Bernadette earned her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Vienna University in 1998, with a dissertation on the representation of AIDS in the media and the Act Up movement. Prior to her doctoral studies, she pursued coursework in semiotics at the Università degli studi di Bologna, where she was fortunate enough to study under the esteemed Umberto Eco. Additionally, Bernadette delved into medical anthropology at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
After completing her post-doctoral research in 1999, Bernadette relocated to the United States, where she continued her academic pursuits at Stanford University, focusing on comparative literature and film. She has since made the United States her permanent residence.
Bernadette currently holds the position of Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University, where she also directs the Center for Advanced Media Studies. Her work has spanned multiple disciplines, including literature, film, and medical anthropology.
In addition to her academic endeavors, Bernadette has also ventured into documentary filmmaking. Her debut film, Made Over in America (Icarusfilms),premiered in 2007 and explored the television makeover show The Swan. Her subsequent film, See You Soon Again (The Cinema Guild, 2012),is a poignant portrait of Viennese Holocaust survivor Leo Bretholz and his efforts to share his story with Baltimore youth.
Bernadette has directed two feature documentaries: The Good Breast, which intertwines the personal stories of three breast cancer patients with the history and mythology of the breast, and Devoti tutti, a neo-realist exploration of the lesser-known breast cancer Saint Agatha, who was martyred for her breast sacrifice in 251 AD. The latter film is an immersive portrayal of the devotional culture surrounding the yearly celebration of Saint Agatha in Catania, Sicily.
