Dr. Callen is one of the best! Knowledgable, open-minded, funny, with amazing bedside manner. I have been a patient for over 20 years now. I have had challenging pregnancies, and losses; Dr. Callen has been there the entire time to guide me through these experiences with care and compassion. So very grateful to have her as my doctor. If you are so lucky to hire her as your doctor, do not hesitate. read more

I moved to Sf in 1990. I am a nurse and was looking for an OB/GYN for my wife. While working in the hospital, I asked several colleagues who they recommended and Dr Caleb's name came up several times. About a month later, I was taking care of a patient who needed surgery for a prolapsed uterus. The surgery kept being postponed and bumped. The patient was not allowed to eat or drink and around noon, her doctor came to see her, sat by her bed, took her hands into her own and apologized. She promised to operate first thing the next day and ordered her lunch from a nice restaurant. I walked out to the nurses desk and asked who the doctor was. Answer - Karen Callen! She later delivered both our children. Best of the best! read more

I just saw Dr. Callen for the first time in several years, having switched to Kaiser because of my husband's work, and was instantly reminded of why I've remained loyal to this wonderful Ob/Gyn all these many moons. Dr. Callen delivered my boys more than twenty years ago and remains both an excellent physician and warm, intelligent human. She has a wonderful bedside manner and takes the time to explain procedures, options and terms patiently and clearly. She's neither condescending nor terse despite her packed schedule, and is at once personable and professional. The front desk attendants were friendly and welcoming, as were the physicians' assistants. All in all, I was very impressed from start to finish and grateful for Dr. Callen's thoroughness and care. read more

I first met Dr. Callen in the emergency room at the height of the pandemic just after learning my first pregnancy was ectopic, non-viable and would require surgery. It was a stressful and emotional time for my partner and me but I immediately felt at ease under Dr. Callen's care. This past year, I felt fortunate to have Dr. Callen as my provider throughout my pregnancy. Her years of experience transfer to her confident, level headed and fact based approach to medicine even when things get complicated. I was also really impressed by her colleagues in the practice and had a positive delivery experience at CPMC despite being diagnosed with preeclampsia and urgently induced at 36.5 weeks. Dr. Fang was GREAT and delivered my son vaginally without complications despite my high blood pressure and his dipping vitals during contractions. The nursing team throughout our stay at CPMC was fantastic and I would definitely recommend Golden Gate OBGYN and CPMC to others. read more

This is a fabulous medical practice. I always feel like I am in very very good hands. Dr. Karen Callan is my doctor and she is wonderful. I changed my gynecologist to her about 20 years ago when I was pregnant with my first son. I was transferring from a doctor who had pretty poor bedside manner. Dr. Callan always treats me like I am her only patient. As busy as she is, I always feel like she is listening to me and cares a lot. She thinks outside the box about "whole health" and is just fantastic as what she does. And her support staff (from administration to nursing staff) is top-notch as well. Things run smoothly, you get called back, and follow through is great. Plus, the team all has the best credentials. On top of that, the office has been designed to feel more like a spa than a medical office, which is in itself calming. The design speaks to the deep understanding that the practice has of its patients. I am so, so glad I found this practice and Dr. Callan many moons ago. Now, if she just handled dermatology :) read more

Two healthy babies = 5 star review. Dr. Karen Callen is the best. I've been her patient for over 14 years after I got a referral from a good friend. When I started having complications with my first, she knew I didn't want to mess around and took charge to get my emergency c-section done. She is very professional and friendly, always taking time to answer any questions, no matter how silly or embarrassing they might be, during my annual visit. I trust her completely. I have no problem with waiting for her when the office gets backed up because it is most likely someone just went into labor and is ready to push. The nice thing is that her office is right next to the hospital so if you do need her, she will be right over when you're ready to deliver at CPMC. read more

When we got pregnant, Dr. Karen was recommended by my doctor. I would NOT recommend Dr. Karen to future mothers. She is NOT personal and treats you as a robot. She let me listen to my baby's heart only during my first visit. My friends told me that their doctors let them listen to their baby hearts every single visit! I was very disappointed. My blood test showed that I had a low iron, and I was informed about that fact 1.5 months later by Dr Karen on her way out of the room - again not very professional. I would not go back to her again to avoid the experience. read more

I did not have a great experience here, and eventually had to switch OBs. Dr. Callen's office is very busy and her beside manner was brisk. I did not get the support I hoped for when I told her I was hoping to get pregnant. In fact, I opted to stop seeing her for this reason, and went on to conceive have a beautiful little girl delivered by another wonderful CPMC OB. I don't recommend Dr. Callen. read more

There are not words enough to express our gratitude towards Dr. Callen who was our OBGYN and delivered our baby boy last week. She is 100% professional and we were never concerned while under her care. The pregnancy went perfectly and she was great during all our check ups. The labor and delivery turned into a total rollercoaster of 52 hours of back labor that ended in a c-section. This is when Dr. Callen really shined by staying way past her shift end to see the delievery through in the operating room. thnak you, thank you, thank you to Dr. Callen. All the nurses we interacted with at CPMC said she was the best and who they would want to deliver their baby. And also all the other OBGYN's at Golden Gate practice were wonderful such as Dr Wiggins and Dr. Meister. I wish I could be more eloquent here as I really don't feel I am expressing just how high of an opinion we have of Dr. Callen. The only advice I have is that if you are tottally neurotic and controlling about everything and are adamant about some hippy type of birthing plan such as a water birth, or need to have a doula coach you - then DR. Callen may not be the best fit for you. But if you are looking for a very competent DR who is absolutely focused on the end goal of having a healthy mother and baby - then Dr. Callen is the best. She is realisitc with her patients and is the type that does not shun modern medicine just for the point of doing so. She is open to your ideas and concerns, but at the end of the day realize that she has done this 1000's of times with great results. I can see here some people saying that she does not have the best bedside manner, etc. But trust me, when the going gets tough, she is the best possible person to be at your bedside. read more

I was there for 1.5 hours and seen for less than 30 minutes for an annual exam. Dr Callen was definitely running behind schedule & didn't seem to have time to properly read my chart upon entering my room (ex: called me the wrong name). Maybe it was a chaotic day for the clinic? It was my first & last visit so do your own research. The overly fancy office with somewhat young staff may have contributed to multiple miscommunications including best place to park (street vs what their email recommends- an overpriced garage). I waited two months for this appointment & as a result felt quite disappointed. If you are looking for time efficient, warm, & something that doesn't feel like a Beverly Hills clinic...I strongly advise you to look at other practices & physicians. For an obgyn facility I expected more warmth & to be recognized as a patient. As I sat in my robe waiting I contemplated getting up & leaving. I don't wish this for any patient. read more

After reviewing my LA ob-gyns, I figured I had to pop over here to give the best OB-GYN on the planet a review since she set the bar really high for everyone I saw after her. I always saw Ramona Rule (the NP) in this office before I got pregnant, because it was always easier to get in with her. Once I was pregnant with my first baby, I was a total bitchy freak, and Dr. Callen totally handled me and my total neurotic behavior so well. The best part was that she was the one to catch my baby...she made a point to hold up her first appts after lunch (now I know why you have to wait so long at the gyno sometimes!) Dr. Callen is as good as it gets. She is always at the cutting edge of OBGYN knowledge and had a great bedside manner both in the office and at the hospital on game day. She delivers at CPMC which is a GREAT hospital to have a baby at. I had my other baby at Cedars Sinai (hospital to the stars) and I had a much more enjoyable experience at CPMC... Plus I lived close enough to walk home. read more

I had my first pregnancy experience with DR Callen. We discovered that our daughter was breech at 35 weeks and I really didn't want have a c-section. Karen successfully moved the baby by an ECV. I had 100% natural birth - no medication delivery with DR Fang as the on call doctor that day. She btw she was AMAZING. read more

Dr. Callen is a great doctor. I went to see her for my annual exam, to switch birth control, and to get the HPV vaccination. Unlike any other obgyn I've ever visited, she sat me in her office before the exam, and we talked about why I was there and what I wanted out of the appointment. She explained the pros and cons of my new medicine, talked to me about getting certain tests done, and talked about the HPV vaccination. I felt very informed and comfortable before even stepping into the exam room. They were very busy that day, so her and others on the staff appologized if things seemed rushed (they didn't to me). She talked with me during the exam to make me feel comfortable. What I liked best was that in talking about my history, she never made me feel guilty or uncomfortable, unlike other practitioners out there. Just good advice and VERY good rapport. I look forward to seeing her for years to come. Just so you know, it takes several months for new patients to get appointments, so plan ahead! read more

Being the daughter of a local OBGYN, I have heard one too many horror stories and become quite picky in who I will see. Dr. Kallen rocks and I cannot imagine happily climbing into another doctor's stirrups after being in her care ;) Thanks! read more

What a wonderful doctor. I shouldn't even review her because I don't want to share her. I will just suggest that your obgyn should aspire to her level of practice. read more

Dr. Callen is amazing. First of all, throughout my pregnancy she explained everything that was going on, debunked lots of rumors that I came to her with, and in general answered all of my questions and concerns. Now, I had placenta previa at my 20 week ultra sound, and while I know lots of doctors ban exercise based on this, Dr. Callen said that it's OK in my case based on the evidence she has seen. This allowed me to have an otherwise healthy pregnancy. All this time Dr. Callen kept my spirits up saying the placenta will probably move (most other doctors I've heard of tell women it's not going to). Then, when my placenta hadn't moved, Dr. Callen kept waiting it out, sending me for more ultrasounds and doing everything she could to avoid a c-section and having a preemie. Finally my placenta had started moving, but not enough. Dr. Callen suggested doing a double set up, where we prepare for a c-section but try for a vaginal birth. But in the end Dr. Callen make a gutsy call and allowed me to wait for labor naturally while also having me go for one more ultra sound. An lo and behold, at 40 weeks, my placenta had finally moved out of the way. Thank you, Dr. Callen for letting me wait it out, avoiding an early c-section. This was a very stressful time for me, but every visit with Dr. Callen, I felt well informed, knowing what the next steps are, and most importantly, I felt like I was in good hands, and whatever decision Dr. Callen made, our health and safety were first priority. In the end I ended up with a vaginal birth with no complications, delivered by Dr. Lam, who was also great. Now my baby and I are both healthy and I healed very quickly. All this is thanks to Dr. Callen and the care she provided. read more

I've been a patient of GG OB-GYN since around 2002 and Dr. Callen's patient for most of that time. I'm usually fine with the fast/all-business-style appointment that Dr. Callen provides, and waiting a few minutes because the doctor is running behind (typical from my experience here) doesn't bother me. But today was over the top!! I got to the office 10 minutes prior to my 3:40 appt. I waited another 20 minutes before even getting called by the nurse. Then, I was left in an examining room without anyone checking on me for another 45-50 minutes before I finally got so frustrated that I got dressed and left. I stopped by the front desk to let the receptionist know I was leaving, wasn't happy, and wanted a refund. I assume that will happen, but she wasn't capable of issuing it then and there. She offered to let me speak to the doctor, but if the doctor was truly available to speak to me, then why wasn't she in my room examining me?? My question is "what ever happened to common courtesy and customer service?" If the doctor is running an hour late, then the staff should at least have the decency to call me and either reschedule the appt I waited 2 months to get, or let me know I can come an hour later. And, if I'm sitting in an examining room for more than 15 minutes (probably too long, but I understand that doctors can get behind in appointments throughout the day), have a nurse come in and give me an update! I totally understand that doctors have emergency calls (which it turns out was the case today) and would gladly have gone in an hour later or rescheduled to another day. What was beyond my comprehension was the staff's lack of care...just leaving me in a room without any communication was so rude and unprofessional. UPDATE FROM THE NEXT DAY: I heard from Dr. Callen as well as the Office Manager today. They understood and agreed that the treatment the staff provided was lacking and they are going to try to improve the staff's care and consideration if one of the doctors is dealing with an emergency. read more

I agree with others that Dr. Callen is good at what she does and very knowledgeable. I had my first appointment with her a few days ago. I don't think she's the best choice for you if you're young and fall outside the normal expectations of someone your age. She seemed rushed which is likely due to all the clients she has but did spend adequate time with me. I could tell she didn't appreciate my slew of piercings and she made me uncomfortable. read more

I asked a friend who her OB/GYN was and this was the name she gave. She generally has good recommendations so I stuck with it. Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience from the start; the assistant who sent the electronic forms to fill out ignored my questions. It's like a script is followed and there is no deviation. Most offices have wait lists and when I asked about getting on one, because I didn't want to wait 2 months to get a pap smear I did not get a response. The customer experience was poor. Today, I went to the office for a new patient appointment. I had a 12 O'Clock appointment and at 12:40pm, I went out to let the medical assistant to say I had a 1pm call and needed to leave. I was told the doctor was just finishing up with another patient; the Doctor told me that I was rude to her staff and "Life is Too Short". Ironic since she was rude to be so late (48 minutes); I waited several months for this appointment and never got seen. Poor customer service overall, the doctor was unprofessional. When I was leaving another patient who saw the exchange suggested I try her doctor at the practice. It was obvious this Doctor had a stern demeanor and was not friendly. Overall poor communication, time management issues and expectation setting by the doctor and her staff. The front desk though was helpful. I talked a friend who is retired in this field and she said they should have offered you another appointment since you weren't seen. It was not my fault the doctor was over 45 minutes late. And, no it wasn't because of delivering a baby. Poor time management is more like it. Incidentally, I circled back with friend and apparently, the customer service here is a problem and they've lost her records and her as a patient twice. ** When I complained about the extreme lateness, I also commented that I was wasted time as well as out money for paying for a garage. Dr Callan did give me cash to pay for parking. I told her and hour; tried to give her back change but her stern face and hostile demeanor clearly shut me up to get out of there. I just didn't want any further exchange because she seemed to be about to lose her grip. I had every right to be upset. Calling this office on their poor service and unprofessional handling resulted in another doctor in the practice writing a nasty falsified message. More unprofessional behavior, deflecting the original issue by attacking my behavior and finger pointing rather than being able to accept that the practice has customer service issues and needs to fix them. Extremely arrogant - really being 45 minutes late is "just a little behind" ? In other professions this type of behavior would be coined "unprofessional", or more likely "unacceptable". read more

Wow, I can't believe that last review of Karen Callen. She has been my doctor for over 7 years, she sees my mother and my sister as well. I can't imagine her saying 'prepare for a miscarriage' in a brisk way. I have laughed and cried with her and she has always been 100% on top of my pregnancy and non-pregnancy related health issues. She's a fantastic doctor, primarily through prenatal care, and I highly recommend her. read more

I can not say enough good things about Dr. Callen. Not only is she nice but she is incredibly smart. She is the doctor that all the doctors and doctor's wives go to. She is probably the best OB/GYN in the city. The entire practice is amazing! It doesn't matter who is on call for the practice, all the MD's are super. She wasn't on call when I delivered but came in on her day off to see me after I delivered my twins. My husband I feel incredibly lucky to have her as our MD. read more

I'm so grateful to have Dr. Callen as my obgyn. She is amazing and helped us through a rough time we just had with a problematic pregnancy. She went completely out of her way to help us - contacting doctors at Stanford and in the UK and at SF Perinatal for 2nd and 3rd opinions on our diagnosis and to discuss our issue to ensure we got the best care and advice. We had her cell phone number and she just went so incredibly above and beyond I don't know how to thank her. She was incredibly empathetic and professional and caring and we were so lucky she was our doctor. read more

Dr. Callen is the best. She is friendly, informative and a great doctor. She was recommended to my wife and I, and she has turned out great. We have had to wait a little bit a couple of times, but the last few times, we have gotten in quickly. If she has to change your appointment, her office calls (usually its because she is delivering a baby). I will say that her office sometimes doesn't call until half an hour before the appointment, but I figure that it is because that is when the delivery is taking place (you can't plan these things with precision barring a Cesarean). Dr. Callen has answered all of our questions. She is very professional in her examinations and always provides lots of information. Her office has been responsive to our questions and rescheduling. They have also provided letters for work (although we did have to remind them). I'm grateful that we got such a great doctor for our upcoming bundle of joy. read more

Let me start by saying that most of the doctors in San Francisco use Dr. Callen as their OB. That's how I was recommended to her. She has been my OB for four years now. Both of my children were delivered by c-section (due to breech conditions). Dr. Callen took away any nerves I had with the operations. Everything went like clockwork both times and you can hardly see my scar. In addition, I did suffer a very rare ecotpic pregnancy after the birth of my first daughter. Although Dr. Callen had never treated the condition, she immediately got in touch with several doctors who had (including one in London) and provided me with the best solutions for a safe recovery. Although the situation was devastating, Dr. Callen was very supportive and I went on to have another healthy pregnancy. I trust her with my life - literally. read more

I am not one to post on social media sites but my experience in the care of Dr. Karen Callen and her practice for the last 16 months has compelled me to share my thoughts. Dr. Callen has provided me the highest standard of care to which I wish all doctors would aspire and which I feel fortunate to be the recipient. In search of a second opinion regarding a complex medical issue a friend referred me to Dr. Callen. The first surgeon recommended immediate surgery even though I was not in pain or at risk. Dr. Callen was respectful of my decision not to pursue surgery and recommended closely monitoring my situation. 13 months later my situation changed and surgery was no longer avoidable. Over the ensuing ten weeks I had five in-person appointments with Dr. Callen (plus surgery that went extremely well). I don't recall ever waiting past my appointment time to see her. If I did wait I assumed it was because she was with a patient who required unexpected extra care (as I did on at least two occasions). Dr. Callen has been generous with her time with me even outside of my scheduled appointments. She has been responsive to my emails and followed up on several occasions with personal phone calls for conversations that required direct dialogue. Knowing that her professional life extends well beyond office appointments I am grateful for this extra time and dedication. I have never felt as though my questions were an imposition or that there was a subject she would not discuss. Based on my questions and the complexity of my situation she even engaged her colleagues for additional insight. In every meeting Dr. Callen has been candid with her counsel yet also patient, warm, and compassionate. In a situation that, for me, has been rather unsettling Dr. Callen has provided me complete peace of mind. I have full confidence in her expertise and counsel and highly recommend her to anyone in search of an OB/GYN. My only regret with having Dr. Callen now as my doctor is that I did not find her when I moved to San Francisco 24 years ago. On a final note, it is clear, as evidenced by my interactions with several members of the Golden Gate OBGYN medical team and staff, that Dr. Callen is supported by a solid team of professionals whom care about their patients' well-being. This is not to suggest I did not experience any hiccups along the way but once identified Dr. Callen or one of her team embraced the feedback and worked to resolve the issue. In particular her nurse, Kimi has always been warm and has a very calming presence. Marquetta whom works at the front desk is a stellar example of quality customer service - always cheerful and efficient. Given the complexities of our healthcare system I am sure being an OB/GYN today and working in any OB/GYN office is a challenging job. Each person with whom I have interacted at Golden Gate OBGYN handles their position with professionalism and grace. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Callen since I was 16 and she is absolutely the best! She is straight forward, no nonesense, down to earth and totally full of great information. I highly reccommend her. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Callen for about five years and she is a wonderful practitioner. In experience, I have found her to be knowledgeable, patient and very easy to communicate with. By far the best ObGyn I have ever had and I would highly recommend her others. read more

I love Dr Callen. She was my OB and did a bladder surgery for me. She is smart and friendly.

She is the BEST ob/gyn ever. She was excellent with my baby's delivery and I could breeze through some weird twists and turns during labor. I have great respect for her. She might come across as a little terse when you meet her initially but don't go by that. She is very good with answering all questions you have. She is patient even you have googled a hundred disconnected things and ask her several questions. Don't hesitate to ask her about whatever's on your mind clearly . She really knows her stuff, is very confident and smart. read more

Dr Callen is an absolutely amazing Doctor. She's very competent, smart and I recommend anyone who is looking for an OBGYN to go to her. I often e-mailed her questions during my pregnancy, and she replied in a timely manner and often even calls to see if I had any follow-up questions. She truly cares and I trust her opinion 100%. read more

Hello All, Dr. Callan has been my daughter's and my gyn since the late '80's. My daughter was in college in Oregon and had developed some gyn problems. She was in terrible pain. On the recommendation of another SF doctor, she suggested a male doctor at Golden Gate. My daughter freaked out and wanted to leave when she saw the male doctor but the office called in Dr. Callan to the rescue - who was calming, reassuring, nurturing, responsive, and knowledgeable. My daughter's condition required surgery which resolved the problem (even though it had been exacerbated my a nurse practitioner at my daughter's university). My daughter and I 'love' Dr. Callan. She's been our gyn since then. She performed a surgery for me in the 90's to fix the incontinence problem I developed after the birth of my son. I think we'd say "She's the BEST." read more

I need to update since my last review 2 years ago! Yikes, life with child sure gets busy but this review is important since I find myself now in my 3rd trimester pregnant again and reading other people's reviews while I'm in a search for a new OB. I personally think Dr. Callen is a highly competent OB with excellent surgical skills and she's the kind of person you want if you are having a truly high risk pregnancy. But know this about her, yes, her bedside manner can be terse and brisk (this never really bothered me) and she is much more of a pessimist than I want for this second pregnancy. My first resulted in an induction 4 days past due date due to concern for size. He was a large baby 10lbs 9 oz and before anyone freaks out over that number remember that it is just a number ... all women are built differently and I'm convinced that a petite women birthing that size baby would have a different experience than a larger woman like myself. (My mother had 4 kids naturally all over 9lbs and one over 10lbs. My husband was a month overdue over 10lbs so heredity plays a big part in what's normal for you.) If you are expected to have a large baby Dr. Kallen will take a low risk approach. Her tolerance level for "failure to progress" for large babies has a low threshold of several hours before the c-section recommendation comes in. My surgery was fast 1hr from being wheeled into the op room to being wheeled into the recovery room. She and the anesthesiologist and nurses work a tight ship and clearly have experience. My recovery and scar healed rather well. She really was an expert at the c-section and during the surgical process I felt like I was in good hands. These days however, once you've had one c-section and find yourself pregnant again you will fall into a new classification of candidate which has the option to do scheduled c-section or VBAC. For my second pregnancy I was hoping that she'd be the right doctor for me again since she already saw me through my first. And she'd be a great doctor if I wanted a scheduled c-section but this time I want a chance at a VBAC. She did say she and the rest of her practice are supportive of my choice to VBAC but spent a lot of time cautioning me about big babies, failure to progress and complications that can occur. This leads me to believe she's more risk averse and pessimistic than what I'm looking for in an OB for my VBAC and therefor I am going with someone else. My rating for her is not based on her skill whatsoever. She's talented and trustworthy and a straight-shooter. She's just not the best fit for me now that I'm a little more familiar about the pregnancy experience than I was the first time and since my needs have changed. If you want someone who inspires you to believe you can have the birth experience you want to have then this is probably not the doctor for you. She will poke holes in your confidence so that you are not disappointed when things are not going textbook perfect and her recommendation is to cut the labor process short in order to avoid complications. That's just her conservative style which for some people may work better than it does for others. If its important to you... you should know that her office is terrific. All the staff are super friendly and responsive and the facilities are gorgeous. I never once had to wait for an appointment and there's even a massage therapist that works next door which came in really handy when I booked my massages and check-ups back to back. Keep in mind that if you go into labor when she's not on call you will get one of the other OBs in the group so no matter who you visit regularly you may end up with someone else whom you haven't had any time to get to know. This rotation is what allows them to keep appointments regularly and since their new office is no longer next door to CPMC they are probably less likely to make a run over to the hospital when its not their shift. read more

Dr. Called was my wife's OBGYN. I am a Family Nurse Practitioner but at the time was a nurse working at CPMC. I had an 89 year old patient with a prolapsed uterus awaiting surgery. The patient's surgery kept getting bumped. The patient hadn't eaten sine the day before and at 1PM, the surgeon came down, sat down by the patient, took her hand and apologized for all the delay. She explained that the surgery would be delayed until the following morning and that she would order her lunch from any restaurant she wanted and would pay for it. That Dr. was Karen Callen! I got my wife to start seeing her as her OB/GYN. I later learned that the was one of the few providers that had learned forceps delivery (a dying art). My wife was slow to progress and Dr Callen managed it beautifully. Our daughter, Camille is now 21 years old and was born a healthy beautiful baby even though there was a perfect loose knot in her umbilical cord. I have always wanted to thank Dr. Callen for her excellent care, professionalism, and compassion and contributions to her profession. We are now past having kids but I would want her as our OB/GYN if we still lived in SF. Every year on Camille's birthday I toast to Dr. Callen. read more

Think twice about becoming a new patient unless you like her "brisk" bedside manner to be completely hasty and sometimes unwarranted. I was seen by her about a year ago and was told that I couldn't get pregnant. There were no medical tests done to determine this, so I was a little surprised by her openness to elect this information based on my history. Eight months later, I saw her my first OB visit. At this appt, my ultrasound was very brief (no print outs or explanation of what my husband and I were seeing). She quickly set me up and said, "I need you to mentally prepare yourself for a miscarriage". Again, the only information she gathered was a brief view from the ultrasound (no HCG comparisons, etc). I quickly found a new doctor.. Now I'm 13 weeks and never had any symptoms to validate her behavior or diagnosis.. Try out Dr Wiggins or Dr Fang. I've heard great things about them from the CPMC RNs. read more

I went to see Dr. Callen per my mother's recommendation, as she was her OB/GYN and she had good experience with her. I went specifically to inquire about birth control pills. I had never been on the pill before and I had concerns because I have a long history of clinical depression. In my medical history that I had just filled out in the waiting room, with my mother, I put down that my mother has a history of blood clots. Dr. Callen failed to take a half-way decent look at my medical history, as she didn't even bother to find out whether I had seen her before, which I had. I know that she sees tons of people, so I would be willing to let that slide if it weren't for her other serious errors. She ended up prescribing me the birth control Loryna, which I only found out by looking at the physical prescription, because she didn't even tell me the name of the pill or even give me instructions as to how to take it. Zip. All I know, from having several friends on the pill, is that taking birth control is a pretty involved process... it's really imperative to explain to the patient how to take it, especially someone who has never been on it before. As it happens, I wasn't planning on starting it right away, so it didn't cross my mind until about a month later when I decided to start taking it that she had given me absolutely no instructions. I was looking up Loryna online and found on the medication's website that it has a higher risk of causing blood clots than other birth controls pills. Clearly Dr. Callen did not care to look at my medical history thoroughly enough to find that I am at high risk for this, since my mother has a history of blood clots. My mother was in fact, taken off the pill because of this. Dr. Callen's bedside manner was terrible, particularly for an OB/GYN. When I mustered the courage to tell her I had been experiencing pain during sex, the topic clearly embarrassed her. She let out a nervous, disparaging snicker, gave barely any explanation as to what might be causing the issue, did not ask any questions, or make any suggestions, and basically made me feel ashamed to have brought it up. This is exactly the opposite of how I should feel talking to my gynecologist. An OB/GYN should not only be able to talk about sex with her/his patients, but should take extra care to make sure patients feel comfortable talking to her. As if there's not enough shame surrounding female sexuality already. read more

Dr. Callen is GREAT. She is no nonsense so if you want a lot of chit chat and poetic waxing about being pregnant, go elsewhere. But if you want a HIGHLY competent doctor who is on top of her game, go to Dr. Callen. She was very supportive of my decision not to be induced even though I had a big baby brewing and was already a week late. Then when the time came to deliver, her skills (flipping a "sunny side up" baby over in utero) and encouragement (she was in the room for at least the last 1-2 hours before I delivered) helped me avoid a C-section and bring a healthy 9 lb 5 oz baby into the world. She even checked in with my anxious parents and in-laws (including my FIL who himself delivers babies and can't stop raving about Dr. Callen) in the waiting room throughout my labor. read more

I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Callen. She diagnosed and treated me for a very frightening condition that my other doctor at KAISER (boo!!) should have detected years ago...the whole ordeal was very difficult for me emotionally, and she was very compassionate and kind...I trust her 150%. I know that I am in good hands with her... read more

Dr. Callen is great, and her office is beautiful and swank. The customer service is awful though. If you call, you're unlikely to get a person, or out-manuever the digital answering service. I've left messages (with medical questions) that never get returned. Just making an appointment takes a looney amount of time and phone call patience. It almost makes it worth it to switch to another doctor. Unless you're there in person, it's difficult to get anyone on the phone. I know they're helping ppl make babies and all, but c'mon. If I were in labor, I sure wouldn't want to hear "Press 7 to.... Press 8.... Oh ha! We brought you back to main message again, start over....if you've already had your baby while waiting, press 9...." read more

Dr.s are human.If your Md seems a little rushed or stressed out ,maybe they have an emergency next door.They can't tell you about it.This MD cares and makes smart decisions and is a talented surgeon I know as an RN of over 20 years. read more

As with many couples these days, as evidenced by the 40+ moms with twins at Starbucks, we did IVF and Dr Callen was in charge. I believe a review for MD should relay the doctors style, since competency/knowledge needs comments only if the doc is lacking in either. Compassion and personal bonding with a sensitive style, yet she is a straight talker and will deliver the facts. Our son Edgar came premature, 24wks/4days, very early, and faced tough odds which Dr Callen explained. Glad to report Edgar is now home and best of all 100% healthy and thriving. Dr Callen has our highest praise. read more