About Me

Dr. Daniel Buchen, MD, serves as the Chief of Dermatology, a de novo division in the Department of Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. The department addresses all aspects of cutaneous disease in both pediatric and adult populations. Dr. Buchen has been practicing for more than 25 years and restricts his practice to skin cancer and complex medical dermatology. Philosophically, he believes that restricting his practice to these two areas is the only way that one can render the appropriate level of care to high-risk skin cancer patients or those with complex dermatologic diagnoses. The Division of Dermatology also has physician extenders (physician assistants) who care for acne, including patients that need isotretinoin, and who may provide follow up care after an initial assessment by the dermatologist.
Dr. Buchen's work in skin cancer encompasses the entire spectrum of cutaneous malignancies, including non-melanoma skin cancer (basal and squamous cell carcinoma), melanoma and other rarer types. Few things in medicine are as satisfying as diagnosing early melanoma (melanoma in situ), where wide excision alone can guarantee cancer free survival. The total body skin examination is pivotal for high-risk patients and requires the full attention of the clinician, appropriate lighting, and equipment, like dermoscopy, and clinical acumen to biopsy early malignancy. For patients with locally advanced, regional, or metastatic disease, Dr. Buchen enjoys collaborating with colleagues in oncology, oncologic surgery, pathology, radiation oncology, and radiology. By using the same electronic medical record and by having colleagues actively involved in caring for shared patients, Maimonides can meet the needs of even the most complex patients.
Apart from skin cancer, Dr. Buchen treats complex medical dermatology, a field which is more nebulous to define than skin cancer. It encompasses clinical diagnoses that often reflect internal disease, autoimmune disorders, widespread eczema or psoriasis and blistering disorders.
The new division of dermatology, like the hospital itself, embraces H.E.A.R.T.-the values of honesty, empathy, accountability, and teamwork. By being part of the Department of Medicine and MMC, the division can succeed in fostering healthy communities in Brooklyn and beyond, in rendering compassionate patient care, and in education and research.