Bernard has a Masters in Health Promotion from the University of the Sunshine Coast, and has completed a PhD within the Living Positive in Queensland Study at the School of Public Health, University of Queensland. Over the last 30 years he has been involved in various aspects of the global response to HIV, including serving for 3 years as General Manager of the Victorian AIDS Council and Gay Men’s Health Centre. At the international level he worked throughout East and South-East Asia via Australian Red Cross, and for seven years was Global HIV Programme Manager of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies based in Geneva, Switzerland. From that position he also managed the UNAIDS Collaborating Centre on HIV-Related Stigma in partnership with the Global Network of PLHIV.