Dr. Doris Berlin-Acker

Dr. Doris Ada Berlin-Acker, of blessed memory, died on Sunday December 19, 2010, at 91 years of age.

She was born in Newark, N.J. to Samuel and Fannie Berlin. She grew up in Poughkeepsie and attended college in New York City.

She practiced psychiatry in New York, Toledo, Ohio, and Poughkeepsie.

Dr. Berlin-Acker received her B.S. in Pharmacy from Columbia University and her M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Between pharmacy and medical school, she wrote a book on proteins and amino acids.

She achieved a Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan. Her internship and residency were in New York City, at Beth Israel and Bellevue Hospitals.

She saw patients in private practice for over 30 years. She directed departments for training psychiatrists at Toledo State Hospital and Hudson River State Hospital in Poughkeepsie. Dr. Berlin-Acker was a Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists and the American Psychiatric Association (APA). She enjoyed attending many annual conferences of the APA and helped found the life members organization.

She served as chairman of the editorial board of the APA Journal of Hospital and Community Psychiatry, and was a member of the task force on Community Mental Health Centers. She was active in the Dutchess County Medical Society and served on the boards of civic organizations such as the Jewish Family Service of Toledo and the Dutchess County Association for Senior Citizens.

Doris overcame adversity in her life. When she was 12, she developed a bone infection in her leg, and before modern antibiotics, she fought for her life, lost bone to surgery, and it was pronounced that she would never walk again. But she did, although with some difficulty. Because of this, she turned her energies to her education. She was the only woman in her pharmacy school class, and one of the few in her medical school class.

Doris was a very giving person. She warmed people's hearts all around her. She loved to entertain, travel, and dance as she was able. Her legacy is one of patients helped, other psychiatrists trained, and everyone touched by her presence. She will be sorely missed.

Dr. Berlin-Acker married Dr. Saul Kelson and is survived by their two children and four grandchildren. Late in life, she married her college sweetheart of 60 years past, Mr. Lewis Acker. Both husbands predeceased her, as did two brothers, Joseph and Arthur Berlin.

She is survived by two nephews and many dear cousins.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, December 22, 2010, at 2 PM, at Vassar Temple in Poughkeepsie, with burial to follow in Vassar Temple Cemetery.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Berlin Family Fund of the Community Foundation of Dutchess County or the Vassar Temple Sisterhood Fannie Berlin Lecture Fund.

Arrangements under the direction of the William G. Miller & Son Funeral Home, Inc., 371 Hooker Ave., Poughkeepsie.

For directions or to send an online condolence, please visit our website at www.wmgmillerfuneralhome.com