOD, and industry-sponsored clinical trials exploring innovative neurotrauma therapies. One notable study investigates the genetics of spinal cord injury, building on a mechanism originally discovered here at the University of Maryland. He has been published extensively on neurotrauma in book chapters, reviews, and peer-reviewed journal articles—one of which on TBI chosen as a “paper of significance” for neurocritical care recertification. Dr. Schwartzbauer’s recent efforts have focused on integrating artificial intelligence and augmented reality into neurosurgery—advancing surgical planning, education, and clinical application as part of a broader vision to usher Maryland Neurosurgery into a new era of innovation.

Dr. Schwartzbauer studies the microvascular causes of brain swelling and hemorrhage. Brain swelling can occur due to several mechanisms including trauma, infection, tumor, inflammation, bleeds, or other metabolic disease. Currently he is studying cerebral malaria, a terrible disease that kills half a million children per year with no cure and shares many characteristics of other neurosurgical disorders that lead to brain swelling and hemorrhages.

In addition he is exploring causes of microvascular dysfunction following traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is the biggest killer of people less than 44 years old, and leads to more life years lost than HIV, cancer, and heart disease combined. Uncontrolled swelling and continued hemorrhages after TBI contribute in large part to poor outcomes. He is currently using both pre-clinical models and clinical investigations to develop small molecule therapies for these devastating conditions.

Dr. Schwartzbauer maintains a general neurosurgery practice, concentrating on degenerative and traumatic spine disease, traumatic brain injury, and brain tumors. Highly regarded for his compassionate approach to care and his ability to navigate the most complex clinical scenarios with expertise and empathy, he is also is a Critical Care intensivist and divides his clinical responsibilites between the OR and ICU.

• VA Gold Pin Award for excellence in patient care
• Shock Trauma Hero Award
• Multiple Critical Care Attending of the Year Awards at Shock Trauma
• ‘Top Doctor’ recognition by Baltimore Magazine for 2022 and 2024
• Recipient of the Thomas M. Scalea Award in Humanism
• Long-standing member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society

• American Medical Association
• AOA Honor Society
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons
• AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
• Society of Critical Care Medicine