African american pediatrician recommendation
Hello--We are having to switch health insurance and are looking for recommendations for an African American or other person of color (preferably female) pediatrician in Oakland or Berkeley. We of course want someone who is great with children and who is a good communicator and also preferably open to more holistic ways of looking at healthcare. Anyone have this magical doctor in their kids' life? Please send recommendations!
[Moderator Note] Here are some past reviews: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/recommend/medical/Pedi/aa ]
Oct 2, 2019
Parent Replies
We have only seen her once since we recently moved here. But we had a good experience our first time with Dr. Tracy Evans-Ramsey at East Bay Pediatrics.
I have been taking my son to Dr. Tracey Evans-Ramsey (Easy Bay Pediatrics) for the last 13 years. I have been very please with her. She has an office in Berkeley and Orinda.
My daughter has been seeing Dr. Andria Johnson at John Muir (3100 san pablo) in Berkeley since she was born (5 years old now) and we love her! She’s also a family doctor so my wife and I see her as well.
This is probably a bit far for you, but we really like our son's pediatrician in Fremont. Dr. Jamilah Friday. She's African American, we're not. We used to live in Oakland, and then Hayward, and now we live in Berkeley, but we still go to her almost 4 years later because she's just very good at explaining things, taking her time, giving good advice (especially for us new first time parents).
The nurses are also really good. They're lightening fast with the shots, my son doesn't even have time to cry. Haha.
Besides the distance, the other drawback is that it's almost impossible to call the office and talk to her right away. There is a "care team" of nurses and assistants who take your message and then she'll call at the end of day. She does respond to emails, though.
This is a cut and paste from a post I made here last year...Dr. Tracy Evans-Ramsey practices at East Bay Pediatrics in Berkeley / Orinda
I recently took my younger son to drop-in there for a sports injury, and we were attended by Dr. Tracy Evans-Ramsey (Dr. Tracy). I was quite frankly blown-away by her manner and professionalism with both me and my child. Though we have not worked with her regularly, I strongly urge you to check her out.
East Bay Pediatrics has two African-American doctors in their practice. Both are great. We love the whole practice.
We've been seeing Dr. Tracey Evans-Ramsay at East Bay Pediatrics since our child was an infant and have always been pleased with the care she's provided (actually we've had good experiences with all the doctors and staff at EB Pediatrics). She's a clear communicator and I feel we can ask her anything. She's not overly quick to prescribe medications, and she's not a zealot about the vaccination timeline (we skipped a couple early on to do later and that was fine), but I'm not sure her stance on alternative healthcare or anything like that. She operates out of both the Berkeley and the Orinda offices, which is nice because we prefer the Orinda location (generally faster to get to than the Berkeley office from our Oakland home).
Dr Ifeoma Ikenze, M.D., DiHom in Marin county. http://drikenze.com/home/
Dr Erika Glenn, Primary Pediatrics, Castro Valley
I don't know what "holistic" means -- if it's anti-vax, she may not be on board. She's been very responsive, thoughtful, and accessible. We have to see her every 3 months and it never feels rushed. Castro Valley office is a 20 minute drive from Kaiser in Oakland. Ultimately, I decided it was worth it (and still believe so) and there was going to be some time to any office and with Castro Valley, right off the highway, there's no looking for parking. I do try to schedule appointments that don't put us on the 580 out of Oakland during rush hour.
Primary Pediatrics feels like it's getting more corporate. I guess most of them are.
We love Jennifer Miller at East bay pediatrics and have also seen tracy Evans-Ramsey and loved her as well. The whole practice is great and those two docs are African American (I assume)
We see Dr Gary Bean on Park Blvd in Oakland. He is great (he's also a jazz musician!) as well as the nurse practitioners who work with him. The office is super ugly and a bit of a turn off, there is a TV in every room, but all the staff are great. They are fairly conventional but in a very relaxed way. Last time my 2 year old had a deep lung cold, they said I could give her antibiotics. I asked them to explain to me what would be a good indicator that they were important and they explained symptoms and signs to look for. They said they would write the prescription and then I could decide if she needed them. I like how they are not reactive and instead very educational.