Dr. Sarah Madhu Temkin, MD

My daughter Tenesha was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017. Dr. Temkin did her surgery. She saved her life because the cancer was everywhere. We love Dr. Temkin and was so sad to find out that she was no longer at VCU. Dr. Temkin is not just a Dr. She very friendly and always make you feel comfortable in everything CONCERNING your care. Dr. Temkin care about her patients.

Dr. Temkin is a caring and compassionate doctor and is highly regarded for her oncology and surgical expertise. She is always willing to answer questions from me and my family and never makes us feel rushed or ignorant. She and her staff check in on you frequently to let you know that they are always there for you. Dr Temkin is an outstanding and dedicated doctor who I would highly recommend to anyone.

I do not doubt the intelligence nor the experience level of this doctor. I went for a second opinion and she acted like it was a waste of her time and very opinionated. She made me feel down and discouraged about personal decisions that I am making that has nothing to do with the cancer.

Due to the urgency of my situation, I was unable to research before choosing a specialist so I was very anxious about having to accept the surgeon on-call for that particular day. I was evaluated in our local emergency department for abdominal pain and pressure and was determined to have an ovarian cyst the size of a 25 week fetus. Fortunately, God was watching over me and Dr. Temkin accepted me as a patient. Being transported by ambulance two hours from home for the purpose of having a basketball sized growth removed was frightening. Dr. Temkin and her team immediately addressed every one of my concerns and put my mind at ease. Although I was not on her schedule and arrived at the hospital in the middle of her first procedure of the day, she never made me feel as though she was rushed. She took the time to answer each and every one of my questions-- and there were many since I tend to panic at the thought of being under general anesthesia. I am a control freak and get quite anxious… at the prospect of not being in control during that time.The OR was very busy that day and I was not able to go to surgery until 7:00pm for a procedure that lasted just about two hours. She and her team completed various other surgical procedures during the 12 hours I was waiting for an operating room, yet at least one of her residents visited my room in between those procedures to check on my condition and answer any questions that had arisen. Then, even though she had already been at the hospital for at least 16 hours, she talked with my family after the surgery until every one of their questions had been answered. The attention from Dr. Temkin as well as the residents and nurse practitioner on her team during the in-patient postoperative period was also exemplary as were their prompt, appropriate responses to any potential problem that presented. Unfortunately, I've had many hospital stays for both myself and for several special needs children so I am not easily impressed because I simply expect to receive good medical care. I was definitely impressed this time!! I was comforted tremendously by the number of times during the day that a member of the team stopped by to check in and was also impressed with the consultations ordered from other specialties that greatly improved the postoperative recovery time and decreased the level of postoperative pain. The follow-up care in the office has been just as wonderful. The nursing staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and compassionate. There was a minor postoperative concern because of a skin sensitivity and the nurse called daily to check on my progress. The results on the pathology report were completely unexpected and Dr. Temkin was very gentle and compassionate in delivering those results while still being informative and realistic regarding the implications of the findings. After spending more than 20 years working in the medical field, one characteristic that always stands out to me is how the physician relates medical info to patients and family members who are likely laypersons and not medical professionals themselves. Dr. Temkin excels in this area; another outstanding trait is that she is able to relate complicated medical diagnoses and procedures in a manner that is easily understood without sounding as if she is over-simplifying the topic.

I received excellent care during my stay and visits for diagnosis of cancer. I am sure my anxiety and stress were diminished because of the ease in which Dr. Temkin and her staff were able to relate the diagnosis and treatment to me. My family also felt she was simply outstanding.