Elias Schwartz, a pediatric hematologist and former physician-in-chief of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, died on July 17 from renal failure. He was 85. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dr. Schwartz graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush. Then, he earned a bachelor’s and a medical degree Columbia University and interned at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. While living in New York City, he met Brooklyn college student Esta Rosenberg. They married in 1960. Dr. Schwartz completed a residency in pediatrics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, then served in the Air Force from 1963 to 1965 in Omaha, Nebraska, caring for the children of military personnel. After leaving the military, he completed an internship in hematology at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

In 1967, Dr. Schwartz launched his academic career by serving as a professor of hematology and on the pediatric staff of Thomas Jefferson University. During this era, Dr. Schwartz was also a research fellow at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and at Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research. In 1972, he was hired as a professor of pediatrics in Penn’s School of Medicine. Seven years later, he also accepted a secondary position in the department of human genetics. Dr. Schwartz was named the Werner and Gertrude Henle, MD Professor of Pediatrics in 1992. He served as physician-in-chief until 1997, when he retired from his teaching and professional duties, taking emeritus status. 

In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Schwartz served at CHOP as the chair of the hematology division, a position in which he “accomplished a lot and bettered the lives of many children,” according to his wife, Esta. In 1991, he became the physician-in-chief at CHOP, treating patients from all over the world, especially including children suffering from sickle cell anemia, his area of expertise. 

Dr. Schwartz was active in University life. In 1988, he served on a working group on professional education, and the next year, he chaired the Medical School’s Task Force on Education. Outside Penn, Dr. Schwartz was a member of numerous professional societies and served on the editorial boards of several medical journals. He published over 150 research papers and edited the textbook Hemoglobinopathies in Children. “Eli’s limitless intellectual curiosity made him a superb scientist with a constant stream of novel ideas, and his compassion and commitment to his patients made him a physician who could translate those novel ideas into treatments that improved the lives of thousands of children and adults throughout the world with sickle cell disease, thalassemia and other blood disorders,” said Alan Cohen, a pediatric hematologist and former chair of CHOP’s and the Perelman School of Medicine’s department of pediatrics.

Outside of his professional and academic roles, Dr. Schwartz was an avid jazz aficionado and piano player, teaching classes on jazz and film at Temple University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He also enjoyed woodworking, tennis, ping pong, camping, and more. 

Dr. Schwartz is survived by his wife, Esta; his sons, Rob and Sam; six grandchildren; and other relatives. A funeral was held on July 18. Donations in Dr. Schwartz’s memory may be made to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia–Division of Hematology, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104.