Dr. Bernal was born and raised in Yonkers, New York.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign.   After attending medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, where he later completed his Gastroenterology Fellowship.  Dr. Bernal has written a number of abstracts and taken part in a variety of presentations for the American Gastroenterology National Fellows Forum as well as the American College of Physicians, Nebraska Chapter.  Dr. Bernal is Board Certified in Gastroenterology.  Dr. Bernal and his wife, who is also a physician, have three children and have been part of the Omaha culture since 1998.