Celebrated Wright State alum serving his community as surgeon

Wright State alum TJ Hufford is chief of general surgery, minimally invasive surgery and bariatric surgery at One Brooklyn Health in New York.

Wright State University alum TJ Hufford, M.D., is blazing trails in bariatric surgery research.

He has published dozens of studies and is proud to help people in his community as the chief of general surgery, minimally invasive surgery and bariatric surgery at One Brooklyn Health in New York City.

Hufford said he had always wanted to be a doctor but did not initially expect that he would be able to pursue a medical career, as he was a first-generation college student. He did not pursue surgery until he was a medical student at Wright State’s Boonshoft School of Medicine.

“I was actually afraid of the rotation before I started it,” said Hufford who graduated from Wright State with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 2008 and a medical degree in 2012. “Then I fell in love with it the first day, and never looked back.”

Hufford’s focus is bariatric surgery. His goal is to study surgery methods to improve the quality of the surgery and ensure a higher level of patient safety in bariatric surgery, as well as general surgery and robotic surgery.

Hufford has worked at One Brooklyn Health since 2019, serving as the chief of bariatric surgery before assuming his current role. He said he pursued bariatric surgery after it assisted him with his own weight loss journey.

“I’m extremely proud of the work we do every day,” Hufford said. “It really makes me excited to help people in a way that someone else helped me. In a way, it’s how I pay it forward.”

Hufford has produced over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles, presentations and posters at regional and national surgical meetings.

As a student at Wright State, Hufford enjoyed getting involved with student organizations across campus. He was particularly interested in the Student Government Association because he wanted to make a difference on campus. He served in multiple roles in Student Government, including speaker of the house, cabinet member and president.

“I was honored to serve,” Hufford said. “I saw the dramatic difference that student government can make in the day-to-day lives of students.”

Along with his work in Student Government, Hufford served as the student trustee on Wright State’s Board of Trustees and chair of the Judicial Review Panel.

As a biological sciences major, he completed honors research with Paula Bubulya, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences who is now associate dean of the College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies. Hufford was also a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and received the Reach Out of Montgomery County Volunteer of the Year award.

“It was the perfect culmination to my eight-year Wright State career. It allowed me to put into action all of the things I had learned,” Hufford said. “I still use those skills I learned through Wright State in my professional life.”

In 2017, Hufford received the Graduate of the Last Decade Award from Wright State’s Alumni Association. The award is presented to alumni who have graduated in the past 10 years who have excelled in their careers and demonstrated outstanding accomplishments.