Dr. Buchman started his research career as an undergraduate at Columbia University where he published articles in both Nature and The Proceedings in the National Academy of Science and was honored as a Macy Scholar. He went on to Medical School where his research was presented at the Society of University Surgeons and published in the journal Surgery. Dr. Buchman started the Craniofacial Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan where he has built a research program that has been recognized nationally and internationally. Dr. Buchman's research interests revolve around gaining a better understanding of the behavior of bone in the craniofacial skeleton in the hope of translating new discoveries he learns at the laboratory bench to the practice of better medicine at the patient's bedside.
The nature of Dr. Buchman's research in the craniofacial research laboratory has focused around four main areas:
- Analysis of the relationship of biomechanical environment on bone graft behavior
- Analysis of the etiology of craniosynostosis and cranial suture morphogenesis as they relate to the bones of the skull
- Studies of the molecular mechanisms of distraction osteogenesis as they relate to the bones of the craniofacial skeleton
- Optimization of distraction osteogenesis in the radiated mandible to increase efficacy in post oncologic reconstruction.
Dr. Buchman's national reputation as a highly regarded research scientist has been emphasized and strengthened through the distinction and honors that have been bestowed on him by key institutions within organized plastic surgery as well as through the acquisition of numerous competitive grants. Dr. Buchman has been the recipient of the Bernd Spiessl Research Award presented by the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the Best Paper of the Year Award from The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, and he has won the prestigious Robert H. Ivy Society Award for the Best Paper of the Year presented at the National meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. His significant contributions to the field of plastic surgery research and his standing as an exacting scientist has been instrumental in his invitations to the editorial board of two Plastic Surgery journals as well as his past election as the Chairman of the Plastic Surgery Research Council.
