Henry Buchwald

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Credentials

MD, PhD

Bio

Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Buchwald earned his B.A. at Columbia College, New York, in 1954, graduating first in his class. He earned his M.D. at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, graduating at the top of his class in 1957. He then interned at the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. After two years as Chief Flight Surgeon, SAC, U.S. Air Force, he completed his residency training at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, earning his M.S. (Biochemistry) and Ph.D. (Surgery) degrees. Buchwald joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 1966. Among the numerous awards and honors Buchwald has received in recognition of his clinical and scholarly accomplishments are the following: Phi Beta Kappa, 1953; Valedictorian, Columbia College 1954; graduating Summa Cum Laude, 1954; Alpha Omega Alpha, 1956; Shearing Award, 1957; First Clinical Research Award, Minnesota Surgical Residents Society, 1966; Phi Lambda Upsilon Honorary Chemistry Fraternity, 1966; Samuel D. Gross Award, Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, 1967; Sigma Xi, 1968; Distinguished Service Award, Association for Academic Surgery, 1976; Inventor of the Year Award and induction into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame, 1988; Outstanding Achievement Award, Minnesota Medical Alley, 1989; First Annual Clinical Scholar Award, University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic and Medical School, 1991; and elected to membership in the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center's Academy for Excellence in Health Research, 2015. Buchwald is a distinguished member of the major national and international societies in surgery and in his specific interest areas of obesity management, atherosclerotic coronary heart disease, and implantable artificial internal organs. He has served as Chair of the Surgical Council of the American College of Nutrition (1976); Secretary-General and Chair of the International Study Group for Implantable Insulin Delivery Devices (1984-1992); President of the Central Surgical Association (1997-98); President of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (1998-1999); and President of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) (2003-2004). In 2014, he was inducted as an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious American College of Surgeons Jacobson Innovation Award, and in 2020 the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Gold Medal for Achievement in Research.

Education

PhD, University of Minnesota
Major: Surgery
MD, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University
BA, Summa cum laude, Columbia College, Columbia University

In addition to an exemplary career as a clinical surgeon, Dr. Buchwald has been known as a teacher and educator. He was the first Owen and Sarah H. Davidson Wangensteen Chair in Experimental Surgery, and served as the Director of Graduate Surgical Training and Surgical Residency, as well as for 15 years voted by his peers to head the University of Minnesota Hospital Credentials Committee. In 2002, the Minnesota Medical Alumni Society presented him with the Harold S. Diehl Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Professional Contributions.

In 2002, the 53^rd Volume of the Surgical Forum of the American College of Surgeons was dedicated to Dr. Buchwald, in addition to the Department of Surgery Wangensteen Award for Excellence in Teaching. A group of his former residents initiated the annual Henry Buchwald Award, given to a resident who exemplifies skills as a career physician and researcher. He is on numerous Editorial Boards, served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Obesity Surgery, and continues to write a bi-monthly column for General Surgery News.

Fellowships, Residencies, and Visiting Engagements

University of Minnesota Surgical Residency, Residency
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Fellow, Helen Hay Whitney Foundation

Fellow, American Heart Association

Multiple Honorary Fellowships and Visiting Engagements in the United States and Internationally

Professional Memberships

See above

Research Summary

Obesity Management Type 2 Diabetes Oxygen Transport Hyperlipidemia Management Atherogenesis Mechanisms Implantable Infusion Pump Technology

Dr. Buchwald has been the recipient of numerous NIH and other organization grants for research. He was the Principal Investigator of the 20-year Program On the Surgical Control of the Hyperlipidemias, the first randomized clinical trial to demonstrate that cholesterol lowering by the partial ileal bypass that he introduced resulted in cardiovascular disease reductions and prolonged life expectancy. Dr. Buchwald was a pioneer in bariatric surgery and the co-author and primary advocate of the concept of metabolic surgery. In addition, he holds an appointment in Biomedical Engineering. He has 20 patents to his name, including the first implantable infusion pump to use insulin delivery and continuous chemotherapy.