Care Compliments

Dr. Goldsmith has been amazing, caring for me. His continuous guidance & proactive care has made an outstanding, positive difference in my life. I couldn't have managed without this doctor & his genuine care. I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Goldsmith.

By: Mark A.

There's not enough space here for me to write all the amazing things I want to say about Dr. Shemin and his team. Learning that I had to have open heart surgery to replace a valve and a part of my aorta was a lot to deal with but Dr. Shemin and his team put my fears and anxiety at ease. The whole experience from the day I arrived, to the surgery to the care to the after care at home was on a level I've never experienced. I've never felt so looked after... And the surgery itself was flawless. I feel better than ever and look better than ever and credit Dr. Shemin and his incredible team. I'm so grateful to UCLA as I can NOT imagine a better experience. People are stunned when they realize I just had major heart surgery. I just say to them.."UCLA...". Thank you so much to Dr. Shemin, his team and everyone I encountered at UCLA along the way. ❤️❤️❤️

By: Brooke H.

Ms. LaShay has gone above and beyond assisting me with my health. I've never had that experience in all my years in utilizing healthcare! I hope you will take a moment to thank her. Thank you!

By: Tania B.

Dr. Sarah Goldgar is an amazing, caring physician who has gone above and beyond in assisting me with my health multiple times. She takes the time to listen to her patients and honors them in her work - she is such a wonderful and brilliant human being - I hope you will take a moment to thank her. How very lucky Los Angeles is to have Sarah Goldgar! THANK YOU!

By: Tania B.

Dr Aksoy and nurse Jeanne Hucking are a terrific team who helped my husband, Richard Greene through his TAVR procedure last week. Dr Aksoy's skill and Jeanne Hucking's thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the procedure, both before and after during the follow up appointment, helped give us confidence throughout. Jeanne's communication skill was such a comfort! Many thanks to a great team!

By: Margaret W.

As Nichole and I write this note, our hearts are heavy and yet grateful at the same time. Our loved one, Vincent Lawrence, passed away on September 23, 2020. Although he was very sick, we were hopeful until his final days, which brings us to why we are sending you this message. 48 hours prior to Vincent's demise, your involvement was essential and requested by the two of us. Due to COVID 19, hospital policy only allowed one person to visit per day even though Vincent was approaching his final days. Unfortunately, we had to endure a situation with a lead staff member whom displayed extreme insensitivity and carelessness of our family, loved one and his journey in passing over which was beyond inconsiderate and mind baffling. You were instrumental in assisting us with being able to be together with Vincent. Upon entering Vincent's hospital room, you immediately acknowledged him in his current state of health and you treated us with the utmost kindness and thoughtfulness. You sat down with us and listened attentively. The first question that you had asked us both was, "How are you?" Your awareness of the atmosphere and our state of being, immediately de-escalated the situation and allowed us to have an open and honest conversation of our concerns and final request. You were able to turn a bad situation into a great experience. So much so, that you contacted the CEO after hours on our behalf to enable us to be with Vincent during his final moments. You even gave us sustenance to help keep us going. Ida, you are a wonderful human being and Director. The perfect person for the position you hold. Your professionalism, care, concern and excellent bedside manor will never be forgotten. Thanks to you, we were together with Vincent until he took his last breath. God bless you and keep you in his care. We will never ever forget your wonderful way of handling the entire situation. We thank God for you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so very much. We will never forget you.

By: Valerie L.

As we write this note, Hailey, you are fondly in our memories as one of the most awesome nurses who cared for our loved one, Vincent. You compassion is insurmountable. Your demeanor is gentle and loving. These qualities are beautiful and that's what you are to us. Hailey, thank you so very much for all that you did for Vincent, (especially) and Nichole and I. You eased the pain for us in his final days. We miss him very much. Vincent was an incredible man. We could not have gotten through his passing without your support. God bless you and keep you in his care as you bless others to come. We will never forget you.
Love,
The Lawrence Family, Nichole and Valerie

By: Valerie L.

Eboni, as I look back on our time together while my twin brother (Vincent) was in the hospital, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards you. You started with Nichole and I from the day Vincent was hospitalized and were there for us throughout, until he took his last breath. You were present with us and treated us like we were your family. You took time to establish a rapport with him and with the two of us. You consoled us, sat with us, made yourself readily available and stood behind everything you said. You kept your word without fail. I could never ever forget you. You truly made everything better for us. To say "thank you" seems so minimal. On top of everything (parking passes, lunch vouchers, constant telephone and in person conversations), you remained humble and said that you were just "doing your job". Well, you did far more than your job. Eboni, you went above and beyond. You are a truly wonderful and an amazing woman who is an asset to any organization. God bless you and keep you and your family in His care. Everything you did for Vincent, Nichole and I definitely did not go unnoticed and was so very appreciated. We will remember you forever. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you!
Love,
Valerie

By: Valerie L.

There's so much we want to say about you but it would take weeks to say it all. Let me start by saying, Vincent was so blessed to have you to care for him and to be there until he passed. Your relationship with Vince began over a year ago, which was not forgotten. The first day you were assigned to care for Vince, he reminded you of his previous hospital visit in which he was attempting to leave the hospital prematurely. With your candor, you discussed with him that if he were to leave, he was taking a huge risk that could cost him his life. You have an amazing gift and we hope that you continue to bless others with it. It was so amazing how you cared for him and gingerly handled us from the beginning and all the way until his final hours. God orchestrated everything with you in His plan. We are left without regret because of your wisdom and ability to properly communicate to the family that the moment of passing should be in the presence of loved ones. God Bless You!! You are without a doubt a HERO. We could never forget you even if we tried. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU FOR EVERY LITTLE and BIG thing you did. BE BLESSED 

By: Valerie L.

After a negative meeting with another Ophthalmologist, Dr. Nejad was recommended. After meeting and discussing my eye condition, Dr. Nejad gave me the feeling of confidence in Dr. Nejed. Since my eye condition involved Cataracts and Glaucoma, I knew this was a surgery needing special skills. Not only did Dr. Nejad explain the procedure completely, but her confident approach to the procedure put me more at ease. Before and during procedure, Dr. Nejad made me feel like I was a student in her classroom. With every action she was taking, she was explaining what she was doing, what to expect and what I would feel. Fear of the unknown is a terrible thing. As she and the staff worked together, it was amazing, each so competent and professional. Several weeks later, I was able to have my other eye procedure with complete confidence that I had chosen Dr. Nejad. Praise God, I can now see with 20/20 vision. Also, the pre-op and post-op staff were outstanding. I would highly recommend Dr. Nejad, and UCLA Opthalmology very highly.

By: Delia V.

I would like to recognize Dr. Ronen Kalay for being the best primary care physician I have had. He was running behind schedule but when I saw him he truly took the time to address my concerns. I have never felt rushed by him and have always appreciate the time he takes to answer all of my questions. He is one of the best physicians I have ever encountered. He is intelligent, kind, caring, gentle, and truly cares. He takes his time explaining everything to me & I trust his expertise completely. He also responds to my messages quickly and thoroughly. He respects me and my time. I have seen and known many physicians but none like him. He is truly exceptional and deserves to be recognized for going above & beyond. I am so glad he is my PCP- after going through several other PCPs that were subpar or terrible, I feel lucky to have Dr. Kalay as my PCP now.

By: Shawna H.

I would like to thank Juan J. Zelayandia for going above and beyond when I was visiting the Woodland Hills office for an appointment. He scheduled me quickly when I was having an issue & needed to see my primary. When I got to the office he made sure to communicate with me often that the office was running late but that they had not forgotten about me and they'd get me a room soon. I really appreciated this gesture because it showed me that my time is respected. I rarely ever see this level of respect, kindness, and communication in physician offices. Juan consistently goes above and beyond on his work and UCLA is lucky to have someone like him working for them. I would truly like to thank him.

By: Shawna H.

I want to let Robin Roberts know that Annette was enormously helpful. I called because I need a preventative exam ASAP per my insurance company. I recently moved here, and because of COVID, hadn't found a physician. Annette took my call on the referral line. She was patient, kind, careful, efficient, and humane. I appreciate her help very much.

By: Christine C.

Kati RN and the new nurse she was precepting displayed the most conscientious care that i have received in years. Upon returning from an extensive MRI she was significantly concerned about my condition and the fact that i had experienced pain in my left chest and stood strong in maintaining me in the ED. She was totally concerned for my well being in keeping with your moto about HUMANKIND.

By: James C.

First- before I go into details about Dr. Eshagh (all good ones, but still!) I need to first explain how great my 2020 year is looking thanks to many UCLA people! On a separate tab I wrote this to UCLA Health:
" My husband and I needed a new GP and through our dentist's wife Lori Luszczak we found our way to the fantastic network of UCLA Health. GO BRUINS!!!"
I have had to deal with some skin irritation and irregularities on different parts of my body for over 3 years. The initial problem I had were my fingernails and Toe nails. I have been told by (I guess now I can assume these people were quacks or misguided people.) Podiatrists & Dermatologists that I had fungus on my toenails and psoraisis on my fingernails. I had skin irritations on my scalp that was identified as psoraisis or maybe even some eczema. For my Toenails, I was given Julia that was told should fix my toenail problem after maybe a year, or longer, My fingernails I was given an oral med that I was supposed to take 1 time a week. Well, after a trip to Arizona during he hottest summer that there ever could be, I must have triggered something. My feet swelled up like balloons, my toes couldn't even spread apart. So, my husband and I started my journey with UCLA Health. We went to the UCLA Porter Ranch Facility. The staff and Dr. Jyostra Sharma were so patient and compassionate! Besides the regular check up questions and relaying our previous medical histories to Dr. Sharma, we were able to give her the low down on my feet. She gave me some meds that seem to help. But one medicine that I was talking for my nails seemed to trigger an allergic reaction. It could be several medications interacting with each other. Whatever the case Dr Sharma and I decided to stop taking it. Over the Labor Day weekend it seemed my feet were getting worse, so I went to the Santa Clarita center where Dr. Annie Lai saw my feet... I was referred to a Podiatrist, Dr. Riley. He also looked pretty surprised at my lovely feet (not in a good way either LOL!) in the meantime, we had a follow up with Dr
Sharma. She referred me to a dermatologist, my heroine!!! Dr. Karin Eshagh.
After a few minutes of examining me she asked if she could see my feet. They were so awful looking, I hesitated A LOT. But Dr. Eshagh insisted and soon after determined that I had 1 of at least 3 things, but she didn't want to assume; so she took a biopsy (actually a couple) and prescribed something for my body and my feet. After the first application of the ointment and cream on my feet and my body, I saw improvement! I was able to move my toes. There was no pain. The rash on my back that looked like shingles went down dramatically. She told me until she got the results of the Biopsy back she didn't want to tell me I had what she thought, But I asked her what it was she thought it might be. She said it could be PRP and acronym for a VERY difficult to pronounce skin condition (I found this https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2723286 ) and almost fell off my chair!! The descriptions as well as the pictures showed everything I was experiencing! Dr. Eshagh nailed it!! Now, only almost 3 weeks later, I'm walking without pain, my bumps and redness all over my body has faded almost to the point of being gone. I feel like a new person! I honestly was giving up hope! This crew are keepers. But, Dr. Eshagh definitely ROCKS! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BRUINS!!!

By: Sarah W.

There are not enough words to thank Dr. Anthony Aldave for the incredible care that he has provided my mother Valerie. Dr. Aldave is an amazing Cornea Specialist and expert Surgeon who has used his gift to help my mother see again. After performing a very successful cornea transplant back in May, she now has a better quality of life and is able to do many things that were a struggle when her vision was in a blur.

My mother has very complicated eye issues and unfortunately lost the vision in her right eye a few years ago due to a failed cornea transplant. When her left eye issues began to progress, I knew that I had to find a highly skilled Cornea Specialist who was also equally passionate about preventing blindness. I didn't want to risk taking her back to the same doctor as before because we had too much to lose. After hours and hours of research online, I found Dr. Aldave and even watched his presentation on artificial corneas on YouTube.

The next morning I called his office to get an appointment and he was understandably booked solid for months. My mother's eye was in trouble so we had to see someone else to get her back stable, however I was relentless in my pursuit and after multiple calls and prayers, I received a call that Dr. Aldave had an opening and could see her. That call literally changed our lives and after careful evaluation from Dr. Aldave and his team of wonderful fellows, my mother is now enjoying life and seeing better than she has seen in years.

What I especially appreciate about Dr. Aldave is his compassion, attentiveness and tailored approach to each patient's needs. I accompany my mother to all of her appointments and Dr. Aldave is always kind and answers any questions and concerns in a way that I can understand.

Dr. Aldave's top of the line care has made such a huge impact on me that I have now established my mother's entire specialty care team and primary care with UCLA physicians. I figured if Dr. Aldave, was at UCLA, then it was the best place to be with the best doctors and I only want the best for my mother. Seeing her happy and not confined to her bedroom has made such a positive difference in our lives and we are very grateful that Dr. Aldave made this happen. Thank you again Dr. Aldave for all you have done for us and others and for what you will continue to do for many. The ability to see is a beautiful gift and we appreciate you for not only helping my mother, but also traveling and teaching others in an effort to stop preventable blindness.

By: Erica T.

During the recover period of my wife the whole nursing team was outstanding. One of our nurses David in particular. While I sat next to my wife essentially frozen, his care and mannerisms gave me a strong foundation of strength and belief in the care she was to receive. Especially when things started to go south. He remained focused while attending to the rooms next to us. Whenever there was a need for reaction he tirelessly responded for hours. To be able to treat my wife continually for long stretches while being able to attend the nearby rooms. Was truly spectacular. There was a moment where my wife needed to go back into the OR, at which point I was near breakdown after seeing everything. As she was being strolled off, David checked in with me, making sure I was going to be okay. I told him I was but I really wasn't. But there was some relief in him asking and reassuring me. Once everything calmed down and my wife was being sent to a different floor for recovery. David came over to my wife to say his goodbye and send us off. I wanted to thank/hug him for his work. However it was a short farewell and he continued his care for the other patients. I truly wanted to thank him and wasn't able to the extent he deserves.

By: Steve H.

Over the last 3 months, I have had the pleasure of being transported by the Patient Shuttle Dept in excess of 40+ times from the my hotel (Plaza La Reina) to and from the buildings at 100 and 200 Medical Center Plaza. First, please allow me to compliment your dispatch staff (especially Julia) who
promptly answered my calls, promptly dispatched the van, and even sorted out missed transports (when I wasn't readily visible while waiting! ) My greatest praise does to Yancy, my frequent driver. Yancy always drove carefully thru the streets of Westwood (important for me as a recovering surgical patient!), offered and assisted me when needed. She was up beat, patient, very kind and pleasant every single time she drove me, whether it was early in the morning or late in the day. Perhaps most importantly to me and my peace of mind, she always arrived properly wearing her mask, and gently reminded others on the van to do so when needed. Yancy made a difficult experience a little bit easier for this UCLA patient. Thank you.

By: Kathleen E.