Robert Nicholson, MD

Sept 2011

Re: Does your pediatrician take Medi-Cal?
We would highly recommend Dr. Robert Nicholson. When our children's pediatrician (who had been my pediatrician as a child) finally retired, he recommended Dr. Nicholson to all of his patients. I know Dr. Nicholson takes Medi-Cal. Plus, he has a wonderful staff, is very responsive to parent concerns (no matter how crazy), has a 24-hour nurse advice line, and you can get appointments when you need to! His address is 400 - 29th Street, Suite 204, Oakland. His phone number is 510-893-8426. Kristin S.

Oct 2005

We are looking for a new pediatrician in Oakland. The BPN has comments on Dr Nicholson from May 2003. I'd like to get some current feedback. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Regards, Ashlee

We LOVE Dr. Nicholson. My daughter has been seeing him since birth and he has provided the best possible care for her through ordinary illnesses and checkups and through not so ordinary and pretty serious emergencies requiring more thought, research and follow up. We have had to go to Children's Hospital many times and they work very well in coordination with he and his office. I feel so incredibly lucky to have found him and still say this every time we leave his office. He is caring, thorough, a fantastic listener, trusts your mother's (and father's) instincts and actually calls you personally (and quickly) if you need to speak with him by phone. He is so respectful with the kids (even when they are tiny babies) and works hard to gain their trust-it is an amazing thing to watch. I found him through this list 4 years ago and could not be more happy with him and I know my daughter loves him too - even if he does give shots. His office staff is also incredibly caring and competent. I could go on and on about how fantastic he is but hopefully, this tells you what you need to know. nr

I missed the original request for information on Dr. Robert Nicholson, but wanted to chime in anyway because my family has found him so wonderful. Dr. Nicholson is old-fashioned in the all the best ways: principled, considerate, compassionate, and willing to invest plenty of his own time and thought in solving a problem. He's also modern in the best ways: well-read and up- to-date, a believer in evidence-based medicine, and willing to accommodate the huge diversity in attitudes and approaches to health care that goes with a Bay Area patient population. He's also well-connected at Children's Hospital. Siobhan

May 2003

Re: Pediatricians who take Healthy Families
We have had Dr. Robert Nicholson of Oakland as our pediatrician for many years and like him immensely. He knows his stuff, is openminded, has a social conscience, and manages to be sympatico with all his patients, whether their parents are pairs of obsessive PhDs hovering over a first baby and second guessing him via the internet or welfare moms struggling on the edge of survival. I know he takes Healthy Families. He's in the business section of the White Pages. My two-year old loves him so much that he wanders the house with a white shirt buttoned over his clothes, demanding to be addressed as ''Dr. Nickissen.'' Nicholson fan

January 1999

My husband and I chose Dr. Robert Nicholson in Oakland (893-8426) for our son who is now 4 months old. I can't say enough good things about him. Dr. Nicholson came to the hospital when our son was born and returned several times as our son had to spend the first 30 hours in intensive care. When calling for advice, he comes to the phone himself, usually immediately rather than returning the call and doesn't just rely on an advice nurse (although his nurses seem to be good too). He is not overly conservative and doesn't push medicine. He has always had time to see us if needed, same day. However, I'm not sure if he takes BC/BS or not. Dylan

Just wanted to second the recommendation of Dr. Robert Nicholson who is also our daughter's pediatrician (on Pill Hill in Oakland). He is amazingly accessible and responsive. Today, for instance, is normally his paper-work day in which he tries to catch up on all kinds of paperwork, but when I came there with my daughter in my arms with a bad case of the flu, he not only accommodated us, but there were several others in similar circumstances that he accommodated as well. What I like best about him is the respect he shows both parent and child and willingness to discuss and get input into his diagnosis/prognosis, no elitism here. Very competant, yet very down to earth, real. Naomi