The Dr. William P. Sexton Award - 2014: Mr. Rudolf L. Brutoco, M.D., M.P.H.

2014: Mr. Rudolf L. Brutoco, M.D., M.P.H.

With this award, Dr. Rudolf L. Brutoco is recognized for his outstanding service to Notre Dame and his embodiment of the University’s values through his career and lifelong investment of self in many causes. A renowned physician and public health innovator, Brutoco is perhaps best known for developing a worldwide system for facilitating life-saving marrow transplants from volunteers. The result is that the gifts of hope and life have been given tens of thousands of times, and millions more stand ready to save the life of a stranger. As a specialist in Behavioral, Educational, & Developmental Medicine, his medical career has always been devoted to helping struggling families overcome complex challenges and burdens.

Brutoco and his wife, Diana, are the proud parents of two ND graduates, Marcus ’06 and Paul ’09, and daughter-in-law Caitlin SMC ’09, plus daughters Marisa and Juliana, who attended other prominent institutions. Since Marcus’ earliest days on campus in 2002, Brutoco has been a dedicated servant and friend to the University and its alumni. Brutoco serves faithfully and energetically on the President’s Advisory Council for the College of Arts & Letters, and also is an active member of the President’s Circle.

The extraordinary bronze sculpture of the Holy Family in Bond Quad, named In Celebration of Family (and nicknamed “The Holy Handoff” by The Observer and students), is not only Brutoco’s gift to the University; it was his commission and creation, working closely with the artist.

Brutoco also donates his time and utilizes his remarkable experience in medicine and psychiatry to teach selected class sessions in Psychology and soon in Anthropology. This year, a new postgraduate fellowship was granted: the Rudolf L. Brutoco, MD Graduate Fellowship in Psychology. This fellowship was designed to enable Notre Dame to recruit the most sought-after grad students.