Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center Brings Aboard Thomas Buchholz

Thomas Buchholz, MD

Thomas Buchholz, MD

Renowned physician, researcher, and scholar, Thomas Buchholz, MD, has been named medical director of an upcoming collaboration between Scripps Health and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The comprehensive and clinically integrated cancer care program is predicted to open in the summer of 2018 in San Diego, California. His new position will go into effect in mid-April of 2018.

Buchholz has served the MD Anderson Cancer Center for nearly 20 years. He currently holds the position of physician-in-chief, executive vice president, and professor of radiation oncology. Additionally, he holds the Hubert L. Olive Stringer Distinguished Chair in Oncology.

“After a 20-year career at MD Anderson Cancer Center, I am very excited to join the Scripps leadership community and serve as medical director of the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center,” said Buchholz in a statement. “Patients and families in Southern California will benefit from this partnership, which combines the existing foundation of excellence in cancer care within the Scripps community with the clinical and academic resources of the nation’s leading cancer program.”

The new cancer center was formed as a result of a partnership announced in 2016, intending to bring increased access to advanced oncology care for adult patients with cancer living in Southern California. Scripps MD Anderson is a part of the MD Anderson Cancer Network and will continue on to follow their mission to end cancer by means of a global and collaborative network of hospitals and health care systems.

The Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center will also provide a multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment, including the use of joint tumor boards for opinions on diagnosis and treatment.

In his new role, Buchholz will spearhead the directing, planning, and coordinating of all clinical activities and programs at Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center to ensure resourceful and supportive care. He will maintain communication with the clinical division heads at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas to see that the appropriate protocols, practices, and standards are adopted in the same effective manner as at the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Buchholz will also lead the development of clinical research activities in collaboration with MD Anderson clinical trials, in addition to other industry-sponsored trials. Apart from taking on this new role, Buchholz will also maintain a part-time clinical practice at Scripps, beginning in mid-April.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr Buchholz to San Diego to lead the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center,” said Chris Van Gorder, health president and CEO of Scripps, in a statement. “He is not only a highly accomplished clinician and researcher, but also brings a team-focused leadership approach and a strong interest in mentoring, which will be tremendous assets to our cancer program. Dr Buchholz is uniquely qualified to lead us as we bring MD Anderson’s proven, research-based approaches to cancer care right here in San Diego.”

Before his time at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Buchholz served as a major and radiation oncologist in the United States Air Force, where he created the first brachytherapy and stereotactic radiation program for the Department of Defense. He later went on to work in several teaching positions at the University of Washington and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas.

He was named 1 of the Top Doctors in America and America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd in 2003, among numerous awards and honors. His research has been published in more than 350 peer-reviewed journals and he has written 97 editorials, 48 invited articles and numerous book chapters.

Buchholz’s academic research includes a focus on clinical and translational research in breast cancer and radiation oncology. Additionally, he maintains a strong interest in the education and mentor of junior faculty and trainees in clinical care and research.

Buchholz earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. He later went on to complete his clinical residency in radiation oncology and research fellowship in radiobiology research at the University of Washington Medical Center. He is board certified by the American Board of Radiology and the National Board of Medical Examiners.