Dr. Iscela Rosa Bernal of Easton, wife of Dermot G. Mitchell, died Oct. 13 at Yale-New Haven Hospital after a brief illness. She was 48.

Iscela Bernal: practiced in Westport. Contributed photo
Born in Lima, Peru, she received her undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree from William Patterson University in Wayne, New Jersey and Master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Bridgeport in acupuncture and naturopathic medicine.
She was a board certified and licensed naturopathic physician. She owned and practiced at the Bernal Center, Inc. in Westport, specializing in acupuncture and naturopathic medicine where she developed many close relationships with her numerous patients
Prior to becoming a physician, she worked at the New York Blood Center in New York City and as an AIDS research biotechnologist for many years, and authored several research papers.