Dr. Ann Saylor Wittpenn, MD

Ann Wittpenn was my pediatrician, and due to that, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I was diagnosed with multiple physical and neurodevelopmental conditions that have been present since birth. I always knew I didn’t like her but always attributed it to bedside manner. As my mom used to put it, bedside manner doesn’t matter if the doctor is thorough (yes talking about this doctor specifically). It wasn’t until I went to college and discovered my roommate has the same pediatrician and we would spend hours sharing horror stories that I realized how much I’d been wronged. Freshman year of college I was in the emergency room at UVM and I met with a pediatric resident because that’s all they had available. She asked who my pediatrician had been, when I answered Ann Wittpenn her exact response was “Oh, she’s not a great representation of our pediatrics program”. When I was 14 Ann started me on an anti depressant. I complained for 2 years straight that that the anti depressant wasn’t doing… anything and that I couldn’t sleep and was self medicating with benedryl, and every 3 months for 2 years she said we’d “talk about it next time” but also urge me to stop taking benedryl with no alternative suggestions. It wasn’t until I moved states that I even learned about psychiatry as a specialty and my meds were finally changed. Ann also diagnosed me with obsessive compulsive disorder, dacryostenosis, and acne (seriously?) without ever telling me. Those were things that I (and my parents) learned when I moved states and had my records transferred. But the most current thing I’m dealing with is that I may need corrective surgery for my bowed legs and a hip deformity that weren’t brought to my attention until literally a month ago. I complained of hip pain my whole childhood and she always said it was my hip flexors. No, my femur is malformed and doesn’t fit in the hip socket, all it took was a simple X-ray to find that, and bowed legs can be completely corrected with braces before bone maturity. I have Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome (diagnosed at 19), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (I’ve been fainting since I was 13 but diagnosed at 22) multiple bone deformities (diagnosed at 24), gastroparesis (diagnosed at 18) , dermatographic urticaria (diagnosed at 24) autism&adhd (diagnosed at 21), and currently undergoing testing for several other conditions, all of which were present in childhood. She made me feel crazy and dramatic and like a hypochondriac while I actually had a laundry list of health conditions impacting my quality of life.

She's been our kids' pediatrician for almost 15 years now. We are happy with her. She is smart, real, and easy to talk to. Recommend her!

This doctor has no respect for clients who decide to delay vaccinations. This is an extremely HOT topic right now. Regardless she has no right to tell anyone and I quote, "You are making a STUPID mistake about your sons heath care". In my opinion she needs a class on cultural healthcare. Not everyone has the same opinions as a Dr. She definitely has a horrible bedside manner and could have as a reputable Dr., have expressed her concerns differently or not at all considering I asked her not to question my choices AFTER I was told they were STUPID. I have used UPEDS for years for both kids, and will now switch due to her lack of respect.