Margaret "Gretchen" Schwarze, MD, MPP, FACS
Professor
- Division of Vascular Surgery
- Morgridge Professor in Vascular Surgery
schwarze@surgery.wisc.edu
(608) 265-4420
600 Highland Ave
Madison, WI 53792-3284
Education
- MD, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- MPP, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, MA
- Residency in Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Research Fellowship, Transplantation Biology Research Center, Boston, MA
- Fellowship in Vascular Surgery, University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL
- Fellowship in Clinical Medical Ethics, University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL
Honors
Madison Magazine Top Docs 2016 Award Surgery, Vascular
Avant-Garde Health Vascular Surgery Research All-Stars (2024)
Clinical Specialties
Dr. Schwarze specializes in vascular and endovascular surgery. She is board certified in both general surgery and vascular surgery.
Dr. Schwarze provides a wide range of services including Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair – Endovascular, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair – Open, Amputation, Angioplasty With Stent Placement, Carotid Endartecotomy, Carotid Stenting, Extended Efforts in Limb Salvage, Peripheral Artery Bypass, Varicose Vein Treatment.
Research Interests
Dr. Schwarze is a board-certified vascular surgeon and medical ethicist. She is a nationally recognized expert in surgical decision making, informed consent, advance directives and end-of-life care.
Her research focuses on improving communication between older patients and their surgeons so that patients can avoid unwanted treatment and make decisions that align with their values, preferences and goals.
The Patient Preferences Project
Dr. Schwarze was recently awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. Read more here.
Recent Publications
Innovations in Surgical Communication 5-When Surgery Is a Bad Idea, Focus on the Goals.
Schwarze ML, Taylor LJ, Arnold RM, Littell RD
JAMA Surg 2025 Jul 01; 160(7): 719-720
[PubMed ID: 40332923]A Qualitative Study on Surgeon Perceptions of Risk Calculators in Emergency General Surgery.
Rosen CB, Bader AL, Roberts SE, Clapp JT, Halpern SD, Schwarze ML, Kelz RR
Ann Surg Open 2025 Jun; 6(2): e567
[PubMed ID: 40557344]Further Beyond the Representational View: Response to Commentaries.
Clapp JT, Kruser JM, Schwarze ML, Hadler RA
Am J Bioeth 2025 Apr; 25(4): W22-W24
[PubMed ID: 40192667]How Anticipation of Agent-Regret Can Undermine Clinical Decision-Making.
Thiessen C, Schwarze ML, Ubel PA
Am J Bioeth 2025 Feb; 25(2): 26-28
[PubMed ID: 39878723]"So, what are you saying?": A qualitative study of surgeon-patient communication in the rectal cancer consultations.
Fritz ML, Sommovilla J, Lawson EH, Zelenski AB, Schwarze ML, De Roo AC
Am J Surg 2025 Feb; 240: 116115
[PubMed ID: 39657331]