The 2026 Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award: Dr. Ralph Pennino ’75

In recognition of his humanitarian work bringing medical care and supplies to underserved regions throughout the world, Dr. Ralph Pennino ’75 was honored with the 2026 Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award.

After earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, Pennino attended medical school at Georgetown University. He subsequently completed a residency in general surgery at the University of Rochester, followed by fellowships in plastic surgery, reconstructive surgery, and hand surgery. 

Pennino went on to establish a highly successful practice in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Concurrently, he assumed increasing leadership responsibilities within the hospital system, ultimately serving as Chair of Surgery and later as System Chair of Surgery at Rochester Regional Health.

Pennino’s global humanitarian work began in the late 1980s when he observed the dramatic disparity between the shortage of medical supplies in developing countries and the surplus routinely discarded by hospitals in the United States. In response, he co-founded InterVol in 1989. The organization recovers unused medical supplies and functioning equipment and distributes them to healthcare providers in need. To date, InterVol has supported medical programs in more than 80 countries and partners with over 65 local and national nonprofit organizations. It also coordinates volunteer medical missions to underserved regions including Central America, Rwanda, the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, and Haiti.

Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, Pennino rapidly mobilized InterVol and Notre Dame alumni and friends to respond. Over the following 26 weeks, more than 450 medical volunteers rotated through the region, performing more than 700 surgeries and delivering more than 250 babies. InterVol’s commitment to Haiti continues today, including support for the construction and operation of École L’Erudit, a school dedicated to expanding educational opportunities for children in the region.

“As a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, I see this recognition as a reflection of the University’s call to service and, more importantly, a tribute to my alumni friends, colleagues, volunteers, partners, and communities whose efforts have made the humanitarian work of InterVol possible.”