High Profile: Dr. David Buchin, LI’s Leading Bariatric Surgeon

Dr. David Buchin, MD is Long Island’s leading name in bariatric surgery. Dr. Buchin, who leads Long Island Obesity Surgery and is the director of the Huntington Hospital at Northwell Health Bariatric Department, has made a career in helping Long Islanders lose weight and begin new chapters of health in their lives.

As a physician, Buchin has received much acclaim, especially from those who he has helped. Over his years in practice, he has been on the forefront of the field of weight loss surgery, helping people advance their journey towards fitness. Buchin has completed more than 5,000 successful weight loss surgeries throughout his career, which has helped alleviate the adverse health impacts of obesity.

It’s no secret that the United States is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. In fact, nearly 42% of Americans are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of all times of the calendar year, the period where most attention is placed on weight loss is the holidays, as people begin to craft their New Year’s resolutions.

Atop the list of New Year’s resolutions is most often weight loss and getting in shape. While each January comes and people begin diets and exercise, for some, achieving their healthy weight has been unachievable. Those who have had little success in their previous attempts have turned to Buchin’s expertise, making him the steward of change for countless Long Islanders who seek to slender down.

One shining example of this was a recent effort by Buchin to help our community’s heroes: volunteer firefighters. In 2021, Dr. David Buchin assisted nine Huntington Manor Firefighters with their weight loss journey. Collectively, the nine firefighters lost more than 2,000 lbs., kept it off, and returned to fire-fighting shape. Buchin is credited with the surgeries and methodologies that helped these firefighters prioritize their own health, and in turn, enhance their abilities to save lives.

“These firefighters are the heroes of our community — we all benefit from their dedication to service. So when I learned of the ability to help them, I thought it was an amazing opportunity to improve their lives as well as the lives of others in our area,” Buchin says.

“These members lost a literal ton of weight. In addition to looking and feeling great, their weight-related health conditions became a thing of the past. They are now empowered, they’ve taken back their lives, and can do their job as first responders even better as a result,” Buchin continues.

As of December 2022, he has now completed more than two dozen successful weight loss surgeries for local firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

Buchin specializes in more than just one type of weight loss surgery. In fact, he does many. Long Island Obesity Surgery specializes in gastric bypass surgery, gastric sleeve surgery, single anastomosis duodenal intestinal bypass (SADI), gastric band, and overstitch surgeries.

Buchin is also seasoned in what is known as “revision” surgeries. In these cases, when a previous weight loss surgery performed by another surgeon was unsuccessful, Buchin affords those patients a second chance. He often sees patients who, for various reasons, may not have met their original weight loss goals or have had temporary weight loss following their previous weight loss surgery but regained the weight in the years thereafter.

Hope is not lost for these patients. Buchin carefully explains the procedures and risk factors to patients, and helps them understand the benefits that would come from a revision surgery. Seeing this type of patient more frequently as of late, Buchin’s revisions have helped people finally turn the stubborn page of weight loss.

“People who struggle with weight loss are often dealing with the inability to do the things they love. Whether it’s play with their children in their backyards, hike, play recreational sports or go for long walks,” Buchin says.

“What we do is work with those who are sometimes discouraged by the lack of success of their previous efforts. We help a patient turn what seems impossible into reality. That is one of the things I love most about working with my patients, helping others regain their freedom,” he continues.

Buchin’s success story is the epitome of the American dream. He and his family fled persecution in Soviet Russia, to pursue a better life in the United States. As an infant, he and his family came to New York and settled here. He would attend school in the United States and pursue his medical degree. Since an early age, Buchin was determined to become a surgeon, inspired by his father, a mechanic.

“When I was young, my father was a mechanic, so I learned from him about working on cars. Taking them apart, and putting them back together to run better, more efficiently. I knew that I wanted to become a doctor to help people live healthier, helping their bodies run better and live more fulfilling lives.

“I attended medical school at a time when the field of medicine was rapidly evolving. I trained under some of the world’s best doctors — those whose efforts created the field of medicine as we know it today. At New York Medical College, followed by advanced training at Northshore LIJ and subsequently Westchester Medical Center, I learned many of the laparoscopic techniques that we use today,” Buchin continues.

Today, his practice is thriving, due, in large part, to his commitment to be on the cutting edge of healthcare. Buchin is part of the first-ever group of surgeons certified by the American Board of Surgery with the metabolic and bariatric surgery focused practice designation. This ABS Continuous Certification Program documents a surgeon’s ongoing commitment to professionalism, lifelong learning and practice development.

By his side in his practice is his wife Helene, who helps with all of the day-to-day operations. Helene and Buchin remain committed to helping Long Islanders and encourage Long Islanders to consider taking the next step in their weight loss journey with Long Island Obesity Surgery.

Buchin and his family reside in Huntington, just down the road from their practice, located at 224 Wall Street in Huntington.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.