Remembering Dr. Robert Berlin

A Peaceful Garden & Lasting Legacy

The St. John's Health we know today was made possible by generations of passionate clinicians, philanthropists, and community leaders.

One of those essential leaders was Dr. Robert Berlin, founder of Jackson Hole Medical Imaging and key stakeholder in building out the St. John’s Health medical group. Over his 24-year medical career, Dr. Berlin was trusted by patients and fellow practitioners alike, often credited for providing early diagnoses that ultimately extended and improved patients' lives. In 2014, Dr. Berlin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which proved to be both a setback and a great motivator. He spent much of his free time dedicating his athletic endeavors to support nonprofits like the Michael J. Fox Foundation and surrounding himself with loved ones. Dr. Berlin contacted the St. John’s Health Foundation in July 2021 with a desire to fund the renovation of one of the hospital courtyards. His late partner Dr. Emmy Knobloch was already memorialized in “Emmy’s Garden” and his hope was to match her memory with a garden of his own. Plans were put into place for the summer of 2022 to landscape and hardscape the space.

Sadly, Dr. Berlin passed away in early May, several months before the garden was completed. St. John’s Health staff members immediately requested to do something in his honor and were pleased to hear that his garden was already in progress. Today, Robert’s Garden provides a quiet refuge for both staff and patient families seeking a peaceful place outside. Permanent signage honoring Dr. Berlin will be added in the new year.