Transcript: Good morning. My name is Robert Brueck. I’m a board-certified plastic surgeon. I currently practice in Southwest Florida, in Fort Myers.
I began my journey a long time ago. I was born and raised in Chicago. Went to high school there. Ended up going to college at McMurry College which is a small liberal arts college. I also spent a year in grad school at the University of Florida, in chemistry, and decided that Erlenmeyer Flasks were not for me.
And so, at that point and time, I made a switch – a career change – and I decided to go into medicine.
So, I applied and because I was from Illinois, went to the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Graduated in 1973 and then went to residency at Presbyterian St. Luke’s, which has its own medical school in Chicago. I did general surgery there. I did plastic surgery there.
One of my claims to fame is small but minor, and it’s somebody that many of you probably know. Mayor Daley was my patient when I was an intern in 1973. The Original Mayor Daley.
When I finished my residency in plastic surgery, I went to Miami to pursue specialization in cosmetic surgery and I remembered the time my department chairman said, ‘Bob, why do you want to do cosmetic surgery?’ and I told him, I said, ‘It’s interesting, it’s intriguing, it’s challenging.’ So, I went to Miami and worked with Dr. Tom Baker and Dr. Howard Gordon, and these two were two of the icons at that time in cosmetic surgery and aesthetic surgery, and were two of the founding members of the American Aesthetic Society, which is an organization of surgeons that are dedicated primarily to cosmetic and aesthetic surgery.
When I finished my fellowship, I moved to Fort Myers in 1979 and have been in practice ever since in Fort Myers, Florida.
You know, with the position I have and the skills and talents that God gave me, I had a sincere desire in my heart and soul to want to use those skills and talents to help less fortunate people. So, many, many years ago, I decided to go ahead and donate plastic surgery services to individuals that had no insurance, that were homeless or had a special need that I could help with. And so, the biggest part of the journey was trying to find a place to do it and trying to get the word out that now there’s a free plastic surgery clinic in Fort Myers.
And at one point and time, we were given a national award for the best new program in the Salvation Army nationally. In fact, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton sent a letter of congratulations to the Salvation Army and through that, I then sat on the Salvation Army board for many years. And it’s been a rewarding experience, fulfilling, and a way that I can give back to those who need it, more than anything else, some of the skills and abilities that God has given me.
And over the years, and it kind of extends back to when I was a resident, that I’ve really taken an interest in cosmetic surgery. Because, when you think about it, people come in to have cosmetic surgery and there’s no margin of error. They expect 100% of the time to look their best.
So, cosmetic surgery is really challenging. It’s rewarding. It’s exciting. So that’s primarily what I do.
And then the other thing, too, in my practice, I do a lot of skin cancer. Living in Florida, I don’t have to tell you we’ve got a lot of sunshine. And so, a lot of people that have been patients for 20 or 30 years, I take care of their skin cancer.
If you have any questions at all about this or any topic in cosmetic surgery, feel free to call my office, (239) 939-5233, or go to our website, BeautyByBrueck.com. There’s a link there where you can go ahead and email me if there’s something you want me to answer – a question – we’re more than happy to get back to you.
