Alameda Pediatric Associates

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August 2014

My family just recently moved to the Lakeshore area of Oakland. I am looking for a pediatrician for my two children. My son has some health issues so I need someone caring and available. I would also prefer a doctor that does not prescribe medicine for every little thing. If personally you know of a pediatrician that you would recommend, I would greatly appreciate it!!! Katie

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Hi - we also live in the Lakeshore area of Oakland, and have an excellent pediatrician in Alameda. Her name is Dr. Jamie Wallach and she's with Alameda pediatric associates: 1332 Park St #202, Alameda, CA 94501 (510) 523-3417. We had our first baby in February and were new to the area, not yet knowing anyone to rely on for a word of mouth recommendation, and online reviews led us to Dr. Wallach. She seriously is the best doctor I've ever known - she takes so much time with us, answers any silly question that we might have about being new parents, and she always gets back to us right away if we call with questions out of hours. Even if you cant get in with her, every doctor that we've seen at that practice has been great; when our baby was first born, a different doctor came to the hospital for each of the 3 days we were in, and each one was wonderful. Hope this helps. Lake Merritt parent

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May 2013

Re: African American female pediatrician?
I know you did not list Alameda but Dr Bennet is amazing - meticulous, smart, funny and an excellent diagnostician. She caught whopping cough in my vaccinated child - early enough that we got treatment that shortened its duration. She also made a home visit once on a weekend. Can't say enough great things about her. Great practice in general - Dr Harris and Parker are very good. And yes, she is definitely African American. Good luck

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Jan 2013

Re: Pediatrician for complicated medical problems
Not sure if you want to come to Alameda but Dr Penny Harris is truly amazing. Incredible referrals (both our side of the bay and Stanford/UCSF). She is willing to order tests that may be outside the norm, discuss results with you, and followup with outside referrals/testing. She is thorough, remembers her patients, and an excellent clinician. I also highly reccomend Dr Parker and Dr Bennet in the practice. Alameda Pediatrics, 523-3417. Good luck

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March 2012

Re: Pediatricians ok with delayed vaccinations
Dr. Ann Parker in Alameda at Alameda Pediatrics is flexible about vaccinations. She has had many parents over the years with different views on vaccination. She is a great pediatricion, also. anon

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Jan 2011

Re: Seeking African-American prediatrician
Dr Bennet at alameda pediatrics is amazing. Great with kids, sympathetic with parents, great clinical skills. And yes, African American. My kids both love her. Good luck

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We love our pediatrician Dr. Bennett at Alameda Pediatrics. She's young, African American, female, but most importantly she's super smart and great with kids. Michelle

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Dec 2010

I would like read some recommendations for a pediatrician in Alameda. I prefer women doctors, but i will take any recommendation for a competent, confident pediatrician who practices in Alameda. thanks! a mom

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We love Dr. Anne Parker. She has a great way with kids and teens and she is flexible about treatments for different issues. mirsun

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Dr. Anne Parker is the pediatrician for our 20-month old. We love her. She is great with babies and kids, and truly loves her work. She is wise and reassuring. We always feel so confident after a check-up. She has answered our questions over the phone numerous times, and never makes us feel like we are stupid or wasting her time. Kathleen

Editor Note: reviews were also received for Primary Pediatric Medical Group

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April 2009

Re: Do you love your Pediatrician?
I love our doctor at Alameda Pediatrics. Dr. Anne Parker. She has triplets. I have 4 yr old twins and a 2 1/2 yr old. I had to leave our previous dr b/c the front desk was rigid/mean about me bringing in our triple stroller with all three kids when one was sick. I have found the front desk at Alameda Pediatrics to go above and beyond to make me feel comfortable and help me when I am there with 1,2 or 3 sick kids. Dr. Parker understands everything about having muliples. Honestly, we could not be happier. Hilarie

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Jan 2007

Re: Oakland or Alameda pediatrician
We love Dr. B. Ann Parker in Alameda. She is in the phone book. I don't know if she is in your insurance plan. anon

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January 2005

Re: Alameda pediatrician
I highly recommend Karin Schiffman at Alameda Pediatrics. We've loved her since she first came to the hospital to see our guy as a newborn. She's got the best bedside manner you could hope for, is great with the kids, and is extremely responsive to parents' concerns. Can't say enough good things about her. Holly

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Re: Alameda pediatrician
We really like Dr. Barbara Ann Parker, Dr. Shiftman, Dr. Butts, and Dr. Leiwack. They are all in one group, I think called Alameda Pediatrics (but there are several similarly named groups in Alameda, so ask for a Dr. by name). Their office staff and nurses are all really nice and well organized too. Heather

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Re: Alameda pediatrician
I would like to wholeheartedly recommend two pediatricians at Alameda Pediatrics (both have seen out 2.5 y.o). Dr. Parker and Dr. Schiffman. Dr. Parker is our primary ped. She has a daughter and triplet boys, so has been through it all. She is very upfront and open to discussion. She's not very touchy- feely (but we're not either so this is the kind of doctor we prefer). She mostly takes a wait and see approach and has been very open to our suggestions of alternative treatments, delaying shots, etc. Dr. Parker works Mon, Wed and 1/2 of Fri.

Whenever our son is sick and needs attention on Tue and Thurs, we are able to see Dr. Schiffman. She has a wonderful bedside manner and always makes our son comfortable. She never seems distracted and listens intently to our concerns.

The office itself has gone through a staff change about 6 months ago. The nurses and front staff are much improved. We've never had a problem getting our son seen same day if needed. Also, we don't tend to wait to see the doctor at all, but that may be because we try to schedule early morning appts. We also like the fact that most of the doctors in this office work part-time. They really emphasize the work/family balance. I can answer any specific questions you might have. Feel free to email. Dana

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We use Alameda Pediatrics on Park Street. Our daughter is 8 months old and her primary pediatrician is Dr. Robert Butts. He is so great. When I was pregnant, I scheduled an appointment to meet with him (through a recommendation from a co-worker). I found him to be funny and he had a pleasant demeanor. (We had also tried to interview a doctor at Bayside Medical group on Central Ave., but were not very impressed. We did not even get to the interview process because the doctor was overbooked and the staff ket telling us it would be ''another 20 minutes'' before the doctor could meet with us.) When Dr. Butts is not available, we have seen other pediatricians in his group. Dr. Schiffman and Dr. Parker are also great. Dr. Parker is a skin specialist which came in handy when our daughter had a flare up of eczema. I think her hours there are more limited. Their staff are pleasant and I have always been able to get my daughter in for a same day appointment if there was a problem. They are also very good about calling back after hours. My husband and I are so glad we found this group. They spend time with you and we never felt rushed out the door for the next patient. Good luck in your search. anonymous

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Dec 2003

Looking for feedback about Alameda Pediatrics and/or specifically Dr. Penny Harris or Dr. Anne Parker. Any information would be appreciated! Leslie

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Re: Anne Parker. My kids don't go to her because of geography, mostly, but I would have no hesitation in recommending her. In the interests of full disclosure, I have known her on a social level for a number of years. She is smart and thoughtful and will listen, but also has her own opinions. You might ask for an introductory appt to see if she fits what you are looking for. One caveat: she works a part-time schedule so you would want to be comfortable with other drs. in the practice, too. Wendy

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This is a positive recommendation for Dr. Parker. My son has been seeing Dr. Parker at Alameda Pediatrics for just about a year now (he is 16 months old). When we moved to the Bay Area, we just asked a few friends for recommendations. We proceeded with 'meet the doctor' interviews. Dr. Parker stood out from all the rest. She has qualities that I feel are important: good listening skills, does not make us feel hurried during appointments, excellent follow-up through phone calls home, and kind of a direct approach to communication and our sons medical care. She has four children, a daughter and triplet boys, so you can count on her having experienced most things herself. She is not as 'touchy feely' as some may want in a pediatrician (I don't). And she may run late for appointments. We knew this upfront though because she will always give you (and everyone else) as much time as you need. We've also seen Dr. Lewak and Dr. Schiffman. They are different in they're approaches, but equally as wonderful.

The front office staff is generally very pleasant and the nurses have all been gentle and attentive with my son. The lunch/after hours phone service has always come through for us. There is not a separate sick waiting room, but if you are concerned about this they will let you wait in one of the exam rooms, if there's space. If you have any other specific questions, please email me. Dana

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My daugter sees Dr. Anne Parker, and we like her a lot. She is very reassuring, helpful and down to earth. She has a daugter and triplet boys, so she's an experienced parent as well as a doctor. I'm sure she'd be happy to meet with you before you make your decision, so you could interview her and see if its a good fit.Thats what we did. happy patient

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Nov 2003

Looking for feedback (good or bad) about Alameda Pediatric Associates and/or specifically Dr. Anne Parker or Dr. Penny Harris. Thanks. Leslie

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Hi - We were with Alameda Peds until this July when they dropped our insurance (United Healthcare). Dr. Anne Parker is FANTASTIC! She was never rushed when we were there and always addressed our concerns being new parents. She even called to follow up when our son had his first fever to see how he was doing. Jennie

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We are members of Alameda Pediatrics. We are quite thrilled there. My son, who has had some issues with asthma, is now terrified of the doctor. We used to have Dr. Mark Bartlett, but he moved away (we are so sad about that). Now we have Dr. Butts, who is absolutely incredible with kids, and Dr. Karin Shiffman, who is SOOOOO warm, caring and gentle that I want her for MY doctor! With regard to Dr. Harris- we've seen her a few times when one of our other doctors weren't available, and while I find that she is an excellent doctor, her bedside manner is not the ''warm, cushy'' kind of doctor that I look for. Because my son is my first and, so far, only child, I want a pediatrician who can sort of ''hold my hand''-for lack of a better phrase-through issues involving my son that I don't understand. I found Dr. Harris, in every instance that we've used her, to be very knowledgeable, but also not so warm and friendly with my child, and pretty direct and to-the-point with me. However, if that's the kind of thing that is ok with you, then she's great. Someone I work with uses her and is quite pleased with her. Also, the office staff there is VERY nice and incredibly helpful. Nurse Judy is the BEST I have ever run across, and I have met several! You will not be disappointed choosing them as your pediatricians. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions that I can answer for you. diznedream

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My kids have been very happy with Alameda Pediatrics. We have seen several of the doctors in the practice and have been happy with each of them. You asked specifically about drs Parker and Harris, we only have experience with Parker, most recently this past week for my 8month old with pneumonia. We took him in on a Saturday after seeing him struggle to breath and look very ill, she helped us avoid a trip to Children's Hospital with her quick assessment and treatment of his illness, she called us at home for the next two days just to check in and had us back in the office on Monday. I was so pleased with her manner and handling of our son, she was careful to let us know how serious the situation was without frightening us even more. The other doctors we've seen are Dr. Butts and Dr. Schiffman, both wonderful. I can't say enough good things about this practice, we live in Oakland and make the trip out to Alameda because we are so satisfied. Amber

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Dr. Harris is my son's doctor and we love her. She is very responsive and if she does not know an answer, she will look it up. As new parents, we were naturally nervous any time our son was sick. Dr. Harris spent a good deal of time talking with us and showing us how to make our son feel better. Dr. Harris is our partner when dealing with our son's health. She listens to our concerns and does not hesitate to refer us to a specialist when necessary.

We also like Karen Shiftman and Dr. Butts in that practice. We have not seen any of the other doctors. But I can tell you that we know of four other families who call Dr. Harris their doctor and all are very pleased.

Please don't hesitate to e-mail me with additional questions. Regards, Leah

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We absolutely loved Penny Harris! We just left the practice due to a move to the East Bay and having to change pediatricians was one of the more disappointing attachments to lose. Penny always took the time to meet with us and answer all of our questions. We never felt rushed. She diagnosed a medical problem with our son that one of the other doctors ''glossed over''. Patty