Professorship established to honor Bucholz, former Orthopaedic Surgery Chairman

Dr. Robert W. Bucholz
Dr. Robert W. Bucholz

From staff reports

Dr. Robert W. Bucholz was educated and achieved high honors at one of the nation’s finest schools. He rose to prominence as an empathetic clinician, as an educator and mentor to hundreds of students and residents, and as a Department Chairman at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The native Nebraskan also ably served in national leadership roles, including as President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Yet when asked late in life about the achievement of which he was most proud, Dr. Bucholz simply replied, “Waking up every day with the privilege of being an orthopaedic surgeon.”

Dr. Bucholz, whose career at UT Southwestern spanned 38 years, died on May 20 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The former Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery was 68.

Faculty colleagues and former trainees at the Medical Center have since raised more than $150,000 to establish the Robert W. Bucholz, M.D. Professorship in Orthopaedic Surgery to recognize and honor his legacy as a surgeon and educator dedicated to his profession, as well as an individual loyal to his friends and devoted to his family – his wife, Dr. Marybeth Ezaki, and their three daughters.

“Dr. Bucholz was the Triple Crown winner in academic orthopaedic surgery,” said Dr. Dane Wukich, Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery. “He served as a distinguished Chairman of the prestigious program at UT Southwestern, deputy editor for The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and President of the largest orthopaedic association in the world. He was a giant in our profession, and his legacy will live on through generations of orthopaedic surgeons who were mentored by him.”

Dr. Bucholz’s diagnosis didn’t stifle his curiosity, thirst for knowledge, sense of humor, and lasting friendships. When he learned that he had ALS, Dr. Bucholz chose to stay as active as possible as long as he could, “making memories.” During the 16 months following his diagnosis, Dr. Bucholz traveled with family and friends to new and familiar destinations. He enjoyed his grandson’s first year. He walked his oldest daughter, Dr. Emily Marie Bucholz, down the aisle at her wedding.

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Bucholz graduated from Yale College summa cum laude with a degree in economics in 1969 and from Yale University Medical School in 1973. Dr. Bucholz’s journey to UT Southwestern was paved by his wife, a fellow Yale student he had met while he attended medical school. They married after Dr. Bucholz completed a surgical internship at the University of Colorado. He then returned to Yale for his orthopaedic surgery residency, which Dr. Bucholz finished as his wife graduated from Yale Medical School. When Dr. Ezaki matched into UT Southwestern’s orthopaedic residency program in 1977, he secured a faculty appointment in the same department. His service at the Medical Center continued until his retirement in 2015.

Gifted with an uncommon ability to sort through complex issues in a manner that brought clarity to discussion, Dr. Bucholz quickly rose from Instructor to Professor and, in time, to Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He served in the latter role from 1989 until stepping away from the Chair in 2006, continuing his adult reconstruction practice for another nine years, when he was named Professor Emeritus of Orthopaedic Surgery. At UT Southwestern, he held the Dallas Rehabilitation Institute Distinguished Chair in Orthopaedic Rehabilitation.

Dr. B, as he was known to many at UT Southwestern, was known for his sense of humor and enjoyed conversing with residents, colleagues, and friends. He was an active listener who probed to understand others’ experiences and opinions.

“I think all of us residents managed to injure him at least once,” said Dr. Jacob Zide, a clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery who completed both his internship and residency at the Medical Center. “In my case, Dr. Bucholz couldn’t move his thumb out of the way as I hammered in a total hip replacement with him in the Parkland OR.  His involved teaching pushed us toward the excellence he sought. His legacy perseveres in all of us, who he inspired.”

Dr. Bucholz had a wide-ranging intelligence and was skilled at dissecting scientific writing. He was quick to identify important issues in conversation and in writing. Bob served as an editor of five editions of Rockwood and Green’s Fractures in Adults. He was a reviewer for The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery for 35 years, serving as a JBJS Associate Editor for three years, and also was a Deputy Editor for Adult Reconstruction and Trauma for more than 27 years.

Dr. Karl Rathjen, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery who was among those who spearheaded the effort to raise support for the endowed Professorship, said Dr. Bucholz made a lasting impression.

“I had the pleasure of first meeting Dr. B as a third-year medical student in 1988,” he said. “Over nearly three decades as a teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend the things that never changed were his sense of humor, commitment to education, and intellectual curiosity. Despite his academic reputation and political success with the AAOS, Dr. B always had time to visit with a former resident or nurture a young resident with an inquiring mind.”

Nationally, Dr. Bucholz served the larger orthopaedic community through the AAOS. He was the Academy’s 72nd President, serving from 2004 to 2005. He chaired the AAOS’ Educational Programming Committee for five years. In addition, Dr. Bucholz was a member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Orthopaedic Residency Review Committee, and was an examiner and a director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Away from work and career, Dr. Bucholz was devoted to his family and loved to travel, particularly when it afforded him the opportunity to teach his daughters about weather, astronomy, geology, or Monty Python. He was a voracious reader whose interests included the American Civil War, European history, the history of orthopaedics, and the events of Nov. 22, 1963, at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Dr. Bucholz also was an avid hiker and climber, returning year after year to the mountains of Colorado and eventually making a second home on his beloved Aspen Ridge, near the town of Florissant.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters, Emily M. Bucholz, M.D./Ph.D., Claire E. Bucholz, Ph.D., and Hana S. Bucholz, a Doctor of Physical Therapy candidate.

 

Dr. Wukich holds the Dr. Charles F. Gregory Distinguished Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery.