March 4, 2005

Remembering David Brudnoy

More than 1,000 family members, friends, colleagues, listeners and caregivers gathered Feb. 27 at Emerson's Cutler Majestic Theatre to pay tribute to David Brudnoy. The WBZ radio talk show host, college professor, film critic and writer, who had battled — and defeated — AIDS for more than 10 years, died Dec. 9 at the MGH of a rare form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma.

Greg Robbins, MD, of the MGH Infectious Disease Division, who was one of a team of doctors who cared for Brudnoy, spoke at the testimonial event, telling the audience that his patient didn't hide from his HIV, and more important, he never let HIV define him.

"In most ways, David was an exemplary patient," Robbins said. "He faced the grim realities of his disease by arming himself with facts and by sharing his knowledge and convincing many of his HIV-positive listeners, friends, co-workers and students to seek medical care."

Robbins added jokingly that in other ways Brudnoy was a "horrible patient," saying that his routine visits often created scheduling gridlock. "During medical visits, David would draw me into lengthy discussions of politics and national affairs, HIV, my own research, my two boys; and he would, of course, provide me with a list of must-see movies — all in his uniquely inquisitive and wry way."

In 1994, Brudnoy established the David Brudnoy Fund for AIDS Research, part of a broad-based initiative at the MGH to raise $10 million for AIDS programs. The Brudnoy Fund is used locally and will also be used in AIDS-stricken areas like Durban, South Africa, where the MGH has helped establish a state-of-the-art HIV clinical and research center.

"David taught us that everyone is capable of making a positive difference in someone else's life, as he did for so many," Robbins said. "The David Brudnoy Fund is carrying on the legacy of this truly amazing man."