Blair Academy was honored to welcome Dr. Benjamin Schwartz P’21 to the Society of Skeptics on October 9. Dr. Schwartz is a specialist in gynecologic oncology and minimally invasive surgery, and his Skeptics presentation focused on his experience with the daVinci® Surgical System and how robotic surgery is shaping the future of healthcare.

Robotic-assisted surgery with the daVinci® Surgical System allows surgeons to perform complex minimally invasive surgical procedures with precision and accuracy using robotic technology. The system is a cutting-edge platform designed to expand the surgeon’s capabilities and offer different options for patients.

Students had the opportunity to try out the daVinci® Surgical System in the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration earlier in the day. Dr. Schwartz was present to answer questions and demonstrate how the system is utilized. 

Dr. Schwartz is a board-certified gynecologic oncologist, a fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Surgeons, as well as a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2015, he was named the regional director of obstetrics and gynecology for Northwell Health’s eastern region as well as the chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwell Health’s Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y. Dr. Schwartz oversees the inpatient and outpatient care for women and is Northwell’s lead clinician for the development of post-graduate programs.

Having attended Dartmouth College for his undergraduate degree, Dr. Schwartz obtained his medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he served as administrative chief resident. During his residency, Dr. Schwartz completed a Galloway Fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He then completed subspecialty training in a three-year fellowship in gynecologic oncology at The Cleveland Clinic.

Since 2015, Dr. Schwartz has consistently been named by Castle Connolly as a “Top Doctor” in the field of gynecologic oncology for Long Island and the New York metropolitan area. He is also a leader in the field of chemotherapy for gynecological cancers and served on the medical oncology committee of the Gynecologic Oncology Group, a national collaborative group that studies experimental treatments for gynecological cancers.

Dr. Schwartz’s daughter, Abby Schwartz ’21, is a sophomore at Blair.

To watch Dr. Schwartz's presentation, click "play" below

The History of Skeptics

The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program was an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon.’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please click here.