Dr Rebecca Cohen's level of incompetents is impressive

Submitted April 15, 2024

I have been her patient for over 10 years. She has always been attentive, caring, and thorough. She never rushes me, willingly sends me for tests to ensure my concerns are put to rest. She gladly refers me to specialists if outside her area of expertise.

Submitted April 6, 2024

I cannot believe the reviewer who rated this doctor with 4.5 stars. Is she a relative of dr. Cohen's trying to undue the negative consensus? Believe what you will, but I agree with the truth tellers who rate this physician low across the board.

Submitted Oct. 3, 2023

While I am not surprised by others' comments of Dr. Cohen coming off as cold at first, I have been her patient for over 12 years, and find her to be knowledgeable, empathetic, cautious, thorough, and very caring, contrary to others' opinions.

She orders tests for double checks, monitors ongoing conditions well, makes excellent notes / follows up on past issues even when I am there for a new/other concern, gives reasonable and balance advice, and sometimes even calls me directly after hours when I have left a message for her with a time-sensitive question or concern. I have not met another doctor who has been as thorough as her; whom I trust with not only my health but with the health of my young children.

I believe that Dr. Cohen is very smart, and extremely efficient; you can see the wheels turning in her head, and although she may not share every thought with you, she selects what she feels is necessary/helpful/productive in the given moment, spending extra time only where something is very pressing. Her efficient manner might be perceived by some as coldness/curtness, and I can see how some may receive her in that way initially. Over the years, we have grown accustomed to each others' personalities, and I have had no hesitation to recommending her to anyone as an excellent medical doctor. I completely trust that my health is good hands with Dr. Cohen.

Submitted Sept. 13, 2023

Dr. Cohen has no empathy. She is dismissive, humorless, arrogant and cold. She is in the wrong profession. She would be better suited working in I.T. rather than with real people who have problems and need some human compassion and genuine care. If you are smart you will stay clear of this person.

Submitted Sept. 7, 2023

PART 2 OF 2: Dr. Rebecca Cohen takes advantage of the Doctor-Patient power dynamic

New patients beware of her tactics:
-Doctor-Patient power dynamic: She knows that she can get away with her dismissive and disrespectful behavior because she is the Doctor and you are the vulnerable patient that needs a solution or referral that only she has the authority to provide.
-Inconvenienced and annoyed by patients with chronic health issues: Dr. Rebecca Cohen’s ideal patient is someone who has a simple health concern that can be easily diagnosed and treated. However, If you have chronic symptoms or an issue that is difficult to diagnose she will either: a) gaslight you into believing that “nothing is wrong”, b) tell you that “everyone’s bodies are different” and "you just have to manage your limitations” or c) haphazardly attribute it to mental illness --- all while refusing to provide a referral to a specialist.
-Illusion of care: She will spend 75% of your appointment time asking you scripted questions while carefully logging your answers on her computer. If you don’t answer quickly or perfectly enough she will lose patience and scold you. As a patient, you hope that she now has enough data for a diagnosis or referral. Sadly, she performs this routine just to inevitably tell you that “nothing’s wrong”.
-She will dominate the conversation which can be overwhelming for anyone let alone her patients with anxiety, learning disabilities, or language barriers.
-Inconsiderate of her patient’s schedules: as others have mentioned, she has an unofficial “one concern per visit” rule while enforcing in-person only consultations. We are in the year 2022 and she’s still forcing patients to commute to her clinic for something that could have been a phone or video call. This further demonstrates her privileged and out-of-touch mentality since many workplaces only allow 3 paid personal days per year.
- Lack of documentation: After refusing to provide a referral to a specialist, she will often not document that the patient asked and she refused. My advice to current patients is to regularly take a look at your patient file to ensure all requests and denials are being recorded.
-Hot and cold: She’s polite, until she’s not. Patients never know what mood they will find her in, it’s true that sometimes she can be pleasant but it’s inconsistent. This might be a manipulation tactic where she gives just enough to where patients will give her another chance but ultimately does not put in serious effort towards improving her approach and attitude toward patients.
-Overall, as others have mentioned, her demeanor is best described as cold and robotic: She says and does only as much as she legally needs to. She lacks an organic drive and curiosity to investigate health issues beyond doing standard/obvious tests. Furthermore, she doesn’t seem to have much self awareness, one can only assume that by now she’s read some of these negative reviews – meaning that she is deliberately standing by her patient care philosophy where the patient is always wrong and the Doctor is always right….because again, Dr. Rebecca Cohen takes advantage of the Doctor-Patient power dynamic.

Submitted Nov. 16, 2022

PART 1 OF 2: Dr. Rebecca Cohen takes advantage of the Doctor-Patient power dynamic

I would like to begin by stating that I rarely leave reviews - however, I feel morally obligated to warn new patients by sharing my disturbing experience as a former patient of Dr. Rebecca Cohen.

I began seeing Dr. Cohen around 2012/2013. In hindsight, I should have found a new doctor after the initial red flags but unfortunately I kept giving her the benefit of the doubt because it’s hard to find a woman Doctor with experience in women’s health. Although I’m disappointed in myself for not trusting my gut sooner, I hope that this review will help at least one person make an informed decision.

Below is a timeline of my experience, these are highlights and there is more I could share but this is my attempt at keeping this insightful yet concise.

2012/2013 - Shady Network:
I had a stubborn women’s health issue and after practically begging Dr. Rebecca Cohen, she finally referred me to Dr. David Gerber (OBGYN) who’s only “solution” to my issue was to change my birth control pill and recommend that I wear a tampon between periods. Among other inappropriate comments, Dr. Gerber also joked that my concerns were “all in my head”. My experience with Dr. Gerber is relevant here because I was dismissed by Dr. Cohen when I asked her to refer me to a different OBGYN. Instead of asking why I felt uncomfortable with Dr. Gerber, she immediately got defensive and said that she would not refer me to anyone else unless I researched a new OBGYN myself. Dr. Cohen also refused to refer me to a Dermatologist even though I was suffering from painful and chronic nodular acne (instead prescribed me a topical cream that made my skin worse). Then, when she went on maternity leave I asked Dr. Cohen’s temporary substitute for a Dermatologist referral and she also refused, stating that “I needed to choose to live with either the acne or the women’s health issue”. Looking back, it’s clear that this dismissive behavior is promoted within this specific network of doctors. ***IMPORTANT UPDATE: at the time of writing this I sadly but unsurprisingly learned that The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) is currently holding a disciplinary hearing to address allegations that Dr. David Gerber engaged in disgraceful and unprofessional conduct with a number of his patients (see CBC news report for details)

2017 - On My Own:
It was around 2017 that I realized I wasn’t going to get the help I needed from Dr. Rebecca Cohen so I decided to embark on my own wellness journey and finally took control of my health: with time, patience, and the support of kind and knowledgeable doctors I was able to successfully manage my symptoms without the harmful side effects of contraceptives. It’s important to note that I either found these doctors on my own or resorted to referrals from walk-in clinics (which Dr. Cohen later had the audacity to reprimand me about, asking why I didn’t go to her instead).

2021/2022 - One Last Chance:
Unfortunately, in 2021 my women’s health issue came back but my preferred Gynecologist would not see me again without a referral from Dr. Cohen. I was apprehensive of Dr. Cohen at this point but I was more afraid that if the issue went unchecked it could get worse. After requesting the referral from Dr. Cohen, she responded with the following:
-Refused to provide the referral just because my blood test and pap smear came back normal
-Rolled her eyes at me: she reluctantly offered to do a hormone level test and when I casually asked her if that involves a saliva test (which I’ve done before with a Naturopath) she said “no” and actually rolled her eyes as if that was the most ridiculous question she’s ever been asked
-Attempted to gaslight me into believing that my symptoms were due to mental illness even though she’s not a Therapist and I was not experiencing any emotional distress at the time (the manner in which she was pushing the subject of me essentially me being emotionally weak felt condescending)
-In a rude and annoyed tone, she asked me to “tell her what I wanted her to do next”: a very strange question considering she is the subject matter expert and I was relying on her recommendations for next steps. I thought about asking for a different test, but at that point she had worn me down and I felt unsafe so instead of exploring more options I just said thank you and left her clinic for the last time.

Submitted Nov. 16, 2022

I feel sorry for her patients. Do not settle for her coldness and impatient ways. Opposite of a kind and caring doctor. My advice: run for your life, she is not worth it!!

Submitted June 7, 2022

I have been her patient for years now, and I am currently looking for another family doctor. Here is how I would describe her:
Complete lack of human touch. Shows no intention of having any human connection with her patients. Very cold and mechanical in all her proceedings, When it pleases her, she has the ugly habit of cutting you off when talking -as if to remind you who is in charge and make it clear who is the bigger person in the room. Always makes sure you know how annoying it is if you have several health issues on the table (no time, its the system’s fault, not hers!!) She does not know what to be humble means, for she is convinced she has “managed” everything so well. Do not tell her otherwise, because she can be aggressive and rude. The truth is she does NOT manage well and my experience as a patient has been absolutely disappointing. Desperate to find a good professional who cares a little.

Submitted May 30, 2022

Dr Cohen has been my doctor for a few years now, she's always been able to help me with any medical issues. Referring me to the correct people when necessary, and allowing me time to research medications or treatments on my own. She's always been very kind and understanding with me, compared to previous doctors I've had, Dr Cohen actually wants to care for me as a person.
Her appointments are short -- 15 minutes -- and so she can be a bit late if a previous patient needs more time.

Submitted May 5, 2022