Stephanie Schmitz MD

Stephanie Schmitz is triple-board certified in internal medicine, psychiatry, and palliative care, with a deep commitment to improving care for people living with both serious medical illness and mental health conditions. Her clinical practice centers on complex, high-need populations—including individuals facing homelessness, poverty, and structural barriers to care.

At a major public hospital in New York City, she provides integrated, person-centered care for patients navigating serious mental illness alongside life-limiting conditions such as cancer, heart failure, and advanced lung disease. She also maintains a private practice focused on dignity therapy and existential distress in the context of serious illness.

Schmitz brings a systems-oriented lens to her work, with an eye toward policy, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She is particularly interested in reimagining care models for medically and psychiatrically complex patients—ensuring that care is not only clinically sound, but also grounded in dignity, equity, and human connection. She is currently exploring new opportunities at the intersection of clinical practice, policy, and systems change—particularly roles that support care redesign, behavioral health integration, and advocacy for vulnerable populations.