Dr. Shelly Zina Berkowitz, MD

I had just moved to Amherst, MA and needed to pick a PCP. On the recommendation of some friends, I opted for Dr. Berkowitz. I then had a really bad recurrence of a muscle spasm in my back which was causing me shooting pains and an inability to stand up straight, with a rock like spasm making it impossible. Since I had had this before and knew that a particular muscle relaxant would do the job, I requested Dr. Berkowitz to phone in the medication so I would not have to drive to her clinic. She said she would only prescribe if she examined me. So strugglingly, I drove to her office, walking up the short flight of steps to her office in great pain. She talked to me, but dismissively, didn't even bother to examine me, and refused to prescribe the muscle relaxant. Guess what? I came home, dropped her immediately as a PCP, picked another doctor who prescribed me the muscle relaxant, and which loosened the spasm, and helped me recover. I can only conclude that Dr. Berkowitz is totally… incompetent and does not have the qualifications or capabilities to be a medical doctor. Run away from her if you can. She will let you down at your greatest time of need!

Very friendly staff, it was so easy to get an appointment! I can often get an appointment the same day when I need one. My last doctor had a six month wait to schedule a physical. This office has a small staff, one doctor, I don't feel lost in the shuffle like I did at the big practice that I left. I highly recommend Dr. Berkowitz.

Dr. Berkowitz is a wonderful doctor and especially good at diagnosing mysterious conditions. She may seem a bit brusque, but she does genuinely care. Dr. Berkowitz saved my father's life by finding the cancer early and immediately taking action, and I can't thank her enough.

I CONSTANTLY recommend Dr. Berkowitz to any family looking for comprehensive care! She asks, she listens, she suggests..she remembers; if a referral is necessary she matches our personalities to the physicians she thinks we'll connect with and she's right on! Not fancy or aloof...Down to earth and knowledgeable!!! She takes the time to thoroughly explain a diagnosis...encourages us to ask questions and be partners in good health! She's up on the latest research and doesn't push the antibiotics!!! She's the best!

Went to her after having a gall bladder attack. Explained that I had a family history of it, that I had a sharp pain in my chest where the gallbladder is and that my urine was brown. She told me that she suspected it would go away and that we would "probably never know what it is" and sent me home. I ended up in the ER. A few hours later with a gallbladder full of stones and one very large stone blocking the valve from my gallbladder to my liver. Life threatening if left untreated. This explained my brown urine as enzymes were backing up I'm my liver which could have caused liver failure.

The staff is extremely friendly which is why I chose Dr. Berkowitz. The office is in a tacky 50's style building and the reception room was a mish mash of mismatched chairs and tables. The exam room was very outdated with brownish orange vinyl examination tables and scuffed up walls. There was a rolling tray with several exposed speculums and a stop and shop brand tub of old petroleum jelly. Previous doctors that I've visited have kept those items in sanitized drawers. Also, next to the exam table there was a 5 gallon paint bucket full of water with a (used?) speculum in it. Coating the bottom of the bucket was a slimy-looking white goo. My appointment with Dr. Berkowitz was just an initial meeting to give her my medical history. She started with a 10 minute overview of her practice and then gave me 5 minutes to rush through my history. I really thought that she would have booked more time for an appointment of that nature. To her credit she left to see a patient that was waiting and… then came back to finish with me. Overall, I felt like Dr. Berkowitz was a little condescending and judgmental. When I brought up several health issues she seemed dismissive and told me to come back in a month if they persisted. I was really excited about seeing Dr. Berkowitz because he staff is so friendly and helpful but I will not be going back.

I think she is great, and I have referred a number of people to her. She is a little bit socially awkward, but in a very kind and unassuming way. She is a good listener. My favorite two things about her are: 1) she does a GREAT job of patient education. She explains why she is doing a certain thing, and also explains why she is ruling out other treatment options. I think this is really respectful and helpful. 2) She tells it like it is. If she thinks you need to lose weight, she will gently talk about healthy eating/exercise habits. If you are slacking off about going to the dentist, she will urge you to go. So many doctors I have seen (personally or professionally) sweep this sorts of things under the rug, but a primary care doctor is SUPPOSED to do this kind of health promotion, and I am glad that she still does it.

I like Dr. Berkowitz, but she seems to be somewhat anti-medication. Generally I think this is good practice and she has written me prescriptions when I needed them. She is a bit awkward and can be kind of rushed but overall she is fine.