Alan Berkman

Alan Berkman (September 4, 1945 – June 5, 2009) was an American physician and activist in the Students for a Democratic Society and Weather Underground who went to prison for his involvement in a number of robberies staged by the organizations and their offshoots. Released after eight years in prison for armed robbery and explosives possession, Berkman provided medical care to the homeless and founded Health GAP to help provide AIDS pharmaceuticals to some of the world's poorest nations.

Early life and education Berkman was born in Brooklyn and moved with his family to Middletown, Orange County, New York.

Political and criminal activities His politics and practice of medicine often overlapped, including his treatment of prisoners after the September 1971 Attica riots. He and his wife evaded the cordon established by the United States Marshals Service to provide medical care during the Wounded Knee incident in 1973.

The Black Liberation Army and May 19th Communist Movement had organized the October 20, 1981, Brinks robbery in Nanuet, New York, in which $1.6 million was taken from a Brink's armored car. An armored car guard was killed during the robbery. In a shootout shortly after the heist, two police officers were killed. A witness told a grand jury that Berkman had treated one of the holdup group's members for a gunshot wound. Berkman refused to talk and spent almost a year in jail for civil contempt.

On the run, Berkman took part in the gunpoint robbery of a Connecticut supermarket that netted more than $20,000. Berkman appeared on 60 Minutes to discuss his experiences.

HIV/AIDS advocacy and research After his release on parole in 1992, Berkman worked as a doctor at a South Bronx clinic for parolees who use drugs.

In 2003, Berkman became an assistant professor of clinical epidemiology and sociomedical sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, later becoming vice chair of the Department of Epidemiology.

Death Over the last 20 years of his life, he faced recurring cancer. At Barbara's suggestion, Judith had asked Berkman to donate his sperm, and he agreed. Barbara assisted with the insemination. Berkman's papers are archived at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Selected works