Dr. Bernie Lim, MD, MS
29-year-old Physician. Creator. Healer. Warrior.
Movement Organizer.
Pioneer of
Whole-Person Healing to the People.
Oakland, CA
Welcome!
A LETTER FROM DR. BERNIE
Welcome! Most people call me (Dr.) Bernie. My life's calling is centered on bringing Whole-Person Healing to the People integrating the wisdom of Ancestral Healing with the strengths of Western medicine.
At 29 years old, I am the Founder and Executive Director of the Freedom Community Clinic based in Oakland, CA and serve as Faculty at the San Francisco State Institute for Holistic Health Studies. I also co-founded the Institute for Healing & Justice in Medicine. I recently graduated from UCSF School of Medicine and UC Berkeley School of Public Health through the Joint Medical Program as a PRIME-US Scholar. I also graduated with cum laude honors from Harvard University (2016) and am a past Fulbright-Nehru Scholar to India.
Beyond my formal education and training, my work is inspired by my identities as a healer, musician, and daughter of island people from the Visayan, Philippines & Toisan lands. I teach and have practiced daily meditation, breathwork, and yoga for 15+ years after experiencing chronic pain. I'm also a certified Reiki Master and budding herbalist. As a trained classical pianist and accompanist for 25+ years, salsa dancer, and young DJ, music is central to my healing and creative process. I am proud to live, work, and play in the Town (Oakland, CA) where I am inspired by its rich activism, culture, and community cultivated by and for Black, Brown, Native, and immigrant communities.
If we want to be real about achieving health equity and social justice, we need to face the fact that Western medicine and public health frameworks, though helpful to an extent, are simply inadequate on their own at addressing disease & psychological stress faced by Black, Brown, and immigrant people. A Whole-Person Healing approach grounded in community and honoring the body, mind, and spirit is needed now more than ever.
My intention is to re-define medicine for Black, Brown, and immigrant people as not the absence of disease, but the presence of freedom to live as one’s authentic self. I believe in a future where Community Healing for the body, mind, & soul is critical for a more healed and just world.
I hope you will join me in envisioning new futures and possibilities of bringing healing to the people.
In gratitude,
Bernadette (Bernie) Lim, MD, MS
Selected Recognitions, Awards, Media, & Honors
Dr. Bernie has been honored as the following:
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Echoing Green Fellow
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The Creativity Foundation Benjamin Franklin Legacy Prize for Service
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National Minority Quality Forum 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health
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World Policy Forum Global Solutions’ Initiative Young Global Changer
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Encyclopedia Britannica 20 Under 40 Young Shapers of the Future of Education
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Pacific Standard Magazine Top 30 Under 30 Thinkers in Policy and Social Justice
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Milken Institute for Public Health Rising Star: Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Award for Excellence in Social Mission in Health Professions Education
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Dalai Lama Fellow
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Reclamation Ventures Grantee
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Verizon “In The Know” Honors: Asian Changemakers of 2021
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We Are Family Foundation: Youth Global Frontliner Awardee
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Title Nine Grand Prize Winner: Non-Profit Pitchfest Edition
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Reclamation Ventures Grantee
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The CA Endowment Voices for Change Awardee: Inclusive Community Development
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Association of American Medical Colleges Herbert W. Nickens Scholar
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MacKenzie Foundation Primary Care Student Scholar
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Yamashita Prize for Outstanding Social Change Activist in CA
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Journal of Public Health Management & Practice Top Students in Public Health
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U.S. Dept. of State Philippines Embassy Filipino Young Leaders Program Delegate
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Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) Edie Moore Student Scholar
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UCSF Dean's Prize for Outstanding Research and Scholarship in Health & Society
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UC Berkeley Center for Race and Gender Research Fellowship
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American Public Health Association Outstanding Student Author
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Oakland Youth Impact Hub Fellowship
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Clinton Global Initiative University Alumni Honor Roll
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Arnold P. Gold Foundation Summer Fellowship
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UCSF PROF-PATH Summer Fellowship sponsored by National Institute of Health
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UCSF Center for Community Engagement Summer Explore Fellowship
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Chinese American Physicians Society Scholarship
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UC Berkeley School of Public Health Alumni Association Scholar
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UC Berkeley School of Law Human Rights Center Fellow
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CA Senate District 29 Women of the Year Honoree: Future Non-Profit Leader
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San Francisco Bay Area Albert F. Schweitzer Public Service Fellowship
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Philippine Medical Society of Northern California Scholar
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UC Berkeley School of Public Health Leaders-in-Action Awardee
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Clinton Global Initiative LEAD Top Student Commitment
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Glamour Magazine’s College Woman of the Year Winner
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Harvard Global Health and Health Policy Cordeiro Scholar
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Forbes 30 Under 30: Education Finalist
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Huffington Post Women Young Women Changemaker 2030
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Inc. Magazine and Her Campus 22 Under 22 Most Inspiring College Women
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Harvard Center for Public Interest Community Service Fellowship
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Business Insider’s 19 Most Impressive Harvard Students
Get in Touch
I would love to hear from you! Please include as many details as possible in your message.
Of note, I am unable to take on requests for 1-on-1 mentorship at this time. In addition, I honor an annual personal sabbatical away every July & Aug.
Please allow 3-5 business days (and up to 2 weeks during active seasons at the clinic) for me to respond to your request.