How does he do it? David Bernstein: Homeless youth to Harvard

Stand Up Speak Up

Dr. David Bernstein is a well-respected, highly educated professional who has held appointments at Yale University School of Medicine, where he completed his doctoral internship, and Harvard University Medical School, where he completed his postdoctoral residency in Forensic Psychology in the Department of Law and Psychiatry. Anyone who has come into contact with him can be forgiven for thinking that this highly intelligent professional probably grew up in a life of privilege which enabled him to go to the best schools.

But the reality is this strong advocate for working to correct the Foster Care System is himself a product of it. David’s life started as an abandoned child, discovered on a New York City park bench in his infancy. He became a Ward of the State, going from foster home to foster home, often running away from the abusive situations where he actually felt safer living on the streets or in abandoned buildings.

The Foster Care System is often been referred to as a vicious cycle of abuse and neglect. It’s known to be difficult to leave the world of poverty, teen pregnancy, sex abuse and crime behind. Those who manage to escape its harsh grip rarely look back.

But David Bernstein did. He has confronted his past and is trying to make a better future for those who currently follow in his foster care footsteps. He consults with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. He’s an expert in threat assessment and violence, able to tap into the instincts he honed as a child growing up homeless.

Host: Karla Stephens Tolstoy

Co-Producer: Jessica de Bruyn

Production Editor & Sound: Peter Anthony Holder

Narrator: Peter Anthony Holder

Music: What You’re Mad Of by Kayla Diamond www.slaightmusic.com/music-we-dig#!kayla-diamond

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