Dr. James William Gough, MD

I have been going to this practice for years and I agree with some of the reviews in that Dr. Gough is very narcissistic and believes his word is gold. I have been taking my 2 girls to him for years and now they are teenagers and I feel we have outgrown him. One of the teenagers is asthmatic and getting medications is like pulling hairs out one by one. I DO understand the need to always keep on top of illnesses and of course I want the best medical care but to deny my daughter a rescue inhaler when she has asthma is ridiculous. He tells me if she cannot breathe bring her in or take her to ER. She has allergies and coughs in the spring a lot and this exacerbates the asthma. if you have an appointment for a set time you will NOT be seen at that time believe me. they overbook their patients and you will be sitting in your seat for hours so bring a big book or a well charged phone.

He always listens to our concerns and gave his professional opinion. But always felt mother knows her child best. I felt very comfortable talking to all the Doctors in the practice.

I have been taking my daughter here since her newborn visit at 4 days old and have had only the best experiences. I found Cortelyou Pediatrics because I had been recommended to see Dr. Gough and Dr. Max by a friend. Also, as a health care provider myself (I'm a Physician Assistant) I decided to make up my own mind after a visit. I couldn't be happier that we decided to choose Cortelyou Pediatrics for my daughter's health care. My husband and I were very new parents and very overwhelmed and sleep deprived at our first couple visits. Both doctors in the practice were wonderful to us and to our daughter! Both spent a lot of time reassuring us and answering all our questions. I also love that they have a "call in" time in the morning set aside for phone call questions only. I had a question about my daughter and was able to speak to Dr. Gough right away. He even suggested I come in later that day and was able to squeeze me into the schedule. Also, the front desk staff are… all very nice and have always been very helpful when sorting out insurance issues and or questions. We have been very happy at Cortelyou Pediatrics and would recommend it to any parents looking for a pediatrician!

Hi Everyone,I was a bit unsure whether or not I should post about my experience since I think very highly of the other two doctors at this practice but I feel I should share my experience in case it can help someone in the community avoid a similar or worse situation.I have been taking my almost 6 month old daughter to Dr. M at Cortelyou Pediatrics since she was born. For a personal reasons I was thinking of changing practices and asked for my records to be sent to another brooklyn practice (I had filled out an inquiry page online for this new practice). However, I have not made any appointments with any other dr.'s and my daughter has only ever been seen or treated by Cortelyou pediatrics. I still have my 6 month appointment with Dr. M and was on the fence about whether or not to switch and wanted to meet with the Dr. from the other practice before I made a decision ( which I think is normal).That all said my baby had a sort of scary incident this weekend and had spit up with colors… in it that did not bode well. Of course concerned I called the only dr.'s my daughter has ever seen and ever been treated by, which was Cortelyou Pediatrics.It was Saturday and the receptionist answered took my info and then briefly asked about the records that were faxed and I said "I am thinking about switching Dr's but at this time have not yet, and the Dr's from your practice are the only dr's my daughter has ever seen." she said ok that only dr. Gough was available to call back and she'd leave a message. After almost 2 hours of tensely waiting, I got a call back from Dr. Gough. He briefly asked about the state of my daughter and under a minute determined that it wasn't a big deal but I should keep an eye out for any more troubling signs in case she caught a virus.Then he went in to it, and he was looking for a fight. He said he saw that the records were sent to another office and if his practice had done something wrong, I said no I was just trying to weigh my options and figure out the best practice for my needs and then it came, he said the receptionist told him that I said I only called Cortelyou Pediatrics because I couldn't get ahold of my "other doctors", I responded by saying that 1) I currently don't have any "other doctors" for my child and cortelyou pediatrics have been the only dr.'s my daughter has ever seen since she has existed and 2.) That not only did I not say that but that there was no way that what I said could have possibly been misunderstood to mean that.He got super upset and the situation devolved from there. To every reprimand and accusation I just kept saying that they were the only dr's my daughter has ever seen, but I have been debating switching practices but haven't done it yet. Finally, after a few minutes of being verbally accosted by him and with my husband staring at me with a perplexed look and mouthing "Is he yelling at you" because Dr. Gough voice was so loud that my husband could hear him through my cell phone and across the room, I finally said " you are being rude, and if you are really wondering why I'm thinking of switching practices well just think of this conversation." then Dr. Gough hung up on me, really!My husband upon realizing what happened took the phone and tried to call him back to give him some of his 2 cents, but the Dr. didn't pick up, which was probably for the best.Fortunately my daughter seemed fine after that one small spit-up/vomit episode which was good because had she have gotten worse I would have had no dr. to go to since the ONLY Dr's she had ever seen were Cortelyou Pediatrics and the ONLY Dr. on call at night and on weekends is Dr. Gough and he was throwing a temper tantrum like a jealous 13 year old girl. I don't know what we would have done or who we would have called if our daughter had gotten worse. So the moral of this story is: if you are thinking about switching Dr's from Cortelyou Pediatrics to another Dr. don't tell anyone, make an appointment with the other Dr. first and after you already have the new Dr's as your Dr's then have your info and records faxed, because you don't want to be stuck without a doctor to call in case some unforeseen emergency happens with your child.Honestly, I was really on the fence about switching because I really like the Dr. M that I have been seeing and the office is so close by. But this incidence was a reminder to me that outside of office hours Dr. Gough is the only Dr. available at this practice, which means if there is ever an emergency he is the Dr. that you will have to deal with. And, in my opinion, he seems to be pretty petty and has a loose temper. It also seems whenever given the option to be confrontational and difficult or sympathetic and accommodating, he will inevitably choose to be confrontation and difficult.After this experience with Dr. Gough I am no longer debating whether or not to switch practices.

My daughter had a hearing problem. We saw it every day. Dr. Gough said she just had too much ear wax, and that we should our olive oil and peroxide in her ears to break up the wax. We did that. She still had hearing problems. The Dr. Gough said that we were overreacting and that our daughter was just seeking attention. We asked for a referral to an ENT specialist. Dr. Gough resisted. He told us it was nothing, but that if we really wanted to, he could send us to an audiologist. So we went, and my daughter has significant fluid buildup on both ear canals, 40% hearing loss in both ears. Dr. Gough is an arrogant narcissist that believes that his views are superior to those of all other medical professionals. He should have his license revoked

At first Dr Gough was incredibly warm, friendly and encouraging. The last few visits however have left us very disappointed and determined to leave the practice. He spends too much time typing, not looking up from his computer and seems rushed and distracted. Despite the fact that we've been going to him for years, he still doesn't seem to recognize us/our child. The receptionists are also not friendly. I agree with a previous reviewer that there have been moments when I feel he has offered too many judgements or has been less than respectful of parenting styles that differ from his own. All in all, a caring practitioner but clearly overworked and lacking in bedside manners.

As new parents, my wife and I interviewed him and selected him based on recommendations by a midwife. After 3 visits, we felt we needed to change doctors. Gough is a kind man and believes in the holistic approach, which is great and what we liked. BUT, we are leaving him because he does not respond clearly to questions posed about sleeping habit associations of our newborn, did not appropriately give vaccinations (made my 3month daughter choke), could improve his bed-side manners in handling babies, and always refers to how he raised his own children in answering questions we had about our child. He spends more time typing his answers to our questions on his computer rather than talking to us about our concerns. He responds flippantly and does not consider our depth of knowledge to fully and squarely respond. While he means well, we feel he misses his mark.

My child has been going to Dr.Gough since he was born at first he seem to be an amazing doctor until he started taking thing personal, and doubted my judgement as a parent. He than took it personal when a doctor is NEVER to take anything personl because there are suppose to be there for us but neeed to respect our choses as parent. I am always wait for an hour or more and some of his assistance are alway RUDE!!! Dr.Gough should learn a thing or two about being professional

It's up to the parent for follow up care!! I would never expect a doctor to call each patient to check up after a visit.

I was a patient of Dr. Gough's for many years now even my younger sibling is currently his patient. Dr. Gough has almost become like an extension of our family. Very intelligent and thoughtful doctor; instead of feeling like just another patient in another hectic doctor's office, Gough and his staff really take note to each and every family upon their visit. Gough has patients traveling from long island, new jersey and even philly at times which shows once you become one of his patients it is hard to find a replacement for him and his good efforts.