Lawrence H. Schwartz, MD

Radiologist

Titles

Chair, Department of Radiology

Clinical Expertise

Oncologic Imaging, Including CT and MRI; Validation of Imaging Biomarkers; Medical Informatics

Share

New Patient Appointments

Scheduling a visit is easy. Click below or call us to get started.

Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., (Eastern time)
Accepted Insurance Providers

Dr. Schwartz accepts the following list of insurance providers. Select your insurance provider to see more details.

Aetna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (City of NY retirees only, starting 9/1/23)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield New York

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS

Blue Cross Health Plus

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Carrum Health

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

Cigna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Empire Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO, DSN

Empire Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Empire Plan / NYSHIP (Blue Cross/UnitedHealthcare split plan)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Fidelis

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

First Health

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Healthfirst

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier I (EPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier II (EPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Magnacare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

MVP

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

Payor Type: Other
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): TBD

Oscar

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO/EPO

Oxford

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Qualcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

UMR

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS

United Healthcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Contact and Location

Locations map
Find a Convenient Location

Memorial Sloan Kettering has locations throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester. These locations offer many services, including screening, chemotherapy, and medical testing.

See all locations

About Me

Education

MD, Boston University School of Medicine

Residencies

Diagnostic Radiology - New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center; Internal Medicine (Internship) - Winthrop University Hospital, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Fellowships

Cross Sectional Imaging (MRI/US/CT) - Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Board Certifications

Diagnostic Radiology

As Chair of the Department of Radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), I oversee a team of radiologists renowned for their expertise in oncologic imaging across all disease areas and all diagnostic and therapeutic imaging modalities.

Read more

In the more than two decades that I have practiced, I have cared for patients with many different types of cancer. Radiology and imaging studies are usually the gateways to decisions about the options that will best treat the patient’s disease. To that end, patients and their caregivers rely on the quality and timeliness of their imaging to shed light on the next steps of their cancer treatment journey. My mission — and the mission of our radiology department — is to provide expert consultation, diagnostic, interventional, and therapeutic imaging in as timely and as convenient a manner as possible. This is what all patients who require imaging can expect at MSK. Our goal is for patients to feel secure and supported by our expert radiologists, all of whom are dedicated to serving patient imaging needs accurately, quickly, and compassionately.

My path to radiology began during my third year of medical school. I became fascinated not only with the technology of the radiology equipment, but also with what these imaging devices could tell us diagnostically about a patient’s disease. Later, during my training as a cross sectional imaging fellow using imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT), I came to realize how critical imaging is to cancer care, from screening to diagnosis to treatment planning. The fascination that I felt as I gained my early exposure to the field of radiology — and, by extension, the power of medical imaging — has carried throughout my career as a radiologist.

Radiologic technology has evolved rapidly in recent years, resulting in non-invasive imaging and treatment approaches that have revolutionized cancer care. To my leadership role at MSK I bring a deep appreciation for radiology’s dynamism. Medical imaging is always advancing technologically. These new developments create opportunities for us to integrate cutting-edge technology into cancer care to improve decision-making and patient outcomes. I have dedicated my career to exploring novel applications for new imaging technology, with a focus on refining clinical care and supporting drug discovery. My research has supported the development and validation of imaging biomarkers in cancer care. It has also led to the adoption of new techniques to evaluate and correlate imaging characteristics with molecular features of disease processes, such as disease progression.

I have published more than 300 studies and presently serve as the Chair of the Imaging Committee of the Southwest Oncology Group and of the Alliance for Clinical Trials. I am a founding member of the Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance and the Quantitative Imaging Network, and I also serve on other national-level boards dedicated cancer and its research.

My current work centers on the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology in radiology. There is no field in medicine that is currently using AI more than radiology, and although AI is in its infancy, it has the potential to transform clinical decision-making. I am presently working with medical oncologists to carry out retrospective and prospective evaluations of this technology. The insights from these studies will help us create and use AI-supported tools in radiology. AI is one of the most exciting advances in medicine today, and I believe that its impact on patient care will be felt in the near future.

Another area of rapid growth and critical importance to our patients is theranostics (a combination of the words “therapy” and “diagnostics”). Theranostics uses diagnostic testing (frequently, imaging) to determine the presence of a molecular target for which a targeted drug can be used. Often, this can be done non-invasively through molecular imaging. This type of imaging allows us to detect and quantify tumor burden (the total amount of cancer in the body). The imaging aspect of theranostic testing provides crucial diagnostic information that first helps us to understand each patient’s cancer, down to a cellular level, and then helps us to select the most precise therapy possible.

MSK is a world leader in theranostics, and the advances in this emerging area are owed, in part, to the multidisciplinary nature of cancer care at MSK. Having “grown up” at MSK during the early stages of my career, I can fully appreciate what a special institution this is, with incredible scientists and clinicians working together to advance the field of oncology and the individual care of each patient. I always say that when one thinks of radiology, one immediately thinks of our high-tech machines, but it is truly the people — and in the case of cancer care, the team of clinicians — that are so vital to both diagnostics and therapeutics. We still have a lot to do in the field of radiology, and there is no better place in the world to advance our science than with the teams at MSK.

Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

See all Radiology doctors

Clinical Trials

Smiling doctors in the lab
Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

Search clinical trials

Research and Publications

Dercle L, Zhao B, Gönen M, Moskowitz CS, Firas A, Beylergil V, Connors DE, Yang H, Lu L, Fojo T, Carvajal R, Karovic S, Maitland ML, Goldmacher GV, Oxnard GR, Postow MA, Schwartz LH. Early Readout on Overall Survival of Patients With Melanoma Treated With Immunotherapy Using a Novel Imaging Analysis. JAMA Oncol. 2022 Jan 20.

Maitland ML, Wilkerson J, Karovic S, Zhao B, Flynn J, Zhou M, Hilden P, Ahmed FS, Dercle L, Moskowitz CS, Tang Y, Connors DE, Adam SJ, Kelloff G, Gonen M, Fojo T, Schwartz LH, Oxnard GR. Enhanced Detection of Treatment Effects on Metastatic Colorectal Cancer with Volumetric CT Measurements for Tumor Burden Growth Rate Evaluation. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Dec 15

Read more

Dercle L, Zhao B, Gönen M, Moskowitz CS, Connors DE, Yang H, Lu L, Reidy-Lagunes D, Fojo T, Karovic S, Maitland ML, Oxnard GR, Schwartz LH. An imaging signature to predict outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer using routine computed tomography scans. Eur J Cancer. 2022 Jan;161:138-147. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.10.029. Epub 2021 Dec 13. PMID: 34916122

Lu L, Dercle L, Zhao B, Schwartz LH. Deep learning for the prediction of early on-treatment response in metastatic colorectal cancer from serial medical imaging. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 17;12(1):6654. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26990-6. PMID: 34789774; PMCID: PMC8599694.

Seymour L, Bogaerts J, Perrone A, Ford R, Schwartz LH, Mandrekar S, Lin NU, Litière S, Dancey J, Chen A, Hodi FS, Therasse P, Hoekstra OS, Shankar LK, Wolchok JD, Ballinger M, Caramella C, de Vries EGE; RECIST working group. iRECIST: guidelines for response criteria for use in trials testing immunotherapeutics. Lancet Oncol. 2017 Mar;18(3):e143-e152. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30074-8. Epub 2017 Mar 2. Erratum in: Lancet Oncol. 2019 May;20(5):e242. PMID: 28271869; PMCID: PMC5648544.

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Schwartz’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

See all on PubMed