Dr. Bernstein was born in New York, NY. She received her A.B. degree in Political Science from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from the Antioch-Putney Graduate School of Education. After several years, she entered a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program at Columbia University. She completed medical school at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and an internship in general medicine at St. Luke’s / Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City prior to training in psychiatry at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute.
Dr. Bernstein spent most of her career involved in medical education and training. She began as Assistant Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry at Columbia, where her tenure in that position was notable for her selection as the recipient of the Virginia Kneeland Franz Award given by the women graduates of the class of 1988 to the "Outstanding Woman Doctor of the Year." Dr. Bernstein was the first psychiatrist to receive this honor at P & S. Subsequently, she became the Associate Director of Residency Training in Psychiatry at Columbia University and the NY Psychiatric Institute.
Following her experiences at Columbia, Dr. Bernstein was recruited to NYU to direct the residency training program in psychiatry. She was subsequently appointed as NYU's first Dean Graduate Medical Education as well as Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Psychiatry.
In addition to her direct work in training and graduate medical education, Dr. Bernstein's significant contributions in education have been acknowledged by her selection as the recipient of a number of awards and leadership positions, especially within the APA. She served as Chair of both the APA Committee on Medical Student Education and the APA Graduate Education Committee and chaired the Scientific Program Committee for the APA Institute on Psychiatric Services. As a member of the American College of Psychiatrists, Dr. Bernstein served on the Laughlin Fellowship Selection Committee and has chaired both the Task Force on Future Directions in Psychiatric Education and the PRITE Fellowship Committee, as well as serving on the College's Board of Regents. Dr. Bernstein has also been active in the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT). One of her most prestigious honors was her selection as a Fellow in ELAM (Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine). She was also the recipient of the 2014 APA/NIMH Vestermark psychiatric Educator Award. She is a nationally recognized leader in Graduate Medical Education and was appointed to the Board of Directors of the ACGME.
Dr. Bernstein has written numerous articles and chapters on psychiatric education and has been a peer reviewer for both the American Journal of Psychiatry and Academic Psychiatry. She has served on the editorial boards of Academic Psychiatry, the Journal of Psychiatric Services, and Focus, has presented at more than 70 conferences and meetings and has been the recipient of a number of visiting professorships.