Dr Austin Chen was my obgyn for 5 years and then I fell pregnant with twins after two miscarriages! I got pregnant with the help of a fertility doctor and during a routine visit with him in my first trimester he looked over my medical records and was concerned to see that my first miscarriage looked like I may have an incompetent cervix! He told me to call Dr Chen and mention this to her to get it checked out so I called her! To my shock Dr Chen accused me of not trusting her and was adamant that I did not have an incompetent cervix and in the same phone call told me she was removing me from her care! Her ego got the better of her and she was wrong! Luckily I had an amazing doctor who saved my girls with a stitch in my hymen and two months on bed rest! Dr Chen is a lousy doctor and failed me and my daughters with her misdiagnosis and arrogance! read more

We miss doctor Chen terribly. I never met an ob/GYN who spent an hour talking to her patients and their partners at appointments . She was also so accessible via cell and email. She spent time with us in labor and she was such an advocate for us in the hospital. She worked out nutritional information She made sure that she would be there for the birth She was so sweet to our baby when he was born She routinely checked in with me post labor She is the best. She sets the standards so high. She is like a midwife but a doctor. She has admirable ethics and principles . She left her successful practice in 2013 to go join Doctors Without Borders . She didn't even sell her practice in Tribeca . She could have made so much money but she didn't want to commodity her practice. She couldn't find anyone to take over who she thought that she could trust with her patients. She's now serving those in rural America. She has so much integrity. I will miss seeing her on her bicycle and her funky skirts. I think the people who critique her bed side manner are culturally insensitive and high maintenance. They are so westernized that they can't even appreciate integrity and ethics. They expect a Barbie doll to be their doctor. I can't imagine finding anyone as accessible and loving/caring in their authentic dedication to their patients . Doctor Chen's love is expressed in her commitment to her patients and their children. She is honest and doesn't sugar coat things for people. She tells it like it is. Her work ethic cannot be matched. I don't know when and how she slept. She is one of the most intellectual and cultural people that I know. A real "human of New York" with the brashness and unconditional love of a true New Yorker that true New Yorkers can appreciate read more

My wife's doctor who delivered our baby (I'm just the husband). A bossy but an amazing doctor. Without going in to all the detail, I believe my wife would have been told to have a C-section by a typical doctor because of several factors that complicated her labor. Chen was patient and committed to vaginal birth if at all possible, which it was. Chen is always informative, succinct, approachable, pleasant, and encouraging. Her office manner can sometimes be abrasive but her bed side manner was top notch. What an exceptional person she is. You can tell she is 110% dedicated to her practice and patients from her actions and words. She is a one doctor practice. She delivers your baby, not another doctor who you barely met because your principal ob is on vacation when you deliver. Her work is her life and she is passionate and prideful about it. Couple of notes: If you plan to have a mid-wife or doula, she isn't your doctor. She plays that role in labor and delivery. Be prepared to meet a head strong woman. She has 20 years experience to go up against your internet learning. Everything she said made sense but it was hard, at the time, to have her shoot down or take the air out of ideas we had from reading websites. Our online education was still extremely helpful, don't get me wrong, but, as you have probably heard already, the only thing you can rely on once labor starts is that everything you planned gets tossed out the window. Chen was the operative factor in the process and we are happy she was. read more

I love Dr. Chen. It took me a looonnnng time to find an OBGYN in the city that met my requirements (takes my insurance, walking distance of my office, female). It took a while to get an appointment with her, when i called in mid-September her latest appointment was more than a month away. The appointment went great, the waiting time was not outrageous, the office was clean, the receptionist friendly. Dr. Chen is certainly a character, I can see how she may come off a bit harsh, but I found her to be very friendly, funny, non-judgemental and extremely knowledgeable. She is very thorough. When reading through my family history, she saw that I have immediate family members with Diabetes, she asked more detailed questions then asked me what I was doing to prevent it myself later in life. No doctor had ever even asked me this, let alone give me advice on how to take preventative measures, until Dr. Chen. I made my appointment for next years exam on the spot. I would recommend her to anyone! read more

Dr. Chen is a VERY dedicated doctor that give you 110% of your money's worth for her services. She's truly AMAZING and knows what she is doing and give out more of her time and informations on health issues than any other doctors. I and my 2 daughters misses her .She did save my daughter's life. Last April, she went to work in Uganda (Doctor without Borders) and supposed to be in Philadelphia last July, 2013 I just search for her at Fox Chase Cancer center in Philadephlia. and can't find her or come close to finding any doctor to replace her. Anyone of her patients has any news on where to find her? Or if anyone could recommend a women doctor (Obstetrics?Gynecology) read more

The best, most honest, intelligent, busy, knowledgeable, caring OBGYN I have ever been to. The patients that give her bad reviews are know it all, insensitive, want to be doctors. My advice to then is close your mouth and open your ears. Everyone... And I mean EVERYONE including physicians have bad days. We expect them to be perfect when they see us. That always isn't the case! I say go to at least 2 appointments maybe three before you trash a business or a doctor. Dr. Chen no longer works at Southwest Medical unfortunately. I wish I knew where she was. If see her again and have her treat me over any OBGYN in the NV area code. Thank you Dr Chen for basically saving my sanity and my life. read more

Nightmare doctor! Dr. Chen delivered my baby, and for that I am grateful. But being in her care and the delivery itself was all a gamble, luckily, in the end, my daughter came out fine. Here is why she is getting 1 star: - during my second trimester, sometime in the winter, the weather made it very difficult for me to travel to her (I was coming from out of state), so I called to cancel the appointment I had made. She calls me back that night and threatened to drop me as her patient! I am not kidding! She did not merely suggest or hint at something vague, she flat out threatened to drop me. As you may know, switching OB/GYN's mid-pregnancy is very difficult because due to liability issues, many doctors will not take new patients who were under someone else's care. So after lecturing me on the phone to the point of having me in tears, she scares me into seeing her lest I be stranded. - about one month before my due date, I started having severe contractions. I called her up and she told me to monitor the situation and wait. That's reasonable and fairly normal. As the situation progresses, the cramps get worse. I call her again. She tells me to go take a shower. A few hours later I'm in full labor, BLEEDING, and call her again, she yells at me for bothering her in the middle of the night and tells me to go to sleep, I insist on seeing her and demand so... she reluctantly agrees to see me. I rush out to her office, heavily bleeding, in full labor. She checks me quickly in her office and confirms that I am fully dilated and ready to give birth. By the time I was in the hospital soon after, I give birth in less than 10 minutes, because most of my labor was spent at home and in the backseat of a car, because she would not believe me. I was terrified out of my mind. They told me that I had no time for an epidural. My birth plan, which I carefully discussed with her many times all went out the window, I did not even get a tylenol for the pain. Everything escalated to an emergency situation. I needed stitches. She scolded me like a banshee because I didn't take it like a champ. When all was finally over, her office had difficulty getting in touch with my insurance for a day, so she called me and made more threats. I called my insurance and they told me that this was an administrative matter between the insurance and the doctor and that it was crazy and inappropriate to involve the patients in this way. She harassed me until the insurance company finally finished the paperwork. Please read all the bad reviews of her in RateMD.com You'll see that she goes so far as to call your family if she runs into administrative issues with the insurance. She will hound you like a crazy person. Yes, her bedside manner is strange and unfriendly. Something I'm willing to overlook if she was a competent doctor. BUT she's not. I'm sure some patients have good experiences with her, I'm sure she doesnt always endanger the lives of her patients. I'm sure some people like her attitude and consider the yelling to be "straightforwardness" - - but think about it, in NYC where there are truly wonderful and competent OB/GYN's out there, why would you risk going to one that could very well be a nightmare??? It's not worth the risk to you or your baby! Good luck to all mommies and I hope you all find great prenatal care :) read more

I did some digging and found the following e-mail on the Tribeca Citizen site. She went to Uganda on a fellowship and apparently sent this e-mail to her patients. I never received it. http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1112396670146-1/Tulips.pdf read more

I never got any notice about Dr. Chen leaving her practice, and I am bummed, cause I loved her. Last time I saw her, probably late 2012, she said she was only stopping the ob part, not the gyn. According to her letter to another patient, Laura R. from June 13, 2013 - attached above, she is keeping this email permanently: Obgyntribeca@gmail.com. Took several years to find her after Virginia Wreath, my previous gyn, also quit. Who are we going to go to now, girls? oy. reno read more

Doctor Chen, In my opinion is simply superb she handled me with kid gloves, she will be sorely missed by me and I enjoyed her recommendations of kung fu movies, I truly hope she returns back to Pennsylvania... read more

Dr. Chen seemed to have retired abroad without a trace. Does anyone know what happened to her or where patients can get their records?

She's the best OBGYN in the downtown area who accepts Oxford Liberty. Registered at Roosevelt Hospital - the best place to give birth in NYC. Her new office is located on Chambers Street near Broadway. She will basically see you, talk to you for a long time, monitor your diet, and micromanage your pregnancy if need be to ensure you have a healthy birth. Perhaps not for everyone. One thing for sure, she takes her job seriously. A kind of no nonsense woman. read more

Dr. Chen was recommended by a friend. While I agree with those who write that she is thorough, I was uncomfortable with her personality. During my initial session, she was bossy and impatient, and I did not feel that she listened well. Since my friend had so highly recommended her, I went for one additional appointment, hoping I'd just caught her on a bad day, but unfortunately she was even bossier and more impatient the second time. I left quite upset and switched to another doctor. In all fairness, I have to say that my friend had a great experience with her, but Dr. Chen's personality was a major issue for me. (update- I see in some more recent reviews that she has left the country without setting up access for her former patients to their medical records, not good). read more

I believe Dr. Chen is now located in Tribeca. Her offices are nice, well-kept and the front reception is generally helpful and relatively friendly. I did like their use of electronic patient systems and the Dr. was easy to reach via email. However, I found Dr. Chen to be quite abrasive and had a bedside manner that was nearly impossible to deal with. She is thorough and probably technically and medically very astute, however she failed to listen, interrupted often when I explaining symptoms or concerns and interjected far too often with conclusions and judgments without hearing me through. Overall, she was dismissive of my problems, which I found to be very insulting. I also found her difficult to follow--she was not clear in her explanations of her diagnoses. Personally would not recommend her. read more

Dr. Chen mentioned she will go abroad and will contact us via phone on how to get our records before she leaves. Been calling her phone everyday and the phone is always busy . Finally went to her office and it is closed. No notes on the door. The whole street is under construction. Very unprofessional of her not to leave steps on how we can get our medical records. If anyone has info kindly advised. Thank you. read more

Dr. Chen was recommended by a good friend of mine whose opinion I respect. I had two appointments with Dr. Chen. The appointments went smoothly, she was informative and helpful. The trouble started after my second appointment where I underwent a biopsy. I'm 34 and this was my first biopsy. I was very worried about the results. I was told she would contact me within a short time with the results. Well, she never did. Nor has since. My appointment was in March of this year. Since that time I have sent multiple emails to Dr. Chen. I have also telephoned her office multiple times and still no response. It is now October and still I have not received my test results. I have since found a new doctor and am waiting to receive a copy of my medical records. I hope this too does not take 8 months. read more

I've been to Dr. Chen twice now, for regular yearly check-ups as my gynecologist. I really like her and would definitely recommend her. She's professional, extremely knowledgeable, and is one of the only drs I've ever been to who manages to make a pap smear not be awkward...More than that, she and her receptionist stayed late specifically for me so that I could go after work (how many drs do that??). Her office is great and the receptionist has always been helpful and friendly. Dr. Chen listens to my concerns, and though she may seem a bit brusque, I think that's just her personality and I NEVER felt like she was rushing me out. If you want a gynecologist who will be your BFF, she may not be for you, but if you want a doctor who truly knows her stuff, I'd recommend her in a heartbeat. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Chen for over 10 years and I cannot imagine going to anyone else. Dr. Chen is professional, extremely knowledgeable, personable and incredibly dedicated to her work and patients. I know she has many patients, works long hours and has very little time to herself and yet she always makes me feel like I am the center of attention whenever I see or speak with her. She calms me downs and does not BS you - if you're freaking out and have self-diagnosed yourself with something awful she'll say " you're fine, calm down, everything will be just fine." and she always makes me feel better. If there IS something wrong, you know you are in the best hands possible. Dr. Chen always puts her patients first - I have been able to connect with her after hours and she is always there for me. She even diagnosed a stomach ailment I was having as well as a kidney issue - she is amazing! Dr. Chen truly cares about her patients and I will never see anyone else as long as she is in practice. I honestly can't wait to get pregnant so that she can deliver my children - she is an amazing woman, Doctor, and friend. Aria G. read more

Best OB I ever had. Like a doctor/midwife all around. Sad she left the country to Doctor Without Borders.

I don't get disappointed in Yelp often, but this time I was. Dr Chen didn't strike me as a knowledgable woman, ready to jump to conclusions without properly listening to my concerns. Her recommendations were odd and not even sure how medically sound. She is rushed too. The clinic itself was odd too - it looks like converted warehouse and didn't look particularly clean. I'm not a picky one about these things and don't need everything to sterile. This place just really didn't seem trustworthy. The equipment, whatever little there was, looked outdated too The wait was so long! First we had a preliminary VERY QUICK chat. Note that she was scribbling notes on a piece on paper (i.e. not a medical record) RIGHT ON THE EXAMINATION TABLE positioning herself between the things where my legs would go. This is just odd. She then left me to change and made me wait for 40 minutes!!! You think it's unprofessional but then it gets better. Right when she's about to start, she gets a call on her cell phone and excuses herself for another 15 minutes. She didn't close the door (and I'm there with my legs spread out) and I was overhearing her conversation. She was arguing with someone about installing security cameras because of a man who keeps peeking in! Great... I'm there lying in a sheet thinking that I'm being observed by some freak. She then comes back and explains that the guy who sells hot dogs right in front of her clinic masturbates to women who are coming in for a medical visit!!! Then she goes onto a racist rant about how he does it because he's muslim. This is just too much... I will never again choose a doctor through yelp. People give great review based on how nice a doctor is, and not as much based on their professionalism and knowledge. I guess when you go for a regular check up and have no medical issues, a doctor being nice and making you feel at ease is really what you care about. Fine. But a 5 star rating based on that gives false impression. Of course, not all Yelpers are like that, but I wish there were fewer. read more

I am heart-broken that Dr. Chen is not on my current insurance plan (which was chosen for cheapness in a time of economic difficulty, not optimum medical care). Nonetheless she was my ob-gyn for many years and our parting was involuntary -- see above -- so while cruising around on Yelp I thought to stop in and say that she is a great ob-gyn. I am jealous of her current patients. I hope to be one of them again. Seriously. There are so many mediocre (and the occasional hair-raising) doctors out there, the good ones deserve noting. Dr. Chen is, as her name suggests, Chinese. She has the verbal mannerisms to match. I never minded because a) my mom is Asian so I'm used to it and b) I'd rather have a bossy, naggy doctor who cares enough to chew me out for not coming in until my UTI turned into something dangerous than, well, someone who sounds fine with that because in fact my ill health/demise is only a problem for him if legally actionable. Yes, she can be a little brusque. It's a cultural thing. You'll forgive it the minute she calls you back to answer a question of yours at some hour another doctor would never call you back except to tell you to call his office Monday and 911 if anything comes up before then. (I'm remembering at least two times she called me at about 9 p.m., in rougher shape than me since she'd just been delivering babies all day. In neither case was it an emergency and I'd said so.) She's very good, very careful, knows her stuff, and is extremely nice and caring. Expressed in a Chinese-doctor way. read more

I saw Dr. Austin Chen only one time and that one time was more then enough for me. I have never in my life meet a Dr. that was more rude then Dr. Austin Chen. She rushed me through my first (and last) appointment. She kept leaving the examination room during my visit for what felt like forever. Dr. Austin Chen gave off this vibe that she really was not interested in taking new patient and that she was in fact doing me a favor. I left her office feeling horrible, and wishing that she never agreed to take me on as a patient. When I was waiting in the waiting room for close to 2 hours, Dr. Austin was so rude to her secretary. Barking orders at her in front of the entire waiting room. I felt really bad for her secretary b/c she was clearly so embarrassed. Overall, Dr. Austin Chen is someone that I would never ever recommend to anyone. She was the worst! read more

Please find another doctor! My experience with Dr. Chen while I was pregnant was horrible. She appears nice at first with a holistic approach that i was attracted to but she had no personal skills and is basically a nasty, arogant person. She often criticized what I had to say in terms of asking questions about vitamins etc. she said "oh your one of..those" ... I wanted to change doctors but with my work schedule and insurance I didnt make the effort or thought that it was me being "hormonal" and hoped the relationship would be better. She also added to my son's trauma at birth and her neglect to give him additional sonograms which made her unaware that the cord was around his neck and that a C-section was unavoidable. For 2 days she told me not to go to the hospital with contractions and told me to drink wine. when i said that i didnt want to drink the wine she said it wasnt a request! I was so angry with that comment! Then i told her i was going to the hospital regardless of the fact that the contractions were far apart because the pain was intense for days. When i got there it was evening and she told my husband to go because we were going to do some excercises together..she would bring a big ball etc and i was looking forward to that but she never returned and i waited alone and fell asleep. Then in the morning the nurse demanded that she give me a C-section and called the head nurse in because my doctor was delaying so long.. the babies heart beat was going down from lack of oxygen. they still didnt know he had the cord around his neck because she didnt do a sonogram..i guess she was against it! the baby had an apgare of 4 rather then a healthy 8 and he had to go to the nicu for 4 days due to black and blues on his head from the endless contractions.( low billyrubin-if im spelling that correctly) she only visited me again maybe 1x and was so cool to me when I visited after for the follow up visit saying she never has c-sections and that i gained too much weight...as though THAT was the cause!! truely unbelievable...horrible dont take the risk find someone else sincerely, michelle read more

so upset! I loved this doctor and now she is gone! I've been looking for her for over a year! I don't know who to go to. I loved her frank bedside manner. I'm just glad I came upon all this info here as I had no idea what happened to her and I never got a letter and had been her patient for probably a decade or longer. read more

Just so you know, a nuchal cord is not an indication for a c section whether or not it was detected on a sonogram. It is a very common occurrence and usually is not a contraindication to a normal vaginal delivery. read more

I have exactly the same question. I have been trying to track her down for the last couple of weeks. I got no notice at all by mail, phone, email that she was retiring. I've been her patient for over a decade and I have no idea how to get my medical history back. Please post if you find out any information! read more

Dr. Chen delivered my 1st baby. She was very excited by my desire for a natural childbirth in the Roosevelt Birthing Center. Her advice and support felt more like a doula than an OB. Unfortunately my baby had plans of her own and was "sunny side up" AND she had shoulder dystocia. As a result at 8cm the labor stopped progressing and after trying a mild pain reliever I still wasn't able to handle the pelvic pain involved in the "sunny side up" laboring. Dr. Chen was immediately receptive to my request for an epidural so we transfered to the labor and delivery floor (you can't have an epidural in the BC). The baby got stuck on both my pelvic bone and exiting the vaginal opening. She very patiently watched the baby's heart rate to determine if she needed to perform a C-section. She expertly utilized a vacuum to get the baby out. I found out after the birth that the baby's heart rate was slow for about 2 minutes. Dr. Chen knew I had worked out and ate very healthy throughout my pregnancy so she gave the baby a chance to bounce back, which she did. I have been told twice by other doctors (including my baby's pediatrician with 20+ years of experience) that I must have an amazing OB to have been able to deliver vaginally under such circumstances. She had to sew up an extensive perineal tear and it has healed beautifully (actually the only pain I felt post partum was from my hemorrhoids). I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Chen for safely delivering my baby and for supporting both my desire for a natural childbirth and for having the patience to trust my body to deliver vaginally. As a side note: Dr. Chen is a very warm person who absolutely loves babies but she is very direct and matter of fact in her speech, something which I appreciate in a doctor. I would highly recommend Dr. Chen for her extreme support and incredible expertise. read more

This doctor is no longer in New York, but rather at this small location in Pottsville, PA. I booked an appointment here although I live out in Philly. I truly wish I could have given "Dr." Chen zero stars. Not only did I wait an hour and a half for my appointment in a waiting room filled with the most foul smelling patients my nose has ever experienced, but Ms. Chen had the nerve to make rude comments about me in the room when I was called back. Long story short, Ms. Chen had told me I have crazy amounts of precancerous cells, but left the room without assuring me if I would be okay or not. So, naturally, I went home freaking out and panicking that something was wrong. A few days later my mother received a phone call---not me---WHO IS THE ONE ON THE CONTACT SHEET. When I called them back they told me everything is fine and that there is not a single sign of precancerous cells at all and that the results were good. My question is, WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU LIE TO A PATIENT WHEN YOU CANNOT EVEN SEE CANCER CELLS WITHOUT LAB RESULTS???? My advice, never EVER go to this doctor, I know another unlucky person who Ms. Chen assured her baby had down syndrome---guess what----the baby was fine. This whole office is just a bunch of money-grabbing assholes. Go elsewhere. read more