The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital Honors Dr. Craig Buchman with 2024 President's Achievement Award

The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital recently presented Craig Buchman, MD, with its 2024 President's Achievement Award. Dr. Buchman is head of the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at WashU Medicine and the otolaryngologist-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Each year, the Foundation presents the President's Achievement Award to an accomplished physician, researcher, or faculty partner who upholds the Barnes-Jewish Hospital mission, advances medical knowledge, continuously improves the delivery of world-class patient care, and educates the next generation of clinicians.

The award was given Dec. 5, 2024, at an annual event that recognizes the enduring partnerships among the Foundation, donors, physicians, and other team members across BJC HealthCare and WashU Medicine.

"We’re proud to honor Dr. Buchman with the President's Achievement Award in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments and his steadfast partnership with the Foundation," says John Lynch, MD, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Foundation. “Exceptional physicians such as Dr. Buchman inspire donors to make meaningful gifts that fuel progress, innovations, and hope in medicine that benefit our patients and our community.”

One of Dr. Buchman’s most visible achievements as a physician leader is the opening of the new Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield Head and Neck Tumor Center, an integral part of Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

“Dr. Buchman has assembled a world-class head and neck tumor team to offer patients the most advanced care,” Dr. Lynch says. “He and his team collaborated with the Foundation and generous donors to create an impactful partnership that helped bring this center to life.”

The creation of the center expands innovative research and reimagines patient navigation and coordinated care to address the evolving nature of head and neck tumors. The Head and Neck Tumor Center is among the first of its kind in the country. It’s also nationally unique in its comprehensive focus on head and neck tumors.

At the special event where Dr. Buchman received the President’s Achievement Award, he was also heralded by several other colleagues.

Angelleen Peters-Lewis, PhD, RN, FAAN, vice president and chief operating officer of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and president of Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, praised him for his leadership “grounded in values, mission, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.”

“I was introduced to his passion for the underserved, commitment to equity, his values, his courageous leadership, and his willingness to do anything to make sure that all patients receive the very best care,” she says.

Sid Puram, MD, PhD, a WashU Medicine otolaryngologist, chief of head and neck surgery, and director of the Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield Head and Neck Tumor Center, says Dr. Buchman’s visionary leadership drew him to St. Louis to join the WashU Medicine otolaryngology team.

“Craig’s commitment and dedication to making an impact has now manifested in a life of its own through the Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield Head and Neck Tumor Center. Craig actually envisioned this center nearly eight years ago, and through careful development of this concept, unbelievable support from leaders across WashU Medicine and BJC, and some hard work, we were able to establish this center just over a year ago. And true to his nature, Craig has never once viewed this as his accomplishment, but rather as an opportunity for us to strive for something better for our patients and to work together as a team across service lines to synergize and cure this disease.”

With his family present, Dr. Buchman was humbled to receive the President’s Achievement Award and graciously shared the recognition with his team.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the hospital and Foundation leadership to be acknowledged with this award,” Dr. Buchman says. “Receiving this award reminds me of the growth and the progress we’ve made as an institution toward our mission of improving patient lives by advancing our field. This award is really a testament to the hard work and collective efforts of our teams. So I’d really like to share the recognition with my colleagues who’ve made this possible.”

Since joining WashU Medicine in 2015, Dr. Buchman and his colleagues have successfully recruited more than 30 physicians, surgeons and scientists to the department of otolaryngology.

Under Dr. Buchman’s leadership, this outstanding team now provides more than 125,000 patient visits each year, and performs over 11,000 surgeries in both adults and children.

The team’s expertise has gained national recognition and maintains a top 10 ranking among ear, nose and throat hospitals from U.S. News & World Report, as well as in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A renowned expert, Dr. Buchman has lectured worldwide on hearing loss, cochlear implantation, skull base tumors, and auditory brainstem implantation.

His research work has been supported by the NIH and the Department of Defense, industry partners, private foundations, as well as The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

“Craig truly cares about all the patients we serve and his passion for helping others makes all of us better colleagues, clinicians and teammates,” says Katie Henderson, MD, vice president and chief medical officer of Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Written by Joyce Romine