Robert A. Buckmire, MD

My career as a surgeon allows me to meet people from all walks of life and the privilege of helping them through challenging times in their life. Anyone diagnosed with a condition which might require surgery near their brain, eyes, or major nerves or blood vessels is justifiably worried. I feel it is important that patients understand where their disease is and how it might behave without treatment, which treatments are available and how those treatments differ in their effectiveness and side effects. My goal is to help educate patients about their disease so they can choose the best treatment for their condition and values. I have a special clinical interest in cancers or benign tumors involving cranial nerves including head and neck cancers, paragangliomas, and schwannomas. Outside of work, I enjoy time with my family and fly fishing.

I am an interventional cardiologist who performs procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes (heart attacks), peripheral artery disease (blockages in the leg and arm arteries), cardiogenic shock (severe heart failure), and acute pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung arteries). I meet many of my patients in the hospital when they are having a heart attack. For many people, this is the first time they are diagnosed with a serious medical condition. After our team opens the blockage causing the heart attack, there is still a lot to do, including getting patients on the right combination of medications, addressing any lifestyle changes that need to be made, and ensuring that patients have what they need to get back to their daily activities. I believe that it is very important to make sure each patient understands their condition, its treatment, and how we can work together to make sure they stay out of the hospital and the cardiac catheterization lab in the future.