Gail A. Bernstein, MD, is a 1981 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Pediatrics Residency Program. She currently holds an Endowed Professorship in Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota.
What is your favorite part of your job? I enjoy the variety in my job that includes supervising child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, taking care of patients, and participating in research studies on pediatric anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS).
What skills or knowledge did you learn throughout the UW Pediatrics Residency Program that you found most useful in your career? The UW training in pediatrics provided a comprehensive background in child development that enhances my daily work as a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
What advice would you give your resident self? Seek out mentors to support and guide your career. Residency is the time to take on challenging patients under the tutelage of expert faculty supervisors.
Are there any courses, professors, or opportunities from your time at the UW that have had a lasting influence? Dr. Murray Katcher for his compassionate care of children and for his mentorship as senior author on one of my first publications.
What’s your best memory from your time in Madison? I loved the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, Paisan’s Restaurant on Wilson Street, and visiting the Vilas Zoo. I also have great memories of working with the amazing, supportive colleagues in my residency group.