Robert Charles Brasch

Robert C. Brasch, MD, of Mill Valley, CA passed away of a cardiac event on February 10, 2025 at the age of 80.

Bob was born on December 2, 1944 in St. Louis, MO, to Virginia and Norvell Brasch, joining his older brother John. Norvell passed away when Bob was only 5; when Virginia later remarried, Bob gained two (step)brothers, Ed and Jeff Lipkin. Bob attended Miami University (Ohio), graduating Phi Beta Kappa in three years, making lasting friendships with his brothers in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and most importantly, meeting his lifelong love and partner Miriam (Mimi) Shekter. He attended medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, partly inspired by his uncle Jerome (Jerry) Brasch, who was like a father to Bob and had enduring ties to WashU. Upon graduation, Bob pursued internships at UC San Diego and the National Institutes of Health, followed by a residency at University of California San Francisco.

Mimi and Bob fell in love with the Bay Area and made it their home. Bob became a professor of pediatric radiology at UCSF. He was an internationally respected expert in the field who had a pioneering role in magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, which affect the quality of diagnostic images. He began his career at UCSF in 1976 and retired in 2012. He ran a contrast media research laboratory at UCSF, and remained lifelong friends with, and a mentor to, many of the more than 50 young radiology fellows from all over the world who worked in his lab. As one of his fellows told Bob's family, "We are so grateful for those memories which included kindness, openness, and true humanity - empowering younger physicians without flaunting authority. Bob was a special role model." His family received countless condolence notes from former fellows recalling his support, kindness, counsel, wisdom, and generous spirit; several said he changed the trajectory of their lives. He authored nearly 300 scientific articles and more than 80 book chapters, and earned prestigious awards including the John Caffey Award, the Harry Fisher medal, the UCSF outstanding alumnus award, and outstanding researcher of the year at the Annual RSNA conference, as well as honorary recognition by international institutions. He served as a founding board member of Family House of San Francisco, a home away from home for families of children undergoing treatment at UCSF hospital for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, and remained engaged with Family House from its founding in 1981 until his passing.

The cliché notwithstanding, Bob was a true Renaissance man - he loved golf, Costco, learning and sharing his knowledge on any subject (he was endlessly curious, and his breadth and retention of knowledge were astounding), Marin County, his hot tub and Karmann Ghia, cooking, history, opera, the Cardinals, meeting new people, reading the classics and poetry, travel, attempting to beat the S&P, wine, his friends, and most especially, his family, which brought him limitless joy. He is survived by his wife Mimi, sons Hank and Sam, daughters-in-law Michele and Alicia, and grandchildren Aidan, Ava, Donovan, Alaina, Benjamin, and Hollis, as well as his brothers John, Jeff, and Ed and their families. Shortly before Bob's death he spent his 80th birthday in Sonoma, surrounded by Mimi, his sons, and their families, and marveled at the life he had led and his gratitude for it. His family and many friends feel likewise.