Dr. Elizabeth Dahl Gifford, MD

My family and I have been patients of Dr. Gifford for 10+ years. I felt compelled to share our experience because I want to set the record straight about her practice. She doesn't have a nurse. She doesn't have a front office staff. She is a solo practitioner who supports - with kindness, expertise and professionalism - a small community of patients. As a result, she greets you at her front door herself, seats you in her waiting room and listens to her patients describe their situation, and then takes you back to the examination room herself. She is a consummate professional and she explains her diagnoses and recommendations fully. She takes time to look up specialists with whom you might "click" and is responsive to questions sent through her patient portal which, incidentally, is fantastic and stores all of your records (which has really helped on a weekend when filling out camp forms or school forms). My kids (now adults), husband and I will never see another primary care physician… as long as she practices medicine. We moved out of Park Slope over five years ago and we still travel to see her. She has impeccable diagnostic skills and judgment.

I do not recommend this doctor. She is very judgement al and unkind.

Dr. Gifford is that rare creature, a family practitioner: she sets her business (if that's the right word) model as one that accommodates all members of a family, and she tries her best to give as much time as possible to you when you're in the office. Of necessity, because she's a one-woman band (for the most part - she uses an outside billing service), she has a lot on her plate. We don't ever feel rushed, but we're aware she can't sit and chat the day away, though it seems like it'd be a lovely thing to do with her. She's available by cellphone after-hours and on the weekend, so that's a great back-up, particularly since our family seems to get all its illnesses and bumps/bruises on the weekend. Best of all, she sees and knows all of us, so the larger family dynamic cannot help but inform how she sees and treats us as individuals. That's invaluable.

Dr. Gifford takes fewer appointments so she can really spend time with her patients. I never have to wait, in fact I usually arrive early and go in before my actual appt. time. The poster who mentioned a nurse and an intake questionnaire is either confused about which doc she is rating, or else is making it up. Dr. Gifford has no office staff. She is availalbe by email, and even by cell phone for urgent matters. Because she does not triple-book her appointments like most Drs, she deosn't need a staff - she handles all her patients personally.She treats my two kids and me, and she has gone above and beyond when we have needed urgent care. She always makes time for us if we need it, and listens carefully to the full spectrum. I always recommend her because I think family medecine demands that ability to listen and understand the family dynamics, and she definitely offers that.

Dr. Gifford cares for me and my 8 year-old daughter. While I am in menopause and have seen her many times with minor illnesses, my DD is a healthy kid who needs the requisite checkups and immunozations. Dr. Gifford is a caring family practioner who spends as much time as I need. I never feel rushed or unheard. I feel like Dr. Gifford enjoys hers work and I feel lucky to have found her. Reminds me of the kind of doctoring I experienced as a kid in a small town, 45 years ago!

Dr. Gifford seems competent, but she is not warm, friendly or welcoming at all. In fact, I'd say that she was rude and insensitive. I also don't find her particularly insightful--just very basic, nothing innovative about her thinking. She dosn't talk much. She also fails to ask some very basic yet crucial questions, which I find shocking. Not recommended

strange approach to doctoring: denying basic medicines. misdiagnosis resulting in much longer time being sick.

Before I was even seen by Dr. Gifford, the nurse, gave me a depression questionaire. I found this odd, since I was going in for something totally different and that Dr. Gifford is a family doctor, not a mental health doctor. I had blood work done, which showed high sugar levels. She dismissed this in our follow up and tried to prescribe me anti-depressants. She said I could "get my life back". I had't told her I didn't have my life...or that I was depressed in any way. She asked me if I experienced depression and I said no and her response was that there are other types of depression that you don't feel. She said the meds would have no effects on me and it couldn't hurt to try it and that she diagnosed 1 in 4 of her patients with depression. Trigger happy? I would see this doctor with great caution. I won't be going back to her and I'm writing a report to the medical board. I think her practice needs to be looked at.