Paying homage to a model doctor

By Lynn Caputo

A tough task master and a brilliant surgeon—that’s how Mortimer J. Buckley, M.D., ’54 will be remembered by those who trained under his watchful eye and by those who worked alongside him. Richard P. Cambria, M.D., ’73, P11, 09, 06, 00 (currently Chief of Vascular Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston)—who remembers his time as a resident and then colleague under Dr. Buckley very clearly—found him particularly inspiring. Under Buckley’s leadership, Cambria learned first-hand what a Holy Cross graduate could become: a role model and a leader in the field of cardiovascular surgery. 

Buckley, a Worcester native, began his long and impressive career as a pre-med student at Holy Cross, before graduating from Boston University’s School of Medicine in 1958.  Soon after graduating from B.U., Buckley began his teaching career at Harvard Medical School, turning many aspiring residents and fellows into today’s top surgeons. Buckley went on to hold several teaching positions at Harvard Medical School and was appointed to full professorship in 1977. 

From 1967 to 1969, Buckley served as chief of the vascular clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and was named Chief of Cardiac Surgery in 1970, a position he held until his retirement in 1998. Continuously working to advance the field of medicine, Buckley provided physician leadership in 2000 on a joint project between Partners HealthCare System, the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and the Carolinas Healthcare System. These partnerships served as an advisory board to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in an effort to provide that country with guidance on how to improve its national healthcare system. 

Buckley also served as chairman of the Inter-Society Commission for Heart Disease Resources Cardiac Surgery Review Panel, vice president of the American Heart Association, and as chairman of the Cardiovascular Surgery Committee of the American College of Cardiology. Cambria says Buckley was also a man of great faith, and notes that one of Buckley’s most impressive achievements was his ability to “achieve much in surgery and still be a hero to his own very successful children.”

Like Cambria, many doctors who studied under Buckley went on to become leaders in cardiovascular surgery. In an effort to honor Dr. Buckley in a lasting way at Holy Cross for his many medical accomplishments, Cambria has established a fund to name a room in the new Integrated Science Complex after him. He welcomes other medical professionals who have been inspired by Dr. Buckely to join him in this effort; while supporting the College as it continues to shape the lives of leaders in medicine for years to come.

For more information on how you can contribute to this fund, please contact: Phil Gibson ’95, capital giving officer, at 508-793-2667 or pgibson@holycross.edu.

For more information on the Integrated Science Complex, please visit http://www.holycross.edu/science_complex/