Dr. Dirk Bernold

Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residency: New York University/Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Undergraduate: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 

For Dr. Dirk Bernold, the reality of cancer struck him in college, when his fraternity brother was diagnosed with, and later died from bone cancer. In medical school, he took a year off to care for his mother when she was diagnosed with cancer.

So it’s no surprise, really, that he chose oncology as his specialty. His preparation for medical school, though, might surprise you. Dr. Bernold’s undergraduate degree is in bio-electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"I left engineering and grad school and went back to working with people with the disease, as opposed to this removed computer model of a human being that we worked with as engineers. The discussions with the patients, and helping them get better seemed more important to me."

He has been rewarded for that choice by his patients, with whom he has developed some special relationships. "We get to be very close to our patients because they’re at their most vulnerable. We help people live their lives as best they can through diseases that are very demanding and treatments that are very demanding."

Dr. Bernold received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Bioelectrical Engineering. He then attended the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and received his residency training at New York University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where he was assistant chief resident. He attended the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for his fellowship in Hematology and Oncology.

He is currently the President of Interlakes Foundation.

Outside of the office, Dr. Bernold likes playing tennis, squash, golf, playing with his children and working around the house.