Zachary Buchwald, MD, PhD Where Science Becomes Hope® Spotlight

Zachary S. Buchwald, MD, PhD, is a cancer immunology researcher and radiation oncologist at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and an associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. His work focuses on integrating radiation and novel drugs to enhance immune response against cancer, as well as treating patients with advanced skin cancers and brain metastases.

As both an oncologist and physician-scientist, Buchwald says that “Where Science Becomes Hope” for him means being “dedicated to the bedside to bench—and then back to the bedside again.”

He explains, “When I’m in clinic with my patients and with the residents I work with, a lot of times, unfortunately, we can’t offer a cure for a variety of different types of cancer.”

But those situations can be thought-provoking, Buchwald says. “We take those questions to our laboratory where we investigate them using animal models and human tissue that we’ve had the permission of different patients to analyze. Then from those experiments, we can devise new treatments that we bring back into the clinic and test in clinical trials. It’s that combination of scientific and clinical investigation that really gives the potential for hope for new cures for cancer.”

What most excites Buchwald is “talking to patients about new developments and advances we have ongoing in the lab and translating them into the clinic. I really love discussing the underlying science and the reason we’re doing this—and to get them excited about the possibility that they can contribute to science while also hopefully helping themselves and maybe patients down the road.” Whether or not they join a clinical trial, Buchwald says his goal is to educate his patients on all the available novel therapies and potential clinical trials they could be eligible for. “It’s very important to educate them on all of their options prior to making a final decision as a team.”

What most inspires Buchwald about working at Winship is a combination of his colleagues and patients. “I come in every day, working with some of the most dedicated humans that I’ve ever encountered. They truly care about the outcomes of their patients, and they want to see them through their treatment—not just for a cure, but to do it with dignity and the least amount of toxicity possible. Then, from a family member’s point of view, I really could feel that empathy on a very personal level.”

He explains, “In the last six months my significant other was diagnosed with breast cancer. On that level, I’ve seen Winship from a very different perspective as both a family member of a patient as well as an oncologist.” He adds, “I’ve been even more inspired by my experience as a family member taking care of a patient with cancer.”