About Lisa Schwartz, MD

Meet Lisa Schwartz, MD

“My mission is to serve cancer patients by teaching them to develop the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to emerge from treatment as happy, healthy, whole human beings.”

Lisa M. Schwartz, MD has been a board certified internist and radiation oncologist treating, caring for, and advising cancer patients for over two decades. Her focus is on helping breast cancer patients recover their wellness through lifestyle changes such as good nutrition, physical activity, and a mindset shift.  Her interest in how patients deal with their diagnosis and treatment both emotionally and physically led her to investigate many forms of complementary therapies and patient support strategies. She has a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and completed an associate fellowship in Integrative Medicine under Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona.

A note from Dr. Schwartz:

Having practiced radiation oncology for a number of years, I am well aware of the limitations of our health care system. One of its glaring shortcomings is the lack of time that is spent educating patients and their families about their illness and treatment. Too often patients and their concerned caregivers turn to somewhat questionable sources of information to make the critical decisions facing them. I hope to change that.

I have spent countless hours carefully explaining complex cancer treatments to patients only to have them return on the next visit and start the explanation all over again in response to their questions. Actually, I tell patients to expect this. Intelligence, attentiveness, or composure have nothing to do with how much those patients retain from the first visit.

Why? Because it’s complicated, the words are strange and new, and there are a lot of moving parts. Not to mention that pervasive, intrusive, alarming thought that keeps entering their minds every three seconds: “This is really happening to me.”

That is why I am providing you with some much needed resources on this website. On the home page and in the blog you will find easy to understand information that you will need to get started as a breast cancer patient. There is no reason for you to approach your treatment or your recovery feeling uninformed or afraid.

I wish you the best on this journey!

Lisa Schwartz, MD