It has recently come to my attention that Dr. Pasternak made a diagnosis on my medical records of a mental health related issue that no longer exists in the DSM-5. This has been on my medical records for 8 years and had impacted every interaction I have had with a doctor/ medical professional since! This was just discovered when recently requesting a copy of my medical records. I will be reporting him to the College of Physicians and Surgeons and filing a complaint to have this removed from my clinical records immediately.

Submitted Sept. 21, 2023

I had been waiting on a neurologist for over a year, finally Dr Pasternak’s office called with an appointment. I arrived for my 0830 appointment waiting 45 minutes only to have another Doctor arrive and tell me Pasternak’s office won’t see me because I had another referral (this was incorrect, I have no appointments scheduled at this time, I am waiting still). This was so unbelievably frustrating and unacceptable. I can not rate Pasternak, because he never saw me at my appointment.
This system is broken and does not put the patient first.

Submitted May 12, 2023

Dr Pasternak is so hung up on patients having depression that he refuses to see the big picture. Spent 3 years being assessed with low moca scores but told it is pseudo-dementia caused by mental health issues. Stopped going because tired of being told I'm depressed when I'm not. 3 yrs later symptoms are getting worse so I go back and he says looks like Parkinson’s. His notes to family Dr say Lewy Body dementia with Parkinsonism. 7 months later we're back hoping for medication to help with symptoms and because he doesn't see a tremor at this visit he reverts to the depression diagnosis. He's willing to ignore patient and family input, obvious symptoms, balance issues and ever-decreasing memory scores with the explanation that depression can cause all of these things. We came away with another prescription for an antidepressant!

Submitted Oct. 7, 2022

On the contrary to most comments, I have many different opinions about Dr. Pasternak. First of all, his team is very punctual in that reception tells the patient how long a new visit take, and when properly greeted in person the patient and family receive a throughout explanation of what is involved in their care (a cognitive testing session that is separate and then combined with seeing the doctor). This could take several hours as dementia is not a quick diagnosis to make and sometimes is uncertain early-on. The cognitive clinic allows for early screening measures for concerned individuals that have a strong medical history or other factors that can lead to dementia. Dr Pasternak and psychometrist do an excellent job in diagnosing dementias and that only an expert in the field can distinguish and ascertain an accurate diagnosis in. Above all however Dr. Pasternak is kind, well-respected, and a well-liked physician by many. His clinics run pretty smoothly and if one doesn’t agree with the diagnosis he finds a way to reason why he feels that way, and goes beyond the call-of-duty to explain how depression as a diagnosis concerns him and he finds ways to make it treatable. Many family doctors will not go as far as to treat depression and he cannot ignore it , but also his primary concern is to rule-out dementia as depression can lead to memory loss if left untreated. Trust is key.

Submitted July 12, 2018

I felt like he walked into the appointment having already decided that I didn't have an ABI. All of my symptoms were translated into me being depressed even when I told him I have hope for the future, hobbies I'm excited about, and that I didn't feel depressed. He told me I wasn't qualified to make the decision of whether or not I was depressed. So all my symptoms that stem back from my brain injury (memory problems, headaches, trouble concentrating, fatigue) we due to depression and nothing else was dealt with. I've visited a counselor who told me I was doing just fine and that I don't need to see her because I wasn't depressed. Disappointing to wait for so long with hope for answers, only to be given medication for depression that made me even more sick that I was before.

Submitted June 7, 2018

Dr Pasternak was quick and thorough doctor in giving me a diagnosis of MCI-Early Alzheimer's. He answered all the questions I had. Dr Pasternak let me know how I can help others in getting a cure or better understanding of this disease by enrolling in the MCI study. He also let me know about future tests that I will be having and how the medication may affect me. I didn't mind waiting as Dr Pasternak was the 5th Neurologist that I had seen and finally got a diagnosis. This was a relief as it took over 2 years to finally get the answers. I didn't mind waiting because I didn't want to be referred to a 6th neurologist to figure this out. As for support, there are other places for that. The Alzheimer's Society of Canada has a great website. London, Ontario has an awesome chapter full of support staff and volunteers that will help before and after getting diagnosed. I recommend anyone, who are going through the challenges of symptoms and getting a diagnosis to get help from everywhere they can for their support system. I hope this helps everyone.

Submitted April 25, 2017

He is an amazing doctor!!! He is very careful with his diagnosis and is always accurate!!! He's the best!!!

Submitted Sept. 3, 2014