Zachary Buchwald
Overview
A radiation oncologist and physician-scientist, Dr. Buchwald's primary clinical focus is radiation and immunotherapy for cutaneous malignancies.
Dr. Buchwald is actively involved in both basic and clinical research. In his laboratory, he studies ways to enhance the immune response against melanoma and other cancers using radiation. He is working to understand how different T-cell subsets are stimulated by radiation, the role of the tumor-draining lymph node in this process, and how to enhance this process with the goal of controlling disease in patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer. Additionally, he studies ways to overcome steroid induced immuno-suppression of the anti-cancer immune response using focal, high dose radiation and combination checkpoint blockade. His lab is also focused on using radiation to modulate the immune response to viral infections and inflammatory diseases. He plans to continue translating these laboratory studies into clinical trials with the goal of improving long-term patient outcomes. Additionally, he has received multiple grants and awards including the ASCO Young Investigator Award, RSNA Resident Grant and an NIH K12 Grant.
Dr. Buchwald has been published in a number of leading journals including Immunity, Cancer, JCI Insight, and Scientific Reports.
Academic Appointment
- Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine
Education
Degrees
- PhD from Saint Louis University
- MD from Saint Louis University
Research
Publications
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Combination radiation and PD-L1 enhance tumor control by stimulating CD8+PD-1+TCF-1+T cells in the tumor-draining lymph node.
Nat Commun Volume: 16 Page(s): 3522
04/14/2025 Authors: Shen Y; Connolly E; Aiello M; Zhou C; Chappa P; Song H; Tippitak P; Clark T; Cardenas M; Prokhnevska N -
Skin Microbiome, Inflammation, and Skin Toxicities in Women With Breast Cancer Receiving Moderately Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
03/08/2025 Authors: Bai J; Gong C; Hu Y-J; Bruner DW; Torres MA; Buchwald ZS; Lin JY -
Lymphatic vessel network injury reduces local tumor control despite preservation of the tumor-draining lymph node.
Sci Rep Volume: 15 Page(s): 3485
01/28/2025 Authors: Liebman LN; Shen Y; Buchwald ZS; Nepiyushchikh Z; Qi Z; Garca AJ; Dixon JB -
Impact of race, ethnicity, and social determinants on outcomes following immune checkpoint therapy.
J Immunother Cancer Volume: 12
10/26/2024 Authors: Nayak RK; Aiello M; Maldonado LM; Clark TY; Buchwald ZS; Chang A -
Pre-operative stereotactic radiosurgery and peri-operative dexamethasone for resectable brain metastases: a two-arm pilot study evaluating clinical outcomes and immunological correlates.
Nat Commun Volume: 15 Page(s): 8854
10/14/2024 Authors: Jansen CS; Pagadala MS; Cardenas MA; Prabhu RS; Goyal S; Zhou C; Chappa P; Vo BT; Ye C; Hopkins B -
Drug's Journey of a Thousand Papers Begins With a Single Step.
JCO Clin Cancer Inform Volume: 8 Page(s): e2400225
10/01/2024 Authors: Innominato PF; Wreglesworth NI; Antonini A; Buchwald ZS -
Pembrolizumab and low-dose, single-fraction radiotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: a prospective, single-centre, single-group, open-label, phase 2 pilot trial in the USA.
Lancet Haematol Volume: 11 Page(s): e510 - e520
07/01/2024 Authors: Khan MK; Nasti TH; Qian JY; Kleber TJ; Switchenko JM; Kaufman JL; Nooka AJ; Dhodapkar MV; Buchwald ZS; Obiekwe D -
Platinum-Based Chemotherapy Attenuates the Effector Response of CD8 T Cells to Concomitant PD-1 Blockade.
Clin Cancer Res Volume: 30 Page(s): 1833 - 1845
05/01/2024 Authors: Mariniello A; Nasti TH; Chang DY; Hashimoto M; Malik S; McManus DT; Lee J; McGuire DJ; Cardenas MA; Umana P -
Total scalp irradiation: A study comparing multiple types of bolus and VMAT optimization techniques.
J Appl Clin Med Phys Volume: 25 Page(s): e14260
04/01/2024 Authors: Davis TM; Luca K; Sudmeier LJ; Buchwald ZS; Khan MK; Yang X; Schreibmann E; Zhang J; Roper J -
Impact of immunotherapy time-of-day infusion on survival and immunologic correlates in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a multicenter cohort analysis.
J Immunother Cancer Volume: 12
03/26/2024 Authors: Patel JS; Woo Y; Draper A; Jansen CS; Carlisle JW; Innominato PF; Lvi FA; Dhabaan L; Master VA; Bilen MA