Bernard S. Brucker, an associate professor at the University of Miami department of pyschiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Brucker Biofeedback Center at Miami Jewish Home and Hospital, died in his home of a heart attack Saturday morning. He was 61.
Brucker dedicated his professional career to improving the quality of life for people with physical disabilities. Using electromyography (EMG) feedback techniques, he developed methods of treatment that helped patients'' brains ''''reconnect'''' with their bodies. This signal-strengthening system came to be known as the Brucker Method, and it is still widely used in cases of paralysis.
Born in Hollywood, Calif., to Herman and Sylvia Brucker in 1946, ''''Bernie'''' attended Monmouth University in New Jersey.
He went on to Eastern New Mexico University, where he earned a master''s degree, and then NYU where he earned a doctorate in psychology.
In 1988, Brucker helped former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Larkin Allen Collins Jr., rendered quadriplegic after a car crash, regain the use of his hands.
When Detroit Lions offensive lineman Michael Utley became paralyzed during a football game on Nov. 17 of 1991, Brucker assisted him in his rehabilitation.
Less glamorous was Brucker''s work with those who could not afford treatment.
The day after arriving in Miami from Greece in 1993, Domnoula Arabaslis was pickpocketed and left penniless in a strange new country. She had traveled to the United States so she could find treatment for her son, George Arabaslis, who has cerebral palsy. The thief made off with her life savings of $5,700.
Brucker treated George, 22 at the time, despite his mother''s inability to pay.
''''I''ve already gotten more calls than I can count today from all over the world,'''' said Brucker''s wife, Dr. Rita Gugel. ``He''s touched so many lives.''''
In addition to his clinical work, Brucker helped open up rehabilitation clinics in several countries, according to longtime friend and colleague Dr. Barry Nierenberg.
''''He really pushed to better the lives of people who survived brain and spinal cord injuries,'''' Nierenberg said. Brucker served as chief of the Division of
Psychology at UM/Jackson Memorial Medical Center from 1981 to 2005.
He also served as president of the Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology, the Florida Brain Injury Association and the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology of the American Psychological Association.
Brucker received numerous professional awards, including the Karl F. Heiser Presidential Award from the American Psychological Association.
He was one of the founders and the original co-director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
Outside of his professional life, he spent time raising and caring for his Labrador retrievers, Caulo, Thor, Zeus and Achilles.
An avid pilot, skier and boater, he lived on his 63-foot Bertram yacht and called the sea his home.
Brucker is survived by Gugel, his wife of 35 years; his brother, Daniel Brucker; and his sister-in-law, Margaret Jamolych.
Services will be held Monday at Riverside-Gordon Memorial Chapel, 1920 Alton Rd., Miami Beach, at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery, 1300 SE 10th Ave., Fort Lauderdale.