Dr. Stephen Chun (OD ‘74) is a Clinical Professor of Optometry at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science. Additionally, he is Founder/Coordinator of UC Berkeley International Optometry Education Programs in China & Korea, and 4th Year External Clinical Rotations & Post-graduate Clinical Fellowship Program at the Eye Center, Beijing Medical University (BMU) & Peking University Health Sciences Center (PKHSC), 1996-2014.
Dr. Chun says that, “patients are people who have emotions, feelings and concerns. Educating patients and their families about their eyes, vision and health is a critical element of providing comprehensive primary optometric care. Therefore, I make every effort to oversee a patient’s visual function, eye health and related health care and serve as a patient advocate. It is important to help patients with their questions and give personal attention to their specific vision and eye care needs.”
In addition to teaching, he founded and manages a private practice, the Berkeley Optometric Group, where he takes care of patients (1976-present) and served continuously on the medical staff at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers (Redwood City, Richmond) from 1977-2018. Dr. Chun havs participated as a clinical investigator for studies and patient-based research relating to the effects of systemic and ocular pharmaceuticals on the eye and vision and is embarking on new clinical study on myopia.
Over the years, he has served in leadership roles both on the California State Board of Optometry (1986-1994) as its president and chair of licensing examinations, and on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) committees on examination development and clinical skills. Dr. Chun is a founding committee member of the Primary Care Section of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) (1989-present) and its diplomate program. He stays active as a fellow of AAO. Locally, he is a past president of the Bay Area Optometric Council (BAOC) and the founding chair of its Mentoring/Externship Program (1983-present).
Currently, he serves on the International Optometry Education (IOE) Committee of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). He continues to mentor both pre-optometry students and UC Berkeley optometry students through the Berkeley-BAOC Mentorship Program (BBMP). “Optometry is stimulating, very rewarding and enriching!”