U.J. Berzins, M.D.

Specialties: Vision, General and Medical Eye Care

Biography

John was born in New York City, shortly after his parents arrived in the US as refugees from Latvia. He grew up in South Dakota and Minnesota, where he developed his lifelong passion for the outdoors. He obtained his college and medical degrees from Stanford University and worked as an emergency room physician for 3 years in the San Francisco Bay Area.

John then received his training in ophthalmology at UC San Francisco and the University of lowa. After practicing in Iowa for 2 years, he joined Medical Center Eye Clinic in 1985. He has served as President of the Oregon Academy of Ophthalmology, on the clinical faculty of OHSU, as an Examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology, and as Honorary Consul for the Republic of Latvia.

John is an avid fisherman, and can often be found on the rivers and bays of Oregon. He also loves traveling the world in search of exotic fish to add to his list of unusual catches. He retired in 2021, but greatly missed caring for patients, and returned to work part time at MCEC in 2024.