I've never written a review in this category but feel compelled to do so because Dr. Margaret Okonkwo at Kidstown Pediatrics is a really great pediatrician. You may be thinking, who cares? But you know what, a lot of moms are unhappy with their chlidren's doctors and for once, I've found a wonderful one and wanted to share it with the world! Geez...I sound like some crazed lunatic, but I had a pretty rough week with my daughter (she has some creepy rash) and Dr. O helped us out big time. Other pluses? There is never a wait, she always calls back when you have questions, the practice is uber clean and the nurses are nice. Which is a nice change in an industry chockfull of dirty waiting rooms, hour-long waits and wicked help. So if you live near the Design District and are fishing around for a new doc, go here. All my friends go to her as well and love her to pieces too. read more

She's ok. I went to her for years. You expect a pediatrician to be friendly and connect with your children. She does not. She always referred to my child as "Hey, kid!". I don't expect her to memorize every child's name that comes to her practice but this is just one example of her impersonality. Henry, the dog and her staff are friendlier. Her staff, by the way are accommodating and patient. She is a straight shooter. Down to business. No warmth,no cuddles, no rainbows and no goddamn bubbles. Get in and get the hell out. Again no problem with her staff. I will never forget how she scolded me when she discovered that I did not realize that my child was autistic. How the eff am I supposed to know?? Smh. I have a new pediatrician now and the experience is way better. And the practice I go to now is BUSIER. But when my pediatrician sits down with my child I see leprauchans and a pot of gold. And no my pediatrician DOES NOT know my child's name by heart either but she CONNECTS with me and child during our visit. Therin lies the difference. I hesitated to write this review for years because of all the glowing reviews. But now I see I'm not the only one. She's not horrible but one can do better. Meh. Oh, but the one good thing, about her is that she is not focused on prescribing unnecessary medicines/antibiotics. I'll add another star just for that. read more

Most helpful and professional doctor I've met in Florida. She has helped my 2 kids for almost 2 years. Before meeting her I had a series of diagnosis failure for my young son, who ended hospitalized in PICU for 1 week. She was referred to me by on of the most senior doctors at Niklaus Children's Hospital, who took over his case. read more

While I have no issues with Dr Okonkwo and her clinical skills, her office management is totally incompetent. Just thinking of all the things her office staff have screwed up for me makes me tired. Just trust me, if you go here, you'll be happy. She is nice, and the staff is friendly. And hey, who doesn't like a dog? But if you have any billing issues, buckle up, because you're in for a nasty and frustrating ride. Staff who are either replacing someone else and not fully aware of the situation or outright not returning your calls- even when they assure you they will. I, for one, prefer an equally competent doctor with the staff to match. read more

Things may have changed since I went to this practice. I went to the practice while I was pregnant after reviewing the insurance list for my area. Initially, I liked the doctor. However, when I returned after my son was born, I didn't really like the doctor or the practice, but I didn't know that there was anything different as a new parent. The wait was too long. The doctor was a bit condescending when sharing information. They are strictly by the book and I learned that being a parent isn't. If you want a western medicine model then they are perfect. When my son was 3 months old, the front desk informed me after the visit that my insurance wasn't accepted because the doctor was no longer in my network. They charged me the full amount $420 and did not agree to make any adjustments. I was willing to pay a reduced amount since it was a mistake, but not the whole $420. They pretty much sacrificed a relationship over one well child visit, but it forced me to find the type of healthcare in line with what I needed for my son. read more

Would NOT recommend this Dr to anyone who cares about their children. Went to see her despite the fact that we LOVE our current Pediatrician. I just wanted an alternative that was closer to our home in case of emergencies. But after talking to her, I ran out of there and drove 45 mins back to our other Dr. She immediately started in on me about our choice to use a delayed vaccination schedule, telling me that children die everyday from chicken pox (C'mon.. Really?!?!) and how I should not trust my children's health to blogs written my angry moms. I asked her why she would assume such a thing when all of my research involves the CDC and World Health Organization. She was just very condescending and for lack of a better term.. Awful. She also was very offended and upset that I did not take my daughter to the Dr's every 1-3 mths. She informed me that if I did not bring her in as per HER schedule, she would be forced to report me. My daughter is 20 mths old and has had 1 cold in her life. She is incredibly healthy and I don't see why I should bring her in and expose her to sick children when there is nothing wrong with her. Last thing that totally threw me off was when she told me my daughter was underweight and probably not developing properly based on HER scale. She neglected to consider that I weigh 104lbs soaking wet and that my daughter has always worn the exact size for her age. I'm sure she looked underweight compared to the formula-fed babies in her waiting room who were wearing a size 24mths at 10 mths of age. I chose not to respond to a mom who commented on how small my baby looked compared to daughter who was wearing size 24mths at barely 1 year old. Sometimes the best response to ignorance is silence and high-tailing it out of there. Would never go back there! Kidstown is definitely NOT for my kids! read more

Dr. Okonkwo is awesome. I've heard horror stories about having to wait with your kid at the doctor's office for hours on end, but Dr. O (as we call her at my house) runs an organized practice and you won't spend your whole day in the waiting room. She is happy to answer all of your questions, even if you have 500 (which if you have a new baby, you will). Plus, the rooms are cuter than cute, which is just a nice bonus. I entrust my daughter's health to Dr. O, and that is pretty much the highest compliment I can pay someone. read more

My son has been a patient of this doctor since birth. He is currently 9 months. Our issue with this doctor is that she doesn't do a full exam every time out baby is sick. We wait an hour to be seen every time and every time she checks him by doing the most basic check and telling us he's fine. Several times we've gone to the urgent care center right after seeing her and found different things like Croup, RSV, ear infection and other things. She should have been able to hear his cough and determine things like Croup, she should have swabbed his nose to check for flu or RSV and she should have detected an ear infection - but she didn't. She never finds anything and we waste our time, money and our baby is sick while her incompetence allows kids to stay sick. I don't recommend this doctor - save yourself and your child the pain and the waste. read more

If you're curious about their level of professionalism read there response .... Need I say anymore.... And for the record I've never asked to bring my little girl back to a staff full of incompetent people, pediatric associates ftw read more

Has been my daughter's since day 1 and although I've moved out of state. I refuse to change. I love her and the way we all feel when we come visit. I absolutely have no conplaints! I am not sure what the other parents have experienced but I completely am satisfied! !! read more

The only thing I liked about this place is that there is barely any wait. I went for my son 3 years chek up the doctor did even checked my son right she just came in the office check his vitals and ears ask if there was anything unusual and then told me to come back in a year.. really? Previous pediatric would talk to my son and make him walk and do all kind of test just to see if everything was normal . She's super plain no type of connection with kids she's a pediatric and supposed to be charismatic. Really turned down by the doctor i went to her because it was really close to my house but I had to go back to my previous doctor in Kendall 45 min drives but I won't mind it because the attention and work of my doctor is great . Seems like she don't care about the kids but only to get your child In her office For insurance money. read more

If you are looking for a pediatrician who practices with up to date treatment options while using some critical thinking versus just plain old "traditional" options i.e. antibiotics and other quick fixes as well as punctuality Dr. O's office is the place for you. She may not be super warm and fuzzy with your kids but there is definitely a report there. She may not know your kids name and give them warm Olaf like hugs each time she sees them but to me that is not a priority. *Her staff is very friendly, well educated and efficient. They get it done, on time and are great at answering the phone as well as getting paper work on time/faxing referrals. Nady is our favorite. They have helped me in many ways including holding my youngest while I take my older kid to the potty, adjusting schedule to coordinate their appointments, walking me out to the car with two kiddos when they were both under 2 at the same time. I had minor issues with payment/refunds but mostly due to insurance changes which in all fairness is not the clinics fault. *As soon as you walk in the assessment begins. I think I get asked at least twice if I have any specific concerns by both the nurse and Dr. O herself. There is no reason why you should leave her office with any unanswered questions unless of course you forget to ask. *Parking is limited but hey, you are in midtown area. However, I have never had an issue finding a spot more than 3-5 mins. *Dog therapy!? Henry is her therapy dog. He is super friendly and roams the clinic at his will. My kids love him and look forward to petting him each time we go. 5 stars for having a pet in the clinic. *I have only experienced one after hours emergency when my oldest was 3 weeks old he developed a fever. She called me back within minutes and guided me through what was going to happen since it was a for sure admission to the hospital. But I have scheduled last minute appointments for fevers and found that they were seen within a reasonable time. * My ONLY disappointment is I recently found out they are moving further north east to the Miami Shores area :(. I only found out because I noticed the sign on my way out it really wasn't discussed during our visit. I just don't know if the logistics of driving from West Miami to Miami Shores is going to work for my family. Overall, I would highly recommend Dr. Okonkwo to anyone. She is a competent doctor and a critical thinker. She may have saved my best friends' kid by sending him to the ER "immediately" after he was sent home with flu related complications by 3 other pediatricians in the Doral area. She encourages breastfeeding, back to sleep, and healthy eating habits. She may have expressed disapproval with co-sleeping but seems to respect that ultimately it is the parents decision. read more

Dr. Okankwo is the best doctor I have ever been to. She is my son's doctor, and has been since the day he was born. You will never wait more than 15 or 20 minutes in her waiting room. She is extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and caring. My son loves her, and she genuinely cares for her patients. She will take the time to answer any question you have, and never rushes you. No matter when you need her, she's there. She always calls back quickly when it's after hours, and even answered the phone personally when I called her once after hours. I was shocked and so happy about it, as I've never met a doctor who does that. Her service is personalized, as she remembers my son, and my husband and I whenever we go in or call her. I cannot rave about her more. She is AWESOME!!! read more

I'm so happy to see Dr. Okonkwo is getting the credit she deserves. Kidstown is a mother's dream come true! She has been my pedi since my baby was a day old; and we met by chance since she was doing hospitals rounds, but I've stuck around for three years because she's THE BEST! She continues to hold my hand, through my now big girl's, growing pain; From the simple cold to a million of my vaccine questions. And Yes the rooms and staff are adorable. read more

Dr Okonkwo has been our pediatrician since she was on the rounds for the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) @ Mt. Sinai, where my son spent the first 9 days of his life. I can not reiterate the amount of trust that I have in her. She has always accommodated my concerns, even those that are simply "first time mom" paranoia, and I am so happy to have her as our family pediatrician. read more

I've been taking my sons to Dr. Margaret Okonkwo since March 2007 when my first was born. I was looking for a fluent English-speaking female pediatrician, and when I met Dr. Okonkwo, I immediately felt comfortable. She has always answered all of my questions without looking at her watch, and she treats my son with respect--translation: she listens, which, if you've ever had to listen to a three-year-old tell you how they're doing, can take some time to articulate. She probably respects his fear of getting his ears checked more than I do and works hard to help him understand what is happening. Her staff are consistently friendly, patient, and they exercise a good sense of humor when my kids do things like pee, spit, and rub snot on them. Whenever I have called freaking out, they've always made time for me that afternoon if I called in the morning, or the next morning if I called later in the day. They are also adept at helping me figure out how freaked out I should be...and whenever I've left a message for the Doctor, she always calls back that day. Dr. Okonkwo supports a full schedule of immunizations and vaccinations, but she respected my husbands and my decision to delay some shots, to space the shots out so that my first born never had more than one at a time. By the time the second one came along, it just didn't feel like a big deal to schedule multiple shots at a time. To be honest, sometimes we do wait twenty minutes or more in the patient room, but we try to schedule appts first thing in the morning or at 1:30pm when they get back from lunch. And, when they've worked us into the schedule for a last minute sick visit, I really can't complain about waiting. Funny to see other moms call her Dr. O as we call her "Doc Ok" like the villian from Spiderman :) She's wonderful. Last thing: My son at twenty months was suffering from stomach flu. We had just driven back into town from Maryland on December 31. I didn't know if I should take him to the hospital for dehydration or not, so I called Dr. Okonkwo, not really thinking that I would get through on New Year's Eve. She picked up the emergency line at 7pm!!! What a comfort! read more

Dr. Okonkwo is the best! My wife and I have appreciated her thoughtful care of our children since our first was born in 2006. What a luxury to know that she is there when we need her. The positive comments here bare out her value as a medical doctor. She is always kind and attentive with our kids and engages them directly. I am amused by some of the people's negative comments--that she is not fuzzy enough with their children. My family's experience has been that she is very personable and accessible, but I don't need her to be a camp counselor or to fawn over of my little god-child. I prefer a pediatrician who is direct, conservative with invasive intervention, knowledgeable about the latest medical science, and not afraid to give her medical opinion when my child's health is at stake. read more

Dr Okonkwo is absolutely great, she always has time for every single question. She has a great way with kids and i trust her with my kids.

Kidstown Pedatrics is a incredible office, Dr Okonkwo is a tremedous clinician, she has a true gift in handling children, She is a knowledgable and has incredible patience not only with the patients but the patients' parents, taking time and answering every concern they may have. She does have a therapy dog in her office, he works with children with special needs or making children's first time visit to the office at ease. The ambiance of the office is wonderful you feel like you are in a children's English book. I recomend her highly J Perez read more

I am very happy with Dr. Okonkwo. She's been my son and daughter's pediatrician since day one. She close by to our home so that's an obvious plus. But even if she wasn't close by we would still go to her. She's great and we are very happy to have her as our pediatrician. I have no complains. read more

I love this doctor. I love her nurse practitioner, and I love her staff. I have 2 year old twin sons and THEY love Dr. O. My children are high energy, even when they're ill and Dr. O and staff always know just how to handle them. The highlight of the boys' visits are always seeing Henry, the black lab. We have a running joke that Dr. Okonkwo still can't tell the difference between my twin boys, but once she knows who she's about to examine, she can recite back to me what he did the last visit and follows up on any ANY small concerns I may have mentioned. Dr. O is always kind and professional, super mellow, and willing to sit and answer any questions. I've never seen her look at a watch. She is not quick to prescribe antibiotics, which I LOVE. I have been blessed to only have one possible emergency since having the boys, and I was shocked that I called her after hours number, left a message and she called back within 5 minutes, gave me her cell and told me to keep her updated throughout the night, should I have any other concerns. I've read some of the reviews here and I simply cannot believe that some of them are true. I am always asked, at least once, if I have any concerns about my boys, by the nurse who comes in and does vitals, and then again by Dr. O. If they're running behind, I'm always informed-but I expect that to happen sometimes. While They have a schedule to keep to, everyone in that office knows that they are dealing with children and by extension-entire families, for care and education. If parents want a caring, compassionate and responsive pediatrician, I cannot think of anyone better. read more

Great staff, great doctor--everyone was very friendly and helpful. Dr. Okonkwo was kind, caring, detailed, and we felt very comfortable with her. We enjoyed meeting Henry, their therapy dog, and think he's a wonderful complement to the rest of the staff. read more

Dr Okonkwo is an excellent Doctor and her practice is amazing, she has been our son's doctor since he was born in Mount Sinai. A lot of attention is paid to details, loves the children she attends to and the staff are very warm. Absolutely brilliant and will recommend her. Shocked about a few bad reviews but to each it's own. read more

I have been apart of Dr.Okonkwo practice for two years now. I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH HER PROFESSIONALISM, I love the fact that she's very concerned about the the care of a child as a whole. I honestly wish that I would have met her 21 years ago with my first born because I'm truly impressed with her work ethics!!! I really can't appropriate the negative written comments to this business. However if you want also care and correct diagnoses for your child or children your in the right place... read more

I was kicked out of her office because I did not sign her yellow agreement arbitrary form, which states that I must give up all my rights as a patient if there is any medical negligent by the doc. I will not be able to take her to trial or go before a judge. Please read the yellow agreement form ppl. Also, last year I did some reading on vaccination causing autism. There were some articles that stated that vaccinations didn't cause autism. At the time of my 3 mth son seeing Dr. O (first time visit) I was still skeptical about the vaccination and had concerns. The doctor would not even explain the benefits of the vaccines and did not convinced me that everything would be fine that there nothing to worry about. Dr. O said she couldn't see my son if he didn't get vaccinated and also because I didn't sign her arbitrary form that I was still reading on. read more

Dr. Okonkwo is trigger happy when it comes to calling Department of Children and Families on parents. She has never been on time for an appointment and her staff is incompetent (horrible at scheduling appointments and/or communicating the doctor's availability). I wouldn't recommend her practice to my worst enemy. read more

Dr.Okonkwo is the best pediatrician . I have been taking both my children to kids town pediatrics for over 10 years . My husband is a neurosurgeon so we have very high standards . She is thorough and goes above and beyond . I trust her immensely and my children like coming to the office. The support staff is friendly and competent. I could not be happier with kids town pediatrics . I know my children are in great hands. read more

Dr. Okonkwo is a great pediatrician that takes her time with my 2 kids (ages 5 and 6 mo) and shows true passion for her profession. What I like the most about her is that she doesn't overreact to health conditions that your child might have. She's very calm, cool and collected- just the kind of energy a nervous parent needs in that situation. Also, a major plus is that she isn't pill happy. She'll always try a homeopathic route first. I've recommended her to several of my friends. read more

Dorctor Okonkwo is good, we have been with her since June 2008. I innitially found her because she had a second office at the Maternity Center so we decided to try her out, since we wanted a doctor open to our birthig plan. Loved that she was very open to shots being spread out to be less intense on the babies. The place it self is always well kept, clean, and fun for children. We have two kids and still go to her, and her staff is the BEST, which usually this is not the case, they even remember the kids my husband and me. Maybe you will wait in the patient room for 30 minutes but usually it is pretty fast, when Dr. Ok comes in the room to see you she does not make you feel preasured to go fast. She has her emergency cell phone which we have used many times in the past and can say i LOVE this since I find it best to have my kids doctor be the one to direct me since she knows my kids and their medical history. Maybe i would like she prescribed medicine for common cold or maybe give suggestions of home remedies because as parents we just want the kids better quick but that would be my only complaint. read more

Dr. Okonkwo is a very nice, caring, and knowledgeable doctor! I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a good pediatrician.

Dr Okonkwo is amazing. She is knowledgable and on the cutting edge in her field. I call her often for advise on my kids and she's always friendly and helpful. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my children. Her office is EXTREMLY clean and her staff is friendly and helpful as well. read more

In the beginning I really liked this place and the doc I was a new mom and thought that this would be a good place to take my child but Once we started taking the baby there I changed my mind the wait time to see the doc is crazy we be waiting for 30-45 mins then I felt the doc didn't want to listen to any of my concerns at all my daughter was really attached to me since my husband travels for work and she would just be annoyed by the crying and at one point came into the room yelled at my baby told her to stop crying nothing was wrong with her and that I needed to stricter with her .. My baby was less than a year old and was scared as most kids are at that age of the docs . I was just sooo surprised and just let down after that I never returned and will never return there . I have found a new doc and place that 500 times better that my daughter loves and that take my concerns more seriously and that treat people with respect.. read more