Martin Joffe, MD

Dr. Joffe is such a refreshing change in medical care for my child. I made the mistake of not listening to friends who said «Don’t use a family practitioner for a baby, are you ???’ Well, they were right. My kid missed important vaccines, including the flu shot that they administered to me and not her, and others that were due based on certain time periods and had «I» not asked or been a highly engaged advocate for my child she could have not just gotten a fever in excess of 104 and H1N1 but something else as these shots I believe in and have seen the effects of Polio and Hepatitis and would live with guilt all my life had I not stayed on top of things and made the calls asking «Shouldn’t she have a vaccine… it has been a couple years?»
Enough with the old, onto to the new minus some comparisons so you have an idea of what I had accepted and now know that better does exist and my kid deserves it.
First, Dr. Joffe’s front office really impressed me. The front desk woman didn’t stick her hand up and act like she was unable to make eye contact or give a friendly hello even when not on the phone, she looked up quickly and said you must be so and so and proceeded to chase a little one she needed to watch while the Dr. met with the other child and mother. I wouldn’t count on this or expect them to babysit but it showed me right off the bat the atmosphere, patient first mentality and actual respect the office has as partners in your child’s health care.

The other thing I can’t say enough about is how wonderful the front desk is when it comes to answering the phone — day or night and you don’t’ get the automatic «you should go to the ER just in case» response. You get either office staff, a trained nurse and in the early morning hours I think they provide a service for you to use. Regardless, you reach these people and not just between 10 and noon and then 2;30 and 4 pm with no option to leave a message. That really bugged me especially when I just needed quick advice and now that I am with Dr. Joffe’s practice I have avoided unnecessary ER visits that expose my child to additional disease and infection and appreciate the service his office provides… including completing school and athletic and camp forms with the doctor’s signature to my fax before I am even able to get up and check if they had responded from my late night request. They are great.
Now, onto to Dr. Joffe, he has a slight accent, is of average height and has the nicest silver hair. He does well with the children and my child took to him immediately and unlike the past was ready to chat the doctor up. I found Dr. Joffe to be thorough, a good listener, able to balance what the child was saying and then ensure that all the recovering helicopter Mom report was included with the child’s input to formulate the best method of treatment. I found Dr. Joffe to be a definite expert in pediatrics, direct in his suggestions (no beating around the bush but also not too harsh that you leave red in the face) and had the same mentality that I did in trying to heal using natural techniques before going into antibiotics, laxatives, and so on. For constipation, I changed my child’s cereal, removed a few items and then got a talking too about her growth and that I shouldn’t be concerned with the weight loss and to increase the exercise through sports or other means to at least 1 hour a day or longer to keep her size down. He also gave both of us a lecture on the never-​ending screen-​time discussion or the «tough love» part and «because I said so» aspect of Motherhood.
So he is firm, which demonstrated experience and an intuitiveness you gain only by listening to your patient, setting aside adequate time to truly meet and know the family and with plenty of experience. All his solutions have worked and we are happy to have been able to join his practice.
I wish I didn’t wait this long to make the change. However, I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did. If my story resonates with you at all and you felt that life would be easier if everyone saw the same physician and are finding things aren’t as you had expected, it can’t hurt to try a new doctor as the medical records are sent electronically these days and you can just fax your old provider (mine didn’t allow messages) and tell them where to send the medical information. If the experience isn’t better with Dr Joffe than you may have a tough time finding someone in the relative mainstream that you like but good luck and I hope anyone who took the time to read this part «thank you» to the office staff and the Dr. and review has a better understanding of not only the practice but what really matters to this single Mom.

Dr Joffe has been our pediatrician for 16 years and two children. His educated advice and firm direction helped me raise two happy and healthy children. His coaching helped me develop sound sleeping patterns for my babies and teach them healthy eating habits. I recall one office visit when I was struggling to wean my toddler off the pacifier, he started by asking if the pacifier was for her or for me which made realize that I was using the pacifier to keep her quiet. He then had a conversation with her and she never asked for it again. The office is run very efficiently — I have never waited more then a few minutes for my appointment and my urgent calls for immediate attention are always met with a same day appointment. I nursed both children for their first year supplementing formula when necessary. Dr Joffe taught me how to make my own baby food developing a passion for healthily fruits and veggies that my children have today We did some co-​sleeping but Dr Joffe’s advice helped us develop a sleep pattern that allowed both baby and parents to get much needed sleep. Thank you Dr Joffe and staff!

Joffe was our son’s pediatrician from age 7 to 17. We were happy with him and so was our son. In particular he was a big help during our son’s teen years. After the «standard western medical» exams, he would ask pointed questions about sleeping habits, diet, and exercise. He was specific about advice here, and conveyed it in a way that our son really listened — our son wouldn’t listen to us (his parents) in the same way. Joffe «walks his talk» — he looks so vibrant and healthy for his age. We all learned a lot from him. The staff was also professional and prompt in calling us back. Thank you Dr. Joffe and staff!

My two sons have been seeing Dr. Joffe since 2003. We are very happy with his practice. He is amazing and my kids love him. He spends lots of time with us. His staff is great too. He calls us back right away when we have questions. We are very lucky to have him as our pediatrician.

Through Dr. Joffe’s advice, which advocates formula and nothing but veg (and eventually fruit and meat), my baby started weaning off of breastmilk at 5 months, despite my best efforts to continue breastfeeding. When I explained that I was committed to breastfeeding for the first year, Dr. Joffe told me that I would feel better once I stopped because it was affecting my hormones and emotions.
I totally agree that babies should get vitamins and minerals from veg, fruit, and meat but when my baby wasn’t gaining weight, Dr. Joffe insisted that I keep offering 8oz portions of pureed veg per serving. He seemed unable to address my specific situation, instead holding tightly to his regular plan. He also encouraged 2% cows milk at 11 months. At nearly every visit, instead of addressing my kid’s slow growth and small size, he’d lament the obesity crisis in this country and remind me that my kid will break my heart someday.
Once we left the practice, I learned that the AAP advises not restricting fat at all for the first two years because it’s essential for baby’s brain development and such tiny people *can not* become obese. Babies should virtually never get 2% milk. It’s now clear that we narrowly avoided a disaster by switching doctors when we did. My kid is slowing getting back on track for growth, but I can’t imagine what would have happened if we had stayed with Dr. Joffe.
He does have a sleep plan, but it’s just that «sleep begets sleep» so you should make your kid sleep. There really isn’t more to it than that, other than not feeding your baby at night. Some babies just sleep better than others, and any book will provide much more detailed assistance than Dr. Joffe.
One of the best things about the practice is that Dr. Joffe will actually return your phones calls promptly and in person. However, when I got a copy of the file, none of those (many many first time parent) phone calls had been documented, so I feel like the big picture was lost and can’t be transferred to the new doctor. The phone calls were never particularly helpful anyway.
In our interview, his spiel sounded very soft, supportive, progressive, and holistic. But if you value breastfeeding, are considering cosleeping or ECing, or are even slightly left of old-​school western medicine, look for another pediatrician. That first year of bonding and nursing can’t ever be replaced and I regret spending any time with Dr. Joffe.

Dr. Joffe is amazing! He seems to be somewhat of a wizard when it comes to infant sleep patterns. I have followed his eating and sleeping advice that he has provided which has made life with our 5 month old daughter very easy.
Dr. Joffe will go above and beyond when it comes to helping you and your child. He has even called me on his days off just to check in. It’s rare to find doctors like this these days!

A very good and direct doctor who has a way with kids. Stresses strong parenting and spots trends that help correct things before they become a problem. Very thorough.