Kaiser Oakland Pediatricians
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Pediatrician for High Risk Infant
Jan 2013
I am looking for recommendations for Kaiser Oakland pediatricians. My son was
born 11 days ago and suffered complications during delivery in which he
suffered a stroke and needed assisted breathing for a few hours. Since then,
all the nurses and doctors say he's doing great and we should treat him like a
healthy baby, but we will be closely monitoring his development especially in
his first year of life to see if he develops any motor development issues, and
then later for language development.
I'd love recommendations for pediatricians who might be especially sensitive to
the needs of what Kaiser calls a ''high risk infant'' (HRIF) since, as a first
time mom, I'm not sure what that will look like. He'll also have a team of
other specialists (neurologist, physical therapist) tracking his development,
but I don't need recommendations for those doctors at this point.
new mom
I enthusiastically recommend Dr. Pelly Fan in Oakland. She's worked with me and my son (now almost
14 years old) since he was an infant with numerous risk factors, including inexplicable seizures.
We both adore her, she is smart and calm (never alarmist, always deliberate and always cautious in
a really valuable way). She's the best, really...
Fan's fan
We love our Kaiser Oakland pediatrician, Patrick Chen. Although I don't know if he has special
expertise with high-risk infants, I think he might be a good match for you because 1. he's willing
to work carefully and closely with other departments, 2. he is extremely available via email (he
usually writes back within hours). If we've had a more complicated question, he's called us
himself. 3. He has really wonderful bedside manner. He's a careful listener, thoughtful, and
intelligent. 4. We've asked him so many (what later turned out to be sort of silly first-time
parent) questions, and he's been warm and patient throughout.
He's a family-care doctor, and my husband and I have also chosen to have him as our GP because we
like him so much.
My only general advice is that you should use Kaiser's ''choose your own doctor'' system (that you
can change your doctor any time) to your full advantage. Keep trying new doctors until you get one
you like and trust; don't be shy about giving the other ones the boot. Happy with our doctor
April 2012
I am 26 weeks pregnant and seeking recommendations for competent and
caring pediatricians at Oakland Kaiser, where I will be delivering.
In addition to names, I am interested in your specific experiences.
Thank you!
anon
We've had pretty simple early child years so don't have any tense
situation experience. We really like Dr. Phu. We've been with him for
about 5 years. Although we don't see him often his always friendly and I
like interacting with him. He always shares practical advice and gives
good recommendations for child development.
Jennifer
We love love love Dr. Culler at Kaiser Oakland. She's very down to earth,
accessible and supportive.
Best of luck!
Jen B
Dr. Jennifer Tenney is the best! We have also been with Dr. Cunningham who
is also great. Can't go wrong with anyone on the 11th floor, at least in
my experience.
Kasier pediatrics fan
April 2012
Looking for a Kaiser Oakland Pediatrician that is open to alternate
vaccine schedule/non vaccination (or at least willing to work with
us). Our pediatrician is on extended leave with no explanation and we
need someone new until she hopefully returns. Thanks.
We really love our pediatrician Dr. Ping Chouw at Kaiser Oakland. She is
open to alternative vaccination schedules and discussing it (although we
did finally opt for a standard schedule). She is friendly and nice, and
answers all of our questions without any problems. I do find her advice
regarding sleep and parenting to be more on the conventional end, but then
I usually do my own research anyways, and she is not pushy with it. I
have enjoyed taking out now 2 year old to see her. Good luck!
monica
August 2011
Re: Attachment parenting pediatricians at Kaiser
We have Dr. Phan Phu thru Kaiser Oakland. Kaiser doesn't give you much
choice especially when the ones that come highly recommended are not
taking new patients. However, I did find an old recommendation for him
and when I read his bio - I thought ok why not. We have been very very
pleased with him. I was surprised, since this was Kaiser after all. We
are an attachment parenting family - cloth diapers, co-
sleeping, extending bf..etc. He had NO problems whatsoever..including
our choice to follow an alternative vaccination schedule. He had even
suggested at 6 mos old to try and put our son on the potty. We always
wanted to EC so we did and it had worked great up until we put him into
a daycare that wouldn't accept cloth . Anyway, he listens to you and
answers questions and he sometimes will give his opinion but does not
push mainstream AAP statistics. He really does have a conversation with
you. Also, when our son had a double ear infection - he did not push for
us to use antibiotics without any prompting from us at all!
Anon
June 2011
I just switched to Kaiser and am looking for primary care docs for
myself and my daughters (ages 13 and 10).
For my daughters, I need a female pediatrician who is good
with teens and preteens. Thanks for your help!
Jennifer
My daughter had Dr. Jennifer Tenney for her Ped. @ Kaiser Oakland.
They connected extremely well and had a good Dr./Patient
relationship. My daughter is now over 18 and they transitioned her to
an adult Dr.so perhaps Dr. Tenney has room for new patients. Good
luck. Happy with Dr. Tenney
June 2011
I don't see any recent posts on this in the archives. We are expecting our first
baby in July and looking for some updated recommendations on pediatricians at
Kaiser Oakland. Thanks!
Stephanie
We have been very pleased with Dr. Tatapudy since my
daughter was little (she's a teen now). In our experience
Dr. Tatapudy is professional but kind and she listens to
concerns--even when she's very busy. She has also been
respectful of my daughter as a person. Even when my daughter
was very small Dr. Tatapudy was never condescending. Don't
know if she treats infants.
Jackie
We were referred to Dr. David Bacchus by a friend and have appreciated
his experience, candor and willingness to work with some of the different
choices we have made as new parents He has a nice way with the little
ones, too. He's available to answer questions by phone and email.
Rose
We really like Dr. Castaneda-Davis. Female doctor of color.
Knowledgable. Warm and fun with kids and parents. Very
patient. She always follows through. Answers e-mails quickly
and calls if she thinks e-mail will be too cumbersome.
Researches stuff she's not sure about & gets back to us.
Flexible and listens to parents desires. All in all we have
had a very positive experience with her and hope she will
stick around 'til our kids are grown. (They are 2 and 4 now.)
That being said, when something is urgent, we can't always
get an appointment with her (though she does try to help us
with that when she can). That's a disappointing part of the
Kaiser system. However, we've been mostly satisfied by
excellent care with the other doctors we have seen from time
to time.
Healthy Kids!
We have used Elizabeth Gray for 16 years for our two kid, She's been
available, flexible, prompt and listens to
parents. I couldn't ask for more.
d.n
Feb 2011
Hi,
My husband and I are expecting are first child at the end of
February. I am interested in recommendations for a pediatrician at
Kaiser Oakland.
Thanks.
Allison
I reccomend Roberta Cunningham. She has been my son's
pediatrician for 15 years and because she has sons of her
own, she is able to understand him. She is great with me as
a mom too.
kr
May 2010
Re: Kaiser Pediatrian recommendation
Not sure if she's still accepting new clients, but we LOVE Dr.
Saba at Kaiser Oakland. She always talks to my son (he's 3
now) and explains exactly what she's doing. I've also heard
great things about Dr. Cunningham, but I haven't seen her
personally. Good luck.
We have had great experiences with Dr. Elizabeth Culler at
Kaiser Oakland. She was recommended to us by some friends
and has been our daughter's primary care physician since
birth. She has a very quiet, non-threatening manner,
listens carefully, takes parental concerns seriously, and
talks to the children. For instance, she has never touched
our daughter without telling/asking her first, has given
her time to get acquainted with instruments, etc. I know
that her practice was full for a while, but she recently
gave up the administrative duties of supervising the
residents, so hopefully her practice is open.
We have also
seen (and really liked) Dr. Dandekar. He was the
pediatrician handling Dr. Culler's patients when she was
out on maternity leave, and he also had a great manner,
talked to my child (then only two) about what he was going
to do next, and I thought he was just terrific when dealing
with parents, too. I hope one of them has space in their
practice and works out for you. I think they're both
terrific.
happy with kaiser physician
Hi,
I recommend Jennifer Tenney at Kaiser Oakland. We found her after looking
for someone who would talk to our daughter, too.
Although we take our kids to their own pediatricians, for various reasons
through the years (like illnesses on weekends and asthma attacks) we have
seen several different pediatricians at Oakland Kaiser. I have 2 teenagers
now. A year ago my daughter was diagnosed with something that is of
significance and I felt that her pediatrician only talked to me and not to my
daughter. When I needed her to return my calls she didn't. After having
uniformly great experiences with all the other pediatricians during urgent
care, I was confident I could do better. I was specifically looking for someone
who could and would be empathic with my child.
When my daughter ended up needing surgery, and we had a pre-op
appointment, we went to a new pediatrician, Dr. Tenney, who was fabulous.
She really spoke to my daughter, talked about her experiences and was both
warm and real. We switched doctors right then and there. She has returned
my occasional calls and continues to be warm and helpful.
We also really like my son's pediatrician, who may at first seem quiet, but he
went totally out of his way for my son when he was ill, has given him tons of
time in appointments, includes me in decision-making and he has responded
to many emails when my son had an illness. I believe he's reasonable and
caring. His name is David Bacchus, and he's received lots of praise on BPN.
anon
You didn't say which Kaiser location but I've been going to
Kaiser Oakland for the last four years with my daughter and
we have never experienced a pediatrician who behaves the way
you describe. Our regular pediatrician is Dr. Meera Tatapudy
and I have been very happy with the way she interacts with
both of my daughters (ages 4 years and 18 months). They both
had checkups last month and Dr. Tatapudy was very good at
addressing them directly and telling them what to expect
(''now I'm going to look in your ears'', ''now I'm going to
listen to your heart'', etc). She also greeted my 4 year old
by name when she came in and made small talk (as much as you
can with a 4 year old, questions about being a big sister
and what's your favorite color).
We have seen many other pediatricians when we've needed
urgent care and they have always been great with the kids. I
hope you have a better experience next time.
martha
April 2010
Re: Pediatricians at Oakland kaiser open to...
We have been very happy with Dr Tenney at Kaiser. We didn't
have a home birth, but we've found Dr Tenney to be VERY
supportive of our wishes to use an alternative vaccination
schedule, avoid prescriptions, etc. In fact, she even
expected we would have done our research and come to our own
decisions about how to approach our child's medical care.
As for breastfeeding, she's also been nothing but
supportive. Kaiser Oakland has an office of lactation
consultants on the same floor as the main pediatrics office.
The consultants are wonderful (especially Nneka!!!) and
will meet with you as often as you need. They're also
available by phone if you have questions and can help with
everything from latch problems to supply issues to work and
pumping.
Good luck!
April 2010
My husband just got a new job that has Kaiser health
insurance and I enrolled at the Walnut Creek location
because I heard it was better than the Oakland location
(we live in Oakland). We had our first pediatrician appt
for our 7 month old daughter yesterday and really didn't
like the doctor. She was extremely curt and borderline
rude, and seemed very rushed and disengaged. I'm
disheartened that this is our first experience w/ a Kaiser
doctor. I really loved my daughter's previous doctor at
East Bay Pediatrics (Tracy Evans-Ramsey) and would love to
find someone like her. I guess I just appreciate a good
bedside manner, and would like someone who is a good
listener and seems like they really like children. Can
anyone recommend a pediatrician at Kaiser Walnut Creek or
Oakland?
Mary
You wrote that you heard that Walnut Creek was better than Oakland and that's
why you're traveling despite living in Oakland. We use Kaiser Oakland Pediatrics
and are very happy, for what it's worth. Tons of pediatricians to choose from. We
have gotten great care for a broad range of medical issues.
very happy at Kaiser Oakland
We have been Kaiser Oakland members for almost 4 years now
and have nothing but positives to say about pediatrics.
Not sure if they are accepting new patients right now, but
we've found all of the following doctors to be warm and
positive with our 4 year old and baby (and their
parents!): Roberta Cunningham, Jennifer Tenney, Meera
Tatapudy.
No need to drive to WC!
I can't see driving to Walnut Creek when there are so many
great pediatricians at Oakland Kaiser. That sounds
stressful! Check out the BPN website for lots of
recommendations.
Our doc is David Bacchus. He's great.
Berkeley Mom
I am so very sorry that you had a bad experience with a
Kaiser doc. Please don't give up. Due to a job change, I
had to move my daughter from Berkeley Pediatrics to Kaiser
when she was @five years old. I was really worried,
thinking I was going to ''second class medicine''. Was I
ever wrong. There is nothing better than Kaiser for the
best care, especially pediatrics. The advice line is
available 24/7; urgent care visits are always available
after hours. I have never waited more than 10 minutes in
the waiting room. And the physicians are the very best.
I've learned that for every 100 physician applicants,
Kaiser hires 1 (now so many of the best docs want to work
for Kaiser).
I have loved every physician we have seen in Oakland
(though a Dr. Bacchus whom we saw in urgent care was less
warm than the many others we have seen throughout the
years in urgent care, though he was very competent).
There is no reason for you to schlepp to Walnut Creek.
(Actually, in terms of member satisfaction overall
Richmond Kaiser ranks higher than Oakland or Walnut
Creek). I would suggest you register on kp.org (a great
resource) and go to ''locate our services''. If you select
Oakland Medical Center, then pediatrics, you can see the
web sites of each pediatrician, view their photos, read
their bios, etc. The site also indicates whether the
physician is open to new patients. Friday is the day that
some doctors open up to new patients. My daughter is now
15 years old and has a new pediatrician (her other doc had
the adaucity to retire!) whom we like, though she is young
(Dr. Rebecca Gentemann). I have really liked Dr.
Elizabeth Ann Gray and Dr. Junge. Please, stay with it; I
have no question whatsoever that you will find a
pediatrician you love at any of the Kaiser facilities.
The ''system'' sometimes feels daunting, but once you figure
out the correct phone numbers (peds in oakland is 752-
1200), and the docs you love, you will be very, very happy-
-and will receive more services than you ever did in the
non-Kaiser environment. (eg., Kaiser has the H1N1 vaccine
when other providers did not). You can go to any Kaiser
facility back and forth if you want as well. The
electronic medical record follow you into whatever office
you visit. You can tell, I'm a big Kaiser fan. Feel free
to email me if you'd like.
Linda
I've been with Kaiser a very long time and have experienced
the good and bad at both the Oakland and the Walnut Creek
facilities. Honestly, you are no more or less likely to find
a ''better'' doctor at either location, so go with the
location that's most convenient to your daily life and look
for a doctor you like there.
We take our 10 month old son to Dr. Jennifer Tenney at
Kaiser Oakland and she is WONDERFUL. She's extremely patient
and calm, has a great bedside manner, and explains things
clearly. She's also very prompt about responding to emails,
which I appreciate. The only negative thing I can say is
that she is frequently behind schedule, which I tolerate
because I know it's a direct result of her being very
patient with her clients. I wholeheartedly recommend her.
Maia
I have a 9 month old baby and we've been seeing Dr.
Jennifer Tenney with kaiser oakland. I like her manner.
She has a calmness and kindness, asks us lots of little
questions about our daughter - eating,sleeping,
development. I like her interest and how she covers a lot
in a short routine checkup. We havent' had any big issues
to cover with her, but I feel a good connection with her
and feel like my baby is in good hands.
good luck and keep looking until you find someone you feel
great about!
anon
I live in Rockridge and use Dr. Rebecca Gentemann at Kaiser
Oakland. Love her - we switched to Kaiser when my now 4yo
was 1 and we love it. The oakland facility is great, they
specialze in pediatrics so (god forbid) you ever have any
issues you can get all the care you need in one location.
Dr. G is fabulous, very calm and non-judgmental. She takes
her time with you and the kids. I've never felt rushed.
She is also great about email, always responds within 24
hours.
On Oakland facility overall, we've had to use the emergency
room (2x now - we have rambunctious boys) and it was a great
experience each time.
rockridge mom of 2 boys
Editor note: reviews were also received for Kaiser Walnut Creek pediatricians
Feb 2010
Re: In search of open-minded Pediatrician
My husband and I were also looking for the same when we
were looking for a Pediatrician for our first child when
she was born. We tried a few Pediatricians at Kaiser
before asking around and found out about Dr. Naomi Bolden,
she is very kind and very open to the idea that we wanted
to do the vacinations on an alternative schedule. Our
experience with Kaiser that a lot better than I thought it
would be. In general I found the Kaiser staff to be
accepting of what we wanted our birthing experience to be.
We chose not to have the baby cleaned after birth because
we wanted to do that once we got home as a bonding
experience and they were okay with that.
Best of luck!
Claudia
Nov 2009
We are first-time parents looking for a great Pediatrician at
Kaiser. We're nearest to the Oakland Kaiser, and prefer
Oakland Peds just for logistical reasons, but might travel for
the right doc.
Looking for a doctor with patience for well-educated but
anxious, new parents who tend toward the worring type and
sometimes need a little extra time for questions and/or more
detailed information and advice. This is especially true since
one of us speaks English as a second language and can be a
little skepitcal about medical advice, while the other can be a
little skeptical of non-western medical advice (for example,
not a fan of homeopathy).
An added bonus would be a pediatrician experienced with and
gentle/understanding in working with moms with post-partum
depression.
Obviously, we'd like someone with excellent training and
experience, and who's regularly available/accessible (i.e., not
always in meetings or such so that we'd have to see a covering
colleague much of the time -- continuity of care is important
to us). Our OB gave names of a few Richmond Peds but didn't
think those docs were taking new patients. She doesn't know
Oak or WC Peds dept, and since we haven't been all that pleased
with docs our PCP suggested in the past, we are reluctant to
ask for a referral now. Would rather follow
suggestions/recommendations of fellow parents.
Many Thanks!
New Parent
We have Dr. Susan Goddard @ Oakland Kaiser and we like her a
lot. She's kind and funny and silly and smart. She allows plenty of
time to chat and is very open about all of your perspectives/opinions,
etc.
-Happy With Our Ped
Hi -- We have a four year old daughter who sees Dr. Elizabeth Culler at Kaiser
in Oakland (the same hospital I go pre-Natal care at, and where my daughter
was born). We were reffered to Dr Elizabeth by a friend who is an OBGYN at La
Clinica de la Raza, Dr. Elizabeth is her family peds.
We love ''Dr. Elizabeth'' Our first newborn appointment with Dr. Culler was
shortly before she herself went on maternity leave, and during her leave we
also saw several other Kaiser peds. We like all of them, really, but I feel
especially comfortable with Dr. Cullar b/c I know that she also has the
perspective of being a mother of a child the same age as my daughter.
She ''gets'' kids, and she ''gets'' my daughter. She really gets how to converse
with young children, and my daughter is always glad to see Dr. Elizabeth.
I have never been dissatisfied with the pediatric care my daughter has
received at Kaiser-Oakland. We have had no extrodinary needs, and my kid is in
good health.
I have heard that Kaiser Richmond is very very good from friends who see peds
there, but I think that you can do really well at Oakland too.
The only thing is that the Oakland facility is very large - Peds has it's own
large building, and at times some of the offices feel chaotic -- especially
the pediatric immunization clinic and lab.
Sara
Nov 2009
Re: Kaiser pediatrician for 16 year old boy
My son who is 16 years old, has seen Dr. David Bacchus for about 9
years. He likes him and so do his father and I. He is practical
and responsive. He has been there a while now and it might be hard
to get on his panel.
Susan
Nov 2009
We are relocating to the East Bay from L.A. in January. I'm
going to need a lot of advice and recommendations from this
wonderful BPN, starting with a good Pediatrician in the Kaiser
network. I have a 3 and 1 year old.
Does anyone have a beloved Pediatrician? And can you tell me a
little about why you love this doctor? Please: Kaiser doctors only.
Jeanne
I have been taking my sons to Dr. David Bacchus at Kaiser
Oakland for the last 10 years and we think he's great.
happy mom
We're happy with Dr. Gentemann at Kaiser Oakland.
anon
Aug 2009
Hi there.
My son was dropped from our previous insurance, and after months of filing
applications, he was finally accepted by Kaiser.
Can someone please recommend a kind pediatrician who is parent cooperative,
willing to wait on vaccines, and seems genuinely interested in their
profession?
Thanks so much!
Melissa
Hi!
I LOVE our pediatrician!
Her name is Dr. Hernandez, and I have been quite impressed with: her sweet
way with our (somewhat fussy) baby, her knowledge, and her flexibility (we are
planning a modified vaccine schedule, starting after 6 months).
She does have a somewhat limited schedule.
Kendra
June 2009
Hello, I am insured with Kaiser and I am looking for a pediatrician for
my new baby (due July). I want someone who is open to discussing the
possibility that not all vaccinations for infants are absolutely
necessary and someone who will consider changing the AAP's recommended
schedule and/or even leaving some vaccinations out. Has anyone good
experience discussing the pros and cons about vaccinations openly with
a Kaiser pediatrician and not feeling pressured into doing vaccinations
you don't feel comfortable with? I live in the East Bay, so Richmond or
Oakland Kaiser would be best.
Thanks for the advice,
Catherine
We see Dr. Roberta Cunningham at Kaiser Oakland and she has been
absolutely fine with my desire to delay some vaccines and has
counseled me in which ones are really important and why. She
orders the vaccines for me and I've gone to the vaccine clinic and
done them one or two at a time, all by my choice. I do believe
vaccines are important and have done all of them, but have felt
more comfortable spacing them out and not starting them quite so
early in infancy. I don't know how Kaiser would be for someone who
didn't want to vaccinate at all -maybe someone else can speak to
that. Dr. Cunningham is an all-around great doctor - very
knowledgeable, easy-going yet thorough, personable and good with
my 2 young kids. I recommend her most highly.
Elizabeth
May 2009
I am wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a pediatrician
at Kaiser Oakland. I am due any day now and realize we need to
choose one pretty soon! I am looking for a dr. that will allow
us to make decisions based on what feels right for us as a
family (spreading out vaccinations, etc..) versus strictly by
the book. Spanish speaker is also a plus since i hope to have a
bilingual child. Thanks in advance.
Mom to be
My sons have been with Dr. Bacchus for 4 years. He is a wonderful
pediatrician. He has given them great care, he answers all their
questions, and he is very easy to talk to. My sons are now 7 and 11
1/2. My seven year old really likes him, as does my older son. He
has handled puberty related questions for my pre-teen in a very
straight forward way that we both appreciate. Other friends have
two children, aged 5 and 18 months, who are also treated by Dr.
Bacchus. They, too, are very pleased with the care they have
received.
Anne in Oakland
May 2009
I am in the process of choosing a pediatrician through Kaiser
Oakland. Does anyone have any recent advice/recommendations on
Abhay Dandekar or Katrina Saba? Or any others for that matter?
Thank you.
Angie
Our children have seen Dr. Saba for five years and we like her.
She was recommended to me by an absolutely wonderful, excellent
pediatrician who was one of Dr. Saba's attending physicians when
she was a resident at Children's Hospital. The attending
physican recommended her because she thinks Dr. Saba is really
smart, and that is important to me. I have found her to be
collaborative in her care (i.e. involves the parents in
decision-making), friendly, great with communication (responds
to emails immediately) and referrals (i.e. has no issue with
referring your child to a specialist if needed), and she has
young children of her own which I think is helpful. She's
efficient, which is great, but the downside is that she moves
things along fairly quickly during appointments -- not a lot of
time to discuss things in depth. But, that's probably just the
reality of being in primary care these days and the pressure she
is under to see lots of patients.
That said, we have also seen Dr. Dandekar a couple of times for
urgent care visits, and I REALLY liked him a lot. He was so
kind and sweet and extremely playful with my children. They
also really liked him. I think if we weren't already
established with Saba, I might consider switching to him. He
also has young children. I don't have any similar ''inside
scoop'' on him, so I can't really speak to his skills, but I did
have an experience where a younger, less confident physician we
were seeing for an urgent problem ended up consulting with him,
so that gave me the impression that he is well respected. But,
it's just that, . . . an impression. I don't have any
collateral data to back it up.
So, it sort of depends on what you are looking for. Most
pediatric primary care is somewhat routine, and I wasn't turning
to my physician for help with parenting, etc. So, the most
important thing to me is that someone really smart and
outstanding is caring for my children in case they do get
something unusual, rare, difficult to diagnose or otherwise
concering.
Does the gender of the physician matter to you? Some people
choose a physician who is the same gender as their child so that
as the child reaches adolescence, there is more comfort for the
child. But, you may have both boys and girls, and that wouldn't
be a factor.
If I were you, I would make appointments with both and get a
first hand sense of each one. Check out their Kaiser web pages.
It might become clear to you once you meet them. Good luck. I
don't think you can go wrong with either one.
We see Dr. Dandekar and like him a lot. But we just got a letter
from Kaiser saying he's dropping our daughter as of July 1. He's
''assuming a new leadership role in our pediatric residency
training program.'' So I'd be sort of surprised if he's taking
new patients.
By the way, this is the only thing that frustrates me about
Kaiser Oakland pediatrics. Every time we get a pediatrician
lined up, he or she has to stop seeing our child in a year or
so, and we start over. Or do other of Dr. Dandekar's patients
get to continue seeing him??
Cathy
We love, LOVE Dr. Dandekar, but there is one problem....as of
the end of June, he will no longer be doing peds primary care.
He's getting promoted, which is great, but we got our letter in
the mail regarding his practice the other day, and are sad.
Mom happy with Kaiser
May 2009
Re: Kaiser Doc Recommendations?
We LOVE our pediatrician, who we found thanks to BPN
recommendations. He is Dr. Phan Phu at Kaiser Oakland. He is
a parent of a toddler. He really listens to our (many)
questions, gives lots of advice, and takes the attitude that
the parents have the final say in the child's care. Also laid
back about waiting on shots, co-sleeping, etc. Our daughter
is really comfortable with him. Also, he always responds to
emails very quickly, and I've never had a problem getting in
to see him, even same-day when our daughter had a fall.
Stasi
Nov 2008
Re: new to Kaiser, need pediatrician
Sue Chan-Werner is a great pediatrician at Kaiser, Oakland. She has been
with my children since birth. She listens attentively and gives advice
freely without the rushed feel of some Kaiser visits. Plus, she is good
about responding to e-mails that you can send through the Kaiser website.
TamuK
My 3-year-old has been seeing Dr. David Bacchus since he was born, and we
LOVE him. Dr. Bacchus has incredible rapport with kids and a great sense
of humor, and he always knows exactly what to do.
Our family uses a lot of herbal supplements and homeopathic remedies
alongside traditional medicine, and Dr. Bacchus has always been very
respectful of our decisions.
Great doc!
Lisa in Oakland
We like our ped - Dr. Casteneda-Davis. She's awesome. Have also had
great appts. with male ped - Dr. Dandekar.
My son was diagnosed with
a debilitating and life-threatening condition at Kaiser Oakland and I
swear by those pediatricians. The pediatric specialists are all
exceptional top to bottom (and believe me, we see them all!).
Specifically: (General Pediatrics) Dr. Elizabeth Culler and Dr.Dandekar
but you'll have to look at the list to see who is currently accepting new
patients.
Try Dr. Roberta Cunningham for a pediatrician at Kaiser Oakland. She's
not very warm, but a good listener and not too conservative.
Kaiser will tell you can only get doc's that are currently accepting
patients, but you can get in the back door by simply only scheduling your
appts with whichever doctor you want each time, never officially choosing
one and then eventually the doctor you see most will become your doctor.
Good luck.
Feb 2008
We are soon to deliver our first child and are in the process of looking
for a pediatrician at Kaiser Oakland. Does anyone have any
recommendations? I looked at some on the website, but they are a few
years old and was wondering if anyone had more recent experiences.
Thanks in advance!
Janelle
Hi,
We have the wonderful Dr. Fischoff as our primary pediatrician
at Kaiser Oakland; she's the one that sees our son for all his
well baby checkups. When she didn't have a ''same day''
appointment available, the way their practice works, one of
the other pediatricians will see him. ALL of the doctors
there have been great. Because all their records are
computerized, any of the Doctors can see him and know his
history. Between all the normal colds, fevers, ear infections,
weird looking rashes, and first time Mummy concerns, I think
we've seen every one of the pediatricians at least once and
we have been pleased with every one of them. If you have
language concerns, many of the doctors are multi-lingual, so
you can ask the appointment clerk for assistance.
By the way, the pediatrics building at Kaiser Oakland is valet
parking only, which is truly wonderful while managing car
seats, strollers etc.
Davey's Mummy
Jan 2008
Re: Kaiser Doctors
Since the birth of our first child seven years ago our pediatrician has
been Dr. Beth Culler at Kaiser Oakland. She is thoughtful, incredibly
intelligent, gentle and serious. When she has not been able to see my
children every one of the other pediatricians we've seen has been
equally confidence inspiring and warm.
Monica
Oct 2007
Re: Kaiser PCP, OBGYN & Ped. recommendations
David Bacchus at Kaiser Oakland Pediatrics is one of the best clinicians I
have met. He is experienced and thus has excellent clinical judgement. I
appreciate his watch and wait approach and his willingness to dialouge about
our desire to wait on vaccines. My son was born at home and Dr Bacchus
discovered a very subtle but significant birth defect the first time he
examined him. We have always gotten same day appointments with him during
illness so I think he is taking new patients. Satisfied customer
Oct 2007
Does anyone have recent experience with pediatrician Dr. Bacchus at Kaiser
Oakland? I need to choose a pediatrician for my soon-to-be-born baby.
Older BPN posts recommend him highly but I'm curious about recent
experiences with him, particularly with newborns (and neurotic parents).
Thanks!
Ashley
My primary pediatrician is Dr. Gail Udkow at Oakland Kaiser, but when she is
busy I ALWAYS request Dr. Bacchus. He is a wonderful doctor, he listens to
parents, spends extra time if neccessary and I never feel rushed. My
children love him. I would not hesitate to choose him as your pediatrician.
Happy with Oak Kaiser!
We love Dr. Bacchus, but mostly because he is very low-drama and it fits in
with our parenting philosophy quite well. I know other families who also
use him, but sometimes feel like they want something more/different, just
because he's not really going to give you much more than an ''uh huh'' about
typical parenting laments (like ''my baby's not sleeping''). However, we
also use Kaiser for our traditional, western medical needs (vaccinations,
antibiotics as appropriate, well-baby check ups) and we look elsewhere for
truly customized advice and services (out of pocket).
He's cut and dry, but definitely takes time to answer your questions well,
follows up within 24 hours himself, and has done a great job following up on
some details with my son's medical history. My son, who doesn't much care
for others handling him, sometimes even cracks a smile for him, which is
huge. We're happy with Dr. Bacchus (and Kaiser in general).
Bacchus fan
I really would recommend against Dr. Bacchus if you are a
higher needs mom. We had Dr. Bacchus as our son's pediatrician for nearly a
year, but recently switched to a different doctor.
I chose him because people on BPN recommended him, but I found him to be
terse almost to the point of rudeness. He seems to have very little
patience for mom-anxiety. I don't feel that I was all that demanding, but
as a first time mom I probably did ask questions that a more experienced
parent would not. Overall I found his answers to be unhelpful or anxiety
producing. He also does not seem to be very sensitive to the attachment
oriented style of parenting. His attitude towards our son's frequent night
nursing was to just cold turkey stop feeding him.
I could really go on and on with the
stories, but after about 10 months of feeling irritated and not satisfied an
especially terse and unhelpful e-mail just sent me over the edge and I
switched pediatricians. Now we have Dr. Gentemann. We have only seen her
once, but she seems like such a better match for a first time or anxious
parent. She was so nice and reassuring and when I totally freaked out about
my son's labwork she called me at home that same day to explain what it all
meant. My overall advice to you is trust your gut. I know people on BPN
have loved Dr. Bacchus and there is a woman in my mom's group who is a fan
also, but I didn't feel Dr. Bacchus was a match for me almost from day one,
but I stuck with it way longer than I should have. Good luck in your
search!!
Anonymous
I have been bringing my son to Dr Bacchus since birth and he is now 5 months
old. Dr. Bacchus has been thorough and listens to all my questions (I bring
lists!). He responded to my email quickly and didn't tell me I was crazy for
bringing my son in on a Saturday when he was a week old to look at his
umbilical cord, which was fine. He instead took the time to explain to me
what was normal for a healing umbilical cord. He's very much by-the-book and
doesn't do too much cooing over my son. I know that shouldn't matter but I
want my pediatrician to think my son is as cute and playful as I do. Hope
that helps.
Diana
I have 2 kids who have both seen Dr. Bacchus since they were newborns and we
love him. I am a super neurotic mom and any little rash, weird looking
bump, or strange looking poop and I call the Dr. He has never made me
feel dumb about any question I asked and is very reassuring and calm. He is
also very prompt about calling or emailing me back whenever I contact him
without going into his office. Not only do I like him but he has made my
kids feel totally comfortable with him. I highly recommend him.
kids excited to go to Dr.
Hi,
I saw your post and wanted to give you my beaming report about Dr. Bacchus.
I recently referred an friend to him and she, too, is really happy.
I have taken my son to Dr. Bacchus since he was born and have only positive
things to say. He is very gentle and spends a good amount of time talking
to both baby and parent(s). He is respectful and non-alarmist which is
especially great if you are a first-time mom. my son was born with a rare
eye disorder which Dr. Bacchus saw and we were able to get treatment. He is
also very respectful around immunizations, i.e. he gives you the information
(and his opinion if you ask for it) and is non-judgemental. I must add that
I have decided to fully immunize (with one exception), so I don't know how
he would respond if one opted out of shots all together.
Good luck!
Anon.
Welcome to the world of neurosis, oh, I mean parenting. Okay, my daughter is
nearly 8. Her doctor is Fischhoff. However, as you know from being a Kaiser
patient you see whatever doctor is in when you have the flu, etc. Because of
everything from a growth (actually, a wart, yes, I am neurotic also), to
severe colds, flu, ear infections and a bladder infection, we have had an
opportunity to ''try out'' many Kaiser pediatricians. While only two in 8
years have been worthy of ''I'd rather take my kid to Hayward rather than
have Dr. ****'' I have to say, on the whole they are mostly great.
Here is my list in order of the doctors I prefer when Fischhoff is not
available: Bacchus, Tatapudy, and Garcia. I get one of them almost every
time – they are all great. Sensitive to parents and child, know their
diagnosis, know when a medication isn’t working and actually make eye
contact and talk to each baby / child. In the case of infants, all of these
doctors allow you to hold your baby on routine visits and the great thing
about Kaiser doctors is that the injection clinic gives shots not the
doctor. Your child never learns to associate pain with their doctor, they
learn to associate being taken care of and healing with their doctor.
Kaiser Pediatric Fan
Dr. Bacchus is currently our physician. We've had him since my son was 3 and
my daughter was born. They are now 7 and 4. I have been happy with him. He
is very gentle and laid back about things, and he has been very responsive
when needed.
happy patient
Dr. Bacchus has been our pediatrician for 5 years and we've been really
happy with him. He's great with my girls, very respectful and engaged. He's
thorough and straight forward but not pushy and I trust him. I've had my
neurotic moments too - he handles it well. He's friendly and normal and I'm
suprised he's got openings.
Jill
Sept 2007
Our Oakland Kaiser pediatrician whom we loved has moved on, so we are looking for
recommendations. We'd like someone who is open to a slower vaccine schedule, and to
co-sleeping. We chose someone from the older BPN posts who was fine,
but perhaps not the best fit. Any other suggestions appreciated.
I have a 3 week old and got assigned to Dr. Phu simply because he was available. I
am thrilled with him. He assumed we were co-sleeping and didn't bat an eye when I
told him we were going to wait for a year before considering any vaccinations. He
is gentle with my baby and talks to him as he works. He provides more information
about what NOT to worry about than things to worry about, so I always leave
feeling relaxed and listened to.
Lyssa
I just had a baby 2 months ago and we are working with Dr. Mary Spiller at Kaiser
Oakland. She is terrific.. takes all the time you need to discuss questions and
concerns. For example, when I voiced some concerns about vaccinations, she ranked
them in terms of priority for me and told me why each was in that spot in the
ranking. Pretty impressive for someone who works for an HMO, in my opinion.
Audrey
We just love Dr. David Bacchus at Oakland Kaiser. He is very progressive and is
wonderful with our little boy -- he's seen him since birth and my son is now 2.
Dr. Bacchus supported my decision to space out junior's vaccinations, and he
supported our decision to cosleep -- though I have to laugh, because when I
complained to him that cosleeping was leaving ME sleepless he did roll his eyes a
bit!
Still I think he's great.
Lisa in Oakland
June 2007
Hi - I am due with my first child in July and would love recommendations for
a great Kaiser-Oakland pediatrician.
Thanks!
Audrey
I would recommend Dr. David Bachus at Kaiser Oakland. Our boys have been going to Dr.
Bacchus for over 8 years (since they were very young). He treats them kindly and
respectfully, and they feel comfortable and relaxed with him. Donna
March 2007
We recently moved to the Bay Area, and we need to find a new pediatrician for our son and a
good family practitioner for us. We are flexible on location, but Kaiser Pleasanton or
Oakland would be most convenient. It is especially important for us to find a pediatrician
who is a good listener and who doesn't make parents feel rushed during visits. Thanks!
Rebecca
when we were with kaiser, we saw Dr. Elizabeth Culler.
http://www.permanente.net/homepage/kaiser/pages/c5795-top.html
she was patient and easygoing, didn't try to tell us how to
parent (no intrusive questions re: sleeping situations, etc.),
and did not push the issue of vaccinations when we declined them.
she was helpful and available by phone to discuss issues related
to the health risks of traveling to india when we needed that. as
i recall she's pretty strictly allopathic in her approach, so if
you want info on other approaches to healthcare, i'm not sure she
would be a useful resource. (this is as of 3 years ago... people
change)
signed: too ''crunchy'' for kaiser, now.
Our 2 year old daughter has seen Dr. Saba at Kaiser Oakland since
she was an infant (we hopped between several docs during those
first few months before we settled on Dr. Saba). We love her -
she's been very thorough, patient, and available to us. My
husband and I have very different communication styles and she's
been able to speak to us both on a level that we are very happy
with. When we've had doubts about vaccinations (or other issues)
she's been very thorough and not at all pushy in explaining why
she recommends a certain course of action. In between visits I've
emailed her several times and she always gets right back to me.
All that said, as far as I can tell all of the pediatricians at
Oakland are great - it would just be a matter of finding one you
and your children get along with. And, of course, deciding if the
Oakland campus setup is manageable for you. Oh, and sorry to say
I don't have a GP recommendation. Neither me nor my husband see
our GPs often enough to feel strongly either way about them.
Good luck and welcome!
happy Oakland Kaiser mom
March 2007
Hi, I'm new to Kaiser and really need to find a good doctor (can
be a pediatrician or a family practicioner) for my 1 year old
daughter. Since I have delayed a handful of her vaccinations,
getting into the room with someone who say, doesn't agree with
this at all and vehemenently opposes it, would be a downer for
me. I'd like recommendations on Dr.s who are open, kind, patient,
give plenty of time to the appt., and who also consider
alternative care options....Any suggestions/rec's for either
facility. Thanks in advance!
New Kaiser Mama
I really like my daughter's pediatrician at Kaiser Oakland. Her name is Dr. (Chesney)
Kennedy. My daughter has been very healthy so my experience has been limited to well baby
checks. My daughter has had all her vaccines so not sure what kind of vibe you might get
from Dr. Kennedy as far as delaying vaccines but I would check her out.
Jennifer
I can highly recommend Dr. Donald Mangravite (pronounced ''man-gra-vee-tee'') at Kaiser
Oakland. My son is only 5-months-old, but Dr. Mangravite has seen him since birth and we've
been in more times than with a normal infant for various reasons (circumcision inspection,
colic, head injury, etc.). Dr. Mangravite is very experienced, warm, caring, funny, and
makes himself available through email (which you can sign up for on Kaiser's website). I
absolutely love him and am extremely pleased with the care he has given my son.
katie_b
Also recommended: Richmond Kaiser pediatricians
November 2006
I would like to hear any positive/negative experiences with Kaiser's Richmond or
Oakland pediatric services, mainly regarding appointment availability in ''urgent''
cases. Can you get an appoinment for the same day if needed? We've not chosen our
doctor yet, neither are not sure whether to take Kaiser or United Health Care, so I'd
be happy to hear recommendations on any other pediatric services in/near Berkeley
MM
We joined Oakland Kaiser for the first time about a year and a half ago. I'm never
switching to another provider again if I can help it; I really, really like Kaiser. Yes,
you can get same day appointments for urgent care, even on Saturday and Sundays (although
not necessarily with your primary pediatrcian). Their hours are great and you can call any
time/day for advice and appointments. In my experience it's such an easier system to work
with, especially if you need to see specialists, get a prescription filled, get blood
drawn, etc. It's all in house so you don't have to deal with paper work if referred to a
specialist, your doctor takes care of everything via the computer. To see a specialist with
our old health plan I was constantly having to pick up paper work, call different offices
to see if paper work got through, etc. My first experience at Kaiser was for my annual well
women check up. My gyno noticed some excema and asked if I'd like to see a dermatologist. I
said yes, she rolled over to the computer and said ''There's an appointment available in 10
minutes across the street, could you make that?'' With our old plan I would've waited a
week for the paper work to go through.
Your doctor can also just send any prescriptions via computer to the pharmacy which is
usually in the same building. I also find that I'm paying less at Kaiser for prescriptions
than with our old health plans. I also like their preventative approach to medicine, and
the Oakland facility (the only one I know) has a Health Education Center where you can
purchase things like yoga mats, books, and check out videos or books on various health
related subjects.
Another great thing is that in the pediatrics building, there is a pediatric pharmacy and
injection clinic. So when my son has needed blood drawn or shots, we just take the elevator
down a couple of floors and we're good to go, versus having to get in the car and go to
some place like Quest Labs where they might not be as experienced working with little
children. anon
Kaiser Oakland's pediatric department is WONDERFUL. Our pediatrician is Daniel Junge and
he is just amazing and incredibly thorough. I have a toddler who was diagnosed with a rare
medical condition and both Dr. Junge and my son's pediatric hematologist/oncologist are
helpful, responsive, and quick to help me out if I have questions or if I've had
difficulties with places like the ER. I developed a fantastic relationship with our pedi
hem/onc nurse and I know I can call him whenever I have concerns about my son and he also
calls me regularly to check in after my son's had a bout of illness.
I started off in Walnut Creek, only because I ended up giving birth there because Oakland
was full and they wanted to see us at the Walnut Creek facility for the first week of my
son's life. There, I waited with my jaundiced preemie FOREVER for lab results and for the
doctors who were nowhere to be found. Seriously. I was there for HOURS. And I thought that
because the facility looked so much nicer and perhaps because WC is less densely populated,
that I would have better care. Nope. When at Oakland, I never wait more than 10 minutes for
my appointment. I have been able to get urgent care on the same day whenever I need it and
my pediatrician is always notified when my son has had what I will just call a ''medical
episode.'' Once he is notified, he always makes sure we have a follow up visit the very
next day. Since we have to work with several doctors, it would be easy for my son's care to
get nightmarishly confusing . However, they really work well as a team, coordinate his care
and are ALWAYS up to date with each other. My friend, whose son has Cerebral Palsy, and who
also goes to Kaiser (and has Dr. Junge), is also impressed by their care. She often makes
her appointments back to back, so she books her check ups right after her son's physical
therapy appointments. Even though these appointments are back to back, she has come into
Dr. Junge's office and he will already have read the PT's notes and is prepared to discuss
any concerns. Kaiser often gets a bad rap but I can say that I have been more than
impressed with Kaiser Oakland and with my pediatrician--so much so that I never want to
move! I'm so glad I chose them instead of a ppo. Oh. The only ''negative'' I would have to
add is that sometimes the injection clinic and pharmacy get a little full and the wait can
be annoying. But you can plan around that if you are organized. If you plan your
vaccinations such that you get there right at the beginning of the day or right after they
open from lunch, you're fine. As for the pharmacy, if you have a routine prescription that
can be mailed to you, they will do that free of charge. It's great. happy mama
Dr. Bacchus is my son's pediatrician at Oakland Kaiser. We've been very pleased with his
services. I've called the advice nurses several times and have gotten good information
from them. I've been able to get same day urgent appointments the two times my son needed
to be seen immediately (not with his own pediatrician, but with two other very competent
doctors). I don't have any complaints. anon
We've been happy with Kaiser Oakland pediatrics, and because it
is such a big facility/staff there is usually no problem getting
a same day appointment with a doctor (usually not with your
primary pediatrician, of course). happy to be a Kaiser member
Our 22 month old son has seen Dr. Cunningham at Kaiser Oakland his entire life! we have
been very happy with her, and she is very responsive on email as well.
As for emergencies, we have been to the ER three times (for breathing/asthma), and all
three times they have seen us right away. (I assume all infants go right in). We were very
satisfied with the treatments. For urgent care, we have always been able to get in same
day, even once in Kaiser Roseville when we were travelling. We don't always get Dr.
Cunningham, but the other doctors we've seen have all been fine. In addition, the asthma
nurse has called us directly a couple times to follow up on how things are going (good so
far)
Bryan
See More responses to this question
August 2006
We're new to Kaiser Oakland and only 10 pediatricians are
accepting new patients. Any comments on any of the following?
We have a 5-mo. old daughter. A doc that listens well and
doesn't feel threatened by Qs is most desired! Thanks. Dr.
Bolden, Dr. Shaunda Johnson, Dr. Fan, Dr. Mangravit and Dr. Ubkow
I recommend Katrina Saba, MD. She cared for both of my sons until it became more practical
for us to start using Kaiser Richmond. I found her to be thoughtful and caring during both
routine and distressing visits (my first son and I were in a car accident when he was a
baby) and respectful when I decided to veer from the Kaiser schedule for vaccinations
anon
I had Dr. Udkow for both of my daughters but didn't end up feeling comfortable with her and
found a new doctor. She was very pro-vaccein and seemed impatient with my questions about
them. She also did not seem updated on breast feeding and how a breast feeding baby's sleep
patterns may be different then a bottle fed baby. I ended up leaving my appointments and
calling the lactation consultants for help. I asked the lactation consultant for doctor
recommendations and switched. With my older daughter that has scoliosis and was experiencing
pain. Dr Udkow dismissed her feelings and told her that scoliosis doesn't cause pain - end
of story
anonymous
We have gone to Kaiser Oakland pediatrics for 7 years and are very
satisfied with the
pediatricians our children have seen. We were assigned to pediatricians
randomly
and we're very happy with our pediatricians. They work in groups so if
your child is
sick you may see another doctor in the group and we liked everyone of the
pediatricians in our group. They all are good communicators and have
great bedside
manner.
You can e-mail your doctor at Kaiser so you can easily ask questions. My
husband
e-mailed his doctor on Saturday and got a response in a few minutes; we
could not
believe it. The doctors care about practicing medicine first and do not
have to be
distracted by running a business. They are all board certified.
j3
Nov 2004
I'm going to have my first child in a little over a month and
was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for
pediatricians at Oakland-Kaiser?
Would appreciate any feedback--good or bad. I believe they
assign you to someone at Labor and Delivery, but I'd like to
be able to do some background research so that I can
choose.
Thanks so much for any feedback.
sue
Recommendations received:
Linda Armstrong
David Bacchus (2)
Leo Cheng
Elizabeth Gray
Katrina Saba
Noah Simons
May 2004
I just found out yesterday that my work is switching heath
insurance from Blue Shield to Kaiser - in 3 days (!!!).
Can anyone recommend a pediatrician at Kaiser Oakland whom they
absolutely love??? We are looking for someone who is not going
to push antibiotics all the time (although appropriate
antibiotics are fine), who is open to alternative care, and is
willing to spend some time with us and get to know us. I am
also still breastfeeding, and would like someone who will
appreciate and back up our decision to let our son wean himself
when he's ready. And I very much appreciate doctors who can
schedule a same-day appointment when necessary, and who respond
fairly quickly to a phone call. We have such a great
pediatrician now that I am almost in tears at not being able to
continue with her.
I saw a couple of recommendations on the website but wanted
some more input, specifically docs that are easy to reach
and/or see quickly, since most recommendations on the site say
that the doc can be hard to access.
Jen
Recommendations received:
Thomas Carlson (2)
Roberta Cunningham
Daniel Junge
More advice:
I go to Oakland Kaiser and have to say that the entire
ob-gyn/peds department has been WONDERFUL! I know, it's a shock
given Kaiser's reputation (and many of my own experiences prior
to my baby); my son is 8 months old now and I've found everyone
from prenatal to postnatal to be quite amazing. Our
pediatrician's name is Rebecca Eakins, but I need to tell you
that I've seen just about everyone there. My little guy got a
few bad colds after beginning daycare so I was in and out and
would make appointments with whoever was available. Everyone
appears to communicate and listen well. I think you'll be
surprised at the great service (I know I was).
Abby
June 2003
Our beloved Kaiser Pediatrician is no longer doing clinical
work. Any RECENT recommendations for an excellent
Kaiser (Oakland) pediatrician?
Laurie
Recommendations received:
David Bacchus
Roberta Cunningham
Ann Tipton
Re: Pediatrician for my first child Nov 2004
Dr. Linda Armstrong has all of our support since the birth of
our daughter seven months ago. She has been helpful in
answering all of my questions, I arrive with lists of them.She
has called the following day after my daughter recives her
shots to see how she is feeling. She is very much into
explaining everything that is going on with your child and
listens to your feedback and responses. She is also great with
children and babies, and has a very caring aura about her. We
had no idea who to choose at the hospital, but we feel lucky
that Dr. Armstrong was assigned to us.
kristie
David Bacchus
Re: Pediatrician for my first child Nov 2004
Love Dr. Bacchus. He is never hurried. Will answer all your new mother concerns
thoroughly.
Dr. Bacchus Fan
Re: Pediatrician for my first child Nov 2004
David Bacchus, MD, at Kaiser Oakland has been our sons'
pediatrican for the last 5 years. My husband and I are very
pleased with him. He takes the time to thoroughly discuss the
situation and answer any questions. My one son had a rather
uncommon problem and he nailed it right away.
Donna
Re: Seeking excellent pediatrician
We love our Pediatrician Dr. David Bacchus. He sees both
my boys and spends time getting to know them. He has a
great disposition. He's conservative with administering
meds and/or antibiotics for every little thing, which is one of
the biggest reasons we see him for health care. Give him a
try, I think you'll really like him!
Amy (june 2003)
dr. baccus is fabulous. listens, is patient, and explains
options. believes in vaccines but is open to waiting and
choosing.
Jen (March 2003)
We have been very happy with Dr. Siew Chan-Warner, and, when our son got
old enough to want a male doctor, Dr. Bacchus. Both of these are warm,
friendly, respectful people who don't make me feel rushed or ignored.
They return phone calls amazingly fast. However, our kids have been
exceedingly healthy (we know we're lucky) so we don't have any experience
with them in difficult circumstances. But we have a lot of confidence that
they can handle the Kaiser system and advocate well for their patients.
Avi (2002)
I'd like to recommend Dr. David Bucchas at Kaiser Oakland. He has one or two kids of his
own, listens well, and has good suggestions. On note, I've found that the medical assistants
seem hurried at times, but the registration clerks have always been friendly. There have been
times when my child has seen other pediatricians in the group, when Dr. Bacchus was not a
vailable, and I've liked them all. For my money one of the best things about Kaiser Oakand
is that they have Saturday and Sunday appointments. On more than one occasion I've called
Sat or Sun for more minor situations that *could* have waited until Monday and I've been able
to come right in to the office and see a doctor on that weekend day with no long waits. They also
have pharmacy, lab & xray right there on site.
Dr. Bradman
We are also new to Kaiser. My 16 year-old daughter just saw Dr. Bradman
(female) who is listed as a "pediatric/teen doctor" at Oakland's Kaiser. We
both liked her a lot. (Nov 2001)
Re: Can you recommend a pediatrician you absolutely love? (May 2004)
Dr. Carlson has been our daughter's pediatrician for a year, and
we love him. He is kind, gentle, open to evidence based
alternative medicine, a supporter of attachment parenting, and
spends much more time with us than I thought was possible at
Kaiser. Our daughter was sick last week, and we were able to get
a same day appointment, although I don't think this is always
possible at Kaiser. He calls us to follow up on lab work, and
has always answered our questions thoughtfully and sensitively.
We feel extremely fortunate.
Sarah
Re: Can you recommend a pediatrician you absolutely love? (May 2004)
I LOVE our pediatrician at Kaiser, his name is Dr. Thomas
Carlson. He would most definitely be supportive in the
specific areas you mentioned: nursing, and he is is no way an
antibiotics pusher. Dr. Carlson has always been extremely
friendly, and he's a good listener. I've never felt like he's
rushing us out, and he takes time to answer all of our
questions. I really think he's great, and I know several other
parents who use him as thier primary pediatrician, and they are
just as happy. He also just seems to really love amd enjoy
kids. I like the way he talks to our baby (who, by the way, is
now 10 mos. old and has been seeing Dr. carlson since he was 2
days old.).
Re: Pediatrician for child with food allergey (Sept 2003)
No pediatrician recommendation unless you've got Kaiser (then
Thomas Carlson is GREAT!), but wanted to share that my son's
exczema cleared up when Dr. Carlson suggested that I stop eating
meat and dairy because of the antibiotics and hormones - his
skin was clear within a week! (at 6 months, so eating only
breastmilk) Since then, he's had flare-ups the few times I ate
meat, so I'm trying to be really diligent. No problems with
organic milk/cheese/yogurt, or eggs with no antibiotics/hormones
so far. You might want to try it? Good luck!
amy
I highly recommend Dr. Thomas Carlson. He is my son's
pediatrician, and we are VERY happy with him. He asks relevant
questions (doesn't just read to you from the standard form that
you'll be filling out each visit) and is genuinely interested in
your answers.
He is also a father of a young daughter, so you feel as if he's
going through it all with you, and also interested in child
development at each stage.
He's great. Sweet and genuine, and clinically competent. Good
luck deciding!
Kaiser mom (March 2003)
Siew Chan-Warner
Re: Kaiser pediatrician for a Preemie (April 2002)
We've been very happy with Kaiser Oakland pediatricians Dr.
Siuw Chan-Warner (sometimes goes by just Dr. Chan) and Dr.
Baccus. We switched to Dr. Baccus when our son became shy
about a female doctor, but he still likes Dr. Chan. Our
kids weren't preemies, and we haven't had any serious
illnesses, but for routine care, these doctors have been
great. They listen, they take time, they are very
responsive. In this day and age, it's such a relief to have
good pediatricians.
Avi
Re: Pediatrician for my first child Nov 2004
I recommend Dr Leo Cheng. He was so amazingly gentle and kind
with my daughter when she was tiny. He snapped her onsie back
up! I know this might seem subjective, but he really seemed to
care about my child. And he is a great technical doctor, of
course. Good luck with your new baby.
Annie
My daughter (2 and a half) has had Dr. Elizabeth Culler as a
pediatrician, and we've been very happy with her. She is young and
very nice, reassuring in manner. She seemed quite knowledgeable.
Fortunately, we've not had health problems to deal with, just well-baby
checkups, so I can't comment on how she would be for a major health
problem.
Mimi (March 2003)
Roberta Cunningham
Re: Can you recommend a pediatrician you absolutely love? (May 2004)
I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the pediatricians at
Kaiser. We had Dr. Roberta Cunningham who seemed great - took a
lot of time, was open to a more no-drug approach etc. When she
was on maternity leave, even her temporary replacement seemed
great.
mom
Re: Open-minded about not vaccinating
I just recommended Roberta Cunningham to someone else looking for
a Kaiser Oakland Ped. She's very low-key with regard to
vaccinations. She highly recommends them but went along with our
plan to get them slowly, one at a time, and some not at all.
Best of luck. (June 2003)
Re: Seeking excellent pediatrician
We love Dr. Roberta Cunningham. She's got 3 or 4 children of
her own and a really natural way with our son - now 2 1/2. She's
also low pressure with regards to vaccines. She does recommend
them but is fine with a slowed-down schedule for them.
Happy Kaiser Mom (June 2003)
We go to Roberta Cunningham. I really like her. She listens
well and has good advice. I have left messages for her and she
calls me back. She seems to be very up-to-date on what is
happening in pediatrics.
One time we saw Meera Tatapudy, she was very kind and gentle.
Joan (March 2003)
For most of the last 9 years, we have had Roberta Cunningham as
our pediatrician. I like her very much. She always spends a lot
of time with my children and is has always answered all my
questions very satisfactorily. At 18 months, my now 5 year old
had a heart mummur, which is fairly common in young babies but
Dr. Cunningham recommended that she be seen by a cardiologist
anyway. It turns out that my daughter has a minor heart defect.
I am very grateful to Dr. Cunningham, particularly as several
pediatricians at Kaiser Walnut Creek (where we then living) had
not taken the heart mummur seriously.
Dr Cunningham has 3 young children, as do I, so she understands
how hectic life can be! She is very nice, but a little shy, so
if you are looking for an outgoing ''touchy-feely'' doctor, you
might want to pick someone else.
(March 2003)
our regular pediatrician is dr. cunningham who we like very
much. she has kids of her own and our kids are not afraid of
her. the others that we have seen on other occasions that i
would recommend are drs. junge and tatapudy. they were very
thorough and competent.
suzie
(March 2003)
I can't say enough good things about Dr. Roberta Cunningham. She has cared wonderfully for my
2-1/2-year-old twins since they were two days old. She has one or two children herself, so her
advice is peppered with personal experience, which is always valuable. She's very easy-going,
and equally comfortable with boys and girls (I have one of each). She is very knowledgeable but
not insistent that you take her advice on everything, and she's good at getting back to you when
you need to reach her by phone. As is typical at Kaiser, she is not always available for a same-day
appointment, but she is backed by some very wonderful pediatricians with whom we have also been
very happy. As a side note, Dr. Cunningham (who was the pediatrician on call when our twins were
born) was not the doctor to whom our children were assigned for their first appointment, but it was
easy to request a change. I think Kaiser Oakland typically assigns newborns to
doctors-in-training (interns?), some of whom are great and some of whom are a bit wet behind the
ears.
Mary (2001)
Sylvia Delius-Maxwell
I had a bad experience with Dr. Delius (discouraged me from
breastfeeding my son while ill) but a friend takes her son to
Dr. Delius, and loves her. And this friend breastfed her son till 4.
I love Kaiser; we've had great experience with them!
Jennie (March 2003)
Sept 2001
She was just recommended to us, and I checked ucbparentsnet website to see
if anyone else had something to say about her. Nothing there. Anyone else
have experience with her they'd like to share with me? Thanks in advance!
Madeleine
I have two sons who are seen by Dr. Delius-Maxwell and she is very capable,
friendly and a great listener. Be prepared to wait a little when you see
her for your appointments but it just shows that she takes some time with
all her patients. I have been through three pediatric doctors at Kaiser
and she is a keeper.
Carolyn
We had to see her once with our infant daughter when our regular
pediatrician was not available.
Our daughter had a slight topical infection, and she recommended
systemic antibiotics. When we asked her about the possible dangers or
long-term effects of giving antibiotics to such a young baby and about
whether there were other alternatives we could try first, she dismissed
our questions as invalid and told us that if we didn't follow her advice
that we risked having her get deathly ill and end up in the hospital. We
felt bullied. I suppose some people would think she had good advice. It
turned out that our daughter healed well with topical antibiotics. Jane
Re: Pediatrician for child with food allergey (Sept 2003)
After a run around we ended up with Dr. Duran at Oakland
Kaiser. He is a sub-specialist in Pediatrics and
Gastroentronology. Our son has had food allergies since he was
six weeks old and we are going through the painful process of
trying foods in an isolated way for a full week. Allergy
testing and shorter trials are not good we found from the Dr.
If you are kaiser I recommend seeing Dr. Duran. The allergist
was a big waste of time for us.
Arlene Fischoff
Arlene Fischoff. We recently switched to her on the recommendation of
friends after our pediatrician moved to the other side of the bay, and have
been very happy with the care she has given us (son 26 mo, daughter 5 mo.).
The only drawback is that she does not work a 5-day work week, so it is
more difficult to see her on extremely short notice.
Bob (10/98)
Elizabeth Gray
Re: Pediatrician for my first child Nov 2004
As you can see from past advice in the archives Dr. Elizabeth
Gray is mentioned. For me and my son who was born two months
early we have had a great fit with Dr. Gray.I was very
concerned about his health and growth, as
any new mother is. She was and is really sensitive to my needs,
questions and concerns even the most repetative questions where
met with understanding and reflection. My mother even was here
visiting and asked her some of the same questions that I had
been asking...she was great, calming and insightful. I have had
a very positive experience with her and have never had any
problems getting appointments. I mearly called and asked for a
message to be left with her when I was told her appointments
where full. Good luck and trust your instinct.
Ms. Z
From: Andy (10/98)
we used Kaiser for 3 years and the pediatric care was by-far much
better than the adult care. We used Elizabeth Gray who is a very popular
but excellent pediatrician. She listens to you and can adjust her
responses for your individual needs (i.e., she cares). Unfortunately,
most of the peds we saw for urgent care are part-timers that seem to
fill up their time at kaiser at nights and weekends. It was always
difficult to see Dr. Gray.
Re: Can you recommend a pediatrician you absolutely love? (May 2004)
We have switched back to Kaiser Oakland after a brief experience
with another HMO, and our primary reason for coming back was
that we truly missed the pediatric care at Kaiser. Our
daughter's pediatrician, Dr. Daniel Junge, is excellent. He's
great with our almost 3 year-old and has always gone the extra
mile to return our calls, research issues, and offer us choices
for her care. We rarely see anyone else because they always
seem able to work us in to his schedule.
When our regular doctor Dr. Cunningham was on maternity leave, we had Dr. Daniel
Junge assigned to us, who I also like very much. He is
very dedicated and was particularly wonderful with my 2 year old
son's excema problem; at one point, searching the Kaiser
pediatric facility for the pediatric dermotologist, who he
thought might be in the building that day. This meant we didn't
have to get a referral to the dermotology department. Dr Junge
has also been very good at calling me back about problems;
recently he called me at 9pm regarding a refill of antibiotics.
There are some wonderful pediatricians at Kaiser Oakland!
mom of 3
(March 2003)
Sheila Mackell
From: Barbara (3/98)
Sheila Mackell has been our pediatrician for 8 years. She's great, but
hard to get appointments with.
Donald Mangravite
We've seen Dr. Mangravite at urgent care and were very
impressed. He is very knowledgeable and gentle. If we
weren't so happy with our doctor (Minger), we would have
definitely switched to him.
julie (March 2003)
From: Patrick (10/98)
Dr. Mangravite has been seeing my kids for well over ten years now and all
of us--15-year old boy, 12-year old boy, 9-year old girl, ex-wife, and me)
have been completely satisfied and pleased with him. He's gentle,
thorough, caring, easy to talk to, answers questions completely in plain
language, respectful of both parents & kids, and just an extremely pleasant
person to deal with in sometimes stressful situations. If he's available,
take him.
From: Trish (3/98)
Dr. Donald Mangravite is excellent. My kids had another pedi for several
years but when one of them had an emergency situation and couldn't see our
regular pedi, I met Dr. Mangravite. He's kind, gentle, considerate, and
thorough. Both my daughter and son like him very much.
Susan Minger
Editorial note: Susan Minger now practices at Kaiser Alameda (June 2003)
I highly recommend our wonderful pediatrician, Dr. Susan Minger, at Kaiser
Oakland. She's not the cuddliest of doctors, but she is extremely
responsive and responsible. Very smart, very well educated, good common
sense, just great.
Treats kids like people. I can't recommend her highly enough.
Jusith (2001)
Swati Mukerji
I saw Dr. Mukerji until I turned 19 and they wouldn't let me anymore. I
LOVED her. She is very calm and reassuring, and has an amazing memory for
people.
Laura (March 2003)
We have Dr. Mukherji--signed up with her on the over-the-top
recommendation of a friend--and *love* her. She is gentle, a good
listener, very straightforward, and has a sweet nature (always
smiles at my son). We are a single-parent family and still
breastfeeding at almost 3 and she is completely supportive.
Jennie
(March 2003)
We saw Dr. Mukerji one time for an urgent-care appt., and I liked
her a lot. She was very good with my daughter and was able to very
quickly look in her ears (we were worried about an ear infection).
Mimi (March 2003)
My recommendation is Dr. Swati Mukerji. My two children have been treated by
her for the last 15 years. She's wonderful, interested, takes her time, calls
at home, remembers the children, and is very easy to speak to. I went through
two surgeries with her, and a sudden death in the not-quite immediate family .
She has always been there for us when we needed her. The only down side is she
is popular and she takes her time, so sometimes you have to wait awhile in the
waiting room for your appt.
Lucy (2001)
We were happy with Dr. Swathi Mukerji. She's an older woman, very gentle,
and she always seemed to have plenty of time to talk and answer questions. She
saw our daughter until she was about a year old, when we moved out of the area
6 months ago..
Amy (2001)
From: Corazon (2000)
I would like to second Judy Simon's recommendation of Dr. Swati
Mukerji. She was my children's doctor from infancy to young
adulthood. I believe she is still at Oakland Kaiser as my 18-year old
saw her this past summer for her pre-college physical examination. We
all think she is wonderful and she is also a parent. I originally got
Dr. Mukerji's name from a very assertive friend who had gotten her
post-delivery nurses to tell her who they thought was the BEST
pediatrician at Kaiser. Actually, I think there are many fine
pediatricians at Kaiser. You get to meet them during those Urgent
Care appointments when your own doctor isn't on duty that night.
Another favorite name that comes to mind is Dr. Dorsett whom we saw
several times when Dr. Mukerji was unavailable.
Re: Open-minded about not vaccinating (June 2003)
Try Colleen Shipler. She's a Nurse Practitioner, not a doc.
But, she's very open-minded and also very good with the
little ones in terms of bedside manner.
Brightstar
Re: Kaiser pediatrician flexible on vaccines (March 2002)
I highly recommend Colleen Shipler, NP. She is open to
delaying and working w/you on vaccines.
Re: Pediatrician for my first child Nov 2004
We recently had to switch from Aetna and East Bay Pediatrics to Kaiser due to my
being laid off in July. Our son's Aetna cardiologist (he was born w/ VSD)
recommended his wife, Katrina Saba, who is a pediatrician at Kaiser. She returned
from maternity leave in August, I believe, so she has a toddler and a newborn at
home, which means for me that what I am going through is what she is going
through at the same time, which is great. She is patient and was willing to put off
some of my son's 2-4-6 month vaccines after discussing it with me. Also, she
shares her practice with another doctor whose name I am not recalling, but she was
very nice/competent as well when my son's skin issues required a visit. I like this
because it means less upheaval if you need a last minute appointment, as you're
likely to see one or the other for sick appointments.
c.
Re: Pediatrician for my first child Nov 2004
Yes, Kaiser does assign you a pediatrician if you don't choose one, but I believe you
will automatically get a resident. I did both times. Now, all of the residents I had
were great, but they don't tell you straight out that they are residents, and I think
they should at least tell you. There is always a senior attending around when they
are on duty, and many times they (senior attending) get called into the room.
The other thing you should know about the residents is that a lot of them leave after
their third year. So if you get attached to yours (as I did) you will have to follow
them to another Kaiser Facility or choose another staff doctor.
Currently we see Dr. Noah Simons (resident) and he has been really great, very
thorough (as are most of the residents we have seen, I have found).
We have also seen Dr. Chan (staff) and she is wonderful. Dr. Mangraviti is also
excellent, and very experienced. I also like Fischoff (sp). Since you will mostly see
random doctors for urgent care (another down side to having a resident, they are
not in the office everyday, they could be on rotation in the hospital, for example)
you will probably get to know some of them on your own.
The two best Kaiser Pediatricians I ever experienced (in my opinion) are Dr. Weiss
(Alameda) and Dr. Brad Lewis (I think he is at Walnut Creek now) but I hear that the
Oakland Facility is a center of excellence for Pediatrics, and I have been very happy
with the care there.
pg
One time we saw Meera Tatapudy, she was very kind and gentle.
Joan (March 2003)
We've also seen Dr. Tatapudy (can't forget that name, so
interesting!), but just once, and she was fine.
Jennie (March 2003)
Gail Udkow
Oct 2007
Re: Kaiser PCP, OBGYN & Ped. recommendations
I can't recommend a good GYN in Alameda, and the Alameda Pediatrian's are
limited - but my children see Dr. Gail Udkow in Oakland. She was also my
Pediatrician. She is wonderful. We have also seen Dr. Bacchus in Oakland and
he would be my second choice if and when Dr. Udkow retires.
Good Luck!
Alameda Kaiser Patient
March 2003
My 8-year old son is a patient of Gail Udkow, and we all love
her. She is not ''touchy-feely'', but I am very comfortable
talking to her about any concerns. She is a no nonsense, capable
person who, as a mother herself, understands the fears that
parents have. She has never dismissed any of my concerns.
mizzbee
From: Dorothy (3/98)
I'm responding to the inquiry for a pediatrician at Kaiser-Oakland.
I heartily recommend Dr. Gail Udkow. She's a no nonsense,
intelligent and caring doctor. She listens well, advises well, and
her demeanor with children is wonderful! My 4 yo loves her and looks
forward to going to see her. She was my salvation when my son was
hospitalized at 11 days old due to dehydration (bad breastfeeding
experience-another story) as she not only took excellent care of my
son, but also of my psyche! The Kaiser at Oakland is a teaching
hospital and she will have students conduct routine exams from time
to time (not without consulting you first). When she comes in to
evaluate their progress it is obvious that she is well respected by
her students as well. I called her office line (she actually answers
her phone when she's in) to ask about a homeopathic remedy and was
given an opinion from both her medical doctor and her mommy (she
has kids of her own) point of view. She's a gem!
Re: Kaiser pediatrician for asthma (Feb. 2004)
Our pediatrician at Kaiser Oakland is Dr. Mukerji, who is
*wonderful*. BUT she doesn't really deal with the asthma issues
much--Kaiser Oakland has a *terrific* asthma nurse, Caskey
Weston, who is the one who set up our Asthma Treatment Plan and
who monitors my son's asthma. As a team, they have done a great
job. I'm quite pleased with Kaiser in general, and with their
treatment of my son's asthma in particular.
Jennie
Tim Yaeger
About ten years ago my children first had Dr. Yaeger as their
designated M.D. He has been very pleasant to talk with and he's
answered questions directly with good factual information. However
we've only seen him twice. Generally we go in for the same day
appointments because of minor crises or the expediency of being able
to see someone on a day the kids and I are available. Same day
appointments are on a which ever M.D. is available basis.
Frances (July 2000)
In response to doctors for teens at Kaiser: My son sees Dr. Tim Yaeger
and I think he's the greatest doctor. He takes time with Jared and is
always willing to answer my questions. I would highly recommend him
and so would Jared. My daughter sees Dr Chan-Werner who is not on
your list. She is very thorough and respects the girl's wish to see
her alone. Anna also has called the teen clinic on her own and likes
the way they respond promptly. She thinks very highly of being able
to call on her own and get good advice and quick appointments. I
don't recall any specific doctor that she's seen through the teen
number. Jan (July 2000)
2001
Though we just changed health care providers and no longer are members of
Kaiser, we had excellent pediatric care by Dr. Katrina Saba, Dr. Tsai and
another, male Ped. whose name eludes me now. He had just come back from
working in villages in Costa Rica or some place like that. I found all
doctors there to be patient, attentive listeners who really cared about my
daughter. The injection nurse, Katsi Murakawa, was incredible, by the way.
She worked fast and was sweet to the squalling babies and worried parents.
I really was impressed by the care at Oakland Kaiser. - Hilary (2001)
March 1998
Sometimes I feel like, between my 12 and 7 year old, I've seen every
doctor there. Other ones I recommend:
Robert Dorsett and
Shirley Tang
Barbara
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