Pediatric Group of Monterey

We have been seeing Dr. Bennett for 6 months now and we are so impressed! He truly takes the time to make me and my son feel comfortable. I have never felt that he was in a rush, always takes the time to answer my questions. He has a very calm and patient personality. Highly recommend him!

Every doctor we have experienced so far has been fantastic! All with great bedside manner and genuinely caring for their patients!
We saw Dr Tao ar the hospital as she helped us immediately after our son was born. Amazing woman who was the perfect woman for that moment.
We now see Dr Bennett because he was available the first day our son needed an appointment. He is kind and gentle!
We are thankful for these guys!
The office staff is great and kind and we were ten minutes late today but no one says much. :)
We are greeted with kind smiles and how are you doing! If the office staff is great, it shows how awesome the rest of the office is!
Thanks guys! We are thankful for you!

We moved here from Reykjavik/​Iceland. Being used to an excellent health care system, I was somewhat worried about finding the right pediatrician for my daughter. In a «pink-​eye» situation with my 3 year old, we were introduced to Dr. James Bennett at the Pediatric Group of Monterey… and he was it for me. He took his time to talk to her, observe her and diagnose her; I never felt like he was rushing and she instantly liked him. I was very pleased with his care and attention to detail; so much so that I requested him as the pediatrician for my brand new baby boy as well. Would recommend him in an instant!

Dr. Tao is very likable and knowledgable.
We have been taking our kids there for many years and now that both are young adults, I’m going to miss her!

We have seen several pediatricians in the area and Dr. Dwelle is by far the best! He takes Time to thoroughly evaluate your child never seems rushed and truly cares about the well-​being of your child. There is always a doctor on call that you can talk to immediately and Dr. Dwelle is easy to reach. Amazing doctor and person! If he is still taking patients you will be thankful you found him… the best!

Dr. Black was our pediatric doctor — all three kids went to see him until adulthood. That was about 17 years that we saw him. As a child, he was the quintessential doctor in the way he looked and treated you. Steady, calm, knowledgable, efficient, kind, and extremely professional — always. I have very fond memories of seeing Dr. Black as a child with my mom. He was so kind and would give us these plastic toys (a jumping frog and ring at that time, but this was 25+ years ago) after we received a shot. I am so glad that he is teaching and still active as a physician. He is an excellent role model of a physician. I will always remember how he was so responsive to my mom’s nervous inquiries (even though she was a nurse). I had a bad food allergy, but he calmed my mother’s nerves, provided treatment, and everything turned out fine. I still think about his great care after seeing other doctors over the years, which is why I am sharing this review now.

My appointment was at 9:30 and we are still waiting and it’s 11:30. There’s no such thing as an appointment.

We’ve been happy with Pediatric Group of Monterey and have been going for the past year or so. They always seem to run on time and we never have to wait long.
We have been seeing Dr. James Bennett since my son was born. At the time we met him he was relatively new to the Monterey practice and we chose him because he used to work at Sutter Santa Cruz, which is where we delivered.
He’s a dad himself, and he’s great — very nice, calm, gentle and reassuring. Always gives great advice. My son is now 16 months old and we’ve had no issues. He doesn’t act super rushed either like some doctors — he really takes time to address your questions.
Once we had to drop in because my son had an infection — we saw the on-​call nurse, and we were in and out with a prescription with no problems.

I cannot say enough good things about this practice. The providers my children have seen are wonderful, inparticular Dr. Dwelle, Dr. Kanaya and Julie Buck, NP. They really take their time when seeing my children and we never feel rushed. The staff is always friendly and they ALWAYS get my children in on the same day when needed. Dr. Dwelle even emails me from his personal email to care for my boys and Dr. Kanaya met us at the office on a Monday that was holiday and the office was closed to treat one of my sons with breathing problems. If you are looking for a friendly office and doctors that care you should definitely come here you wont be disappointed!

Was a patient of Dr. Penn for around 18 years. He is by far the best doctor I have ever seen. Recommend him and his staff to any one looking for a top par pediatric doctor.

I wish they took adults because everyone is so nice here. My three boys come here and they usually see Dr. Liu. She is so nice and friendly. When it is not a check up and the boys are feeling ill, they have seen anyone available on staff and they are all wonderful. The medical assistants call me «Mom» which is totally sweet. I highly recommend this place. Also, they have a nurse helpline which is nice, but I just use the ²⁴⁄₇ nurse line through blue shield because it is instant help and I do not have to wait for a call back.

Dr. Dwelle is my five year old son’s pediatrician and he is absolutely amazing! He is a wonderful doctor… kind, caring, gentle, knowledgeable, always listens to my concerns, never rushes the appointment, and the list goes on. Not only that, but my son adores him as well! I feel so lucky to have him as my son’s pediatrician! He deserves 10 stars!

The Pediatric Group of Monterey is very unique and special. It consists of some of the finest dedicated pediatricians on the Monterey Peninsula. The love and care that they give their patients are beyond anyone’s imagination. Unfortunately many years ago my daughter was born with very serious medical complications. They guided us through some very difficult times and gave us the best medical care and advice that any parent can ask for. My wife and I are so grateful for everything that they have done for us. My daughter is now an adult and has transitioned to another highly recommended physician. We really appreciate all of the doctors at the Pediatric Group of Monterey and thank them for their outstanding courage in great medical care that they have given us and other patients as well.
I like to recognize and congratulate Dr. Tao who is the newest member of this group. I can personally tell you that Dr. Tao is an experienced doctor who has the respect by many. I have recommended patients to her and received nothing but high praises for the work and care that she has given them. She is a dedicated professional that is very passionate, loving, knowledgeable and extremely concerned about all of her patients and whomever else she comes in contact with. I am very proud and please to know this professional and I can honestly tell you that she is a perfect fit for the pediatric health care system. Thanks Dr. Tao for being such a great doctor and person.
It is very much appreciated and acknowledged that this outstanding group of dedicated doctors is always willing and able to provide the best medical care for your infant or growing child.

Dr. Randolph. Tumbs down.
My 5yr old has been sick for 2 nights, vomiting the first night, sweating,
fever, body pains/​achy moans at night, continuous coughing, asthma acting up, loss of apetite & no energy.
I settled for Dr. Randolph because her regular physician (Dr.Ruckle) was off.
my goodness, was this a mistake!
She checked if she may have caught the flu by inserting a long swab into her nose. (my daughter cried) the results came back negative.
I mentioned that I looked up symptoms and Pneumonia kept popping up.
She was confident it was not pnumonia. but instead a cold that her body needs to fight off. prescribed a cough med and we were off.
My mommy instincts was telling me this was more than just a cold.
I’ve seen my daughter with a cold, she sure does not act this way!
So anyway I tried to follow the doctors directions …
that night my daughter felt WORSE!
fever shot up even higher. I could not break it! and the cough med she prescribed only made her feel more miserable with a tummy ache.
My Pooor poor baby!
I checked her into the E. R (CHOMP) they did an x-​ray and sure enough… it was Pneumonia !
I AM SO DISAPPOINTED!
It could have been treated sooner & she wouldn’t have had to go a third night suffering. I also felt so bad when she started to cry from that painful swab insert.
when all she needed was a simple, non-​painful x-​ray. & antibiotics.
Thinking of switching my child to Monterey Pediatric located in Ryan Ranch.

Dr. Dwelle is one of the most outstanding physicians I’ve ever met, pediatric or otherwise. He is one of those rare professionals that seems to have truly found their calling and be entirely in their element. I cannot say enough good things about him!

Took my child for first time before our insurance changed and only Dr. Tao was open for an appointment. Big mistake for us. I would rather have waited longer and seen someone that I read some good reviews on. She sat in front of her computer half the time she was in the room with us and typed as I was talking. I did not feel like she really cared, seemed impersonal and not paying attention to my concerns. I had a really hard time understanding her.
Was there for a well visit and when she looked in my child’s ear and my child said it she poked her too hard and it really hurt. She did not check her other ear and I had to remind her of that to please check her other ear.
Be aware of what your insurance will cover. When you first get called into the back, they start with a hearing test, urine test, eye test, weight check, temperature, etc. You may think that this is all part of your child’s wellness visit, but they charge some of these tests to your insurance separate. Our insurance didn’t cover some of these tests and I was billed for them separately on top of my copay.
Update: Seen Dr. Dwelle and he is a much better Doctor. We were happy with him and caring for children. I still think that as technical as we are now, the Computer should be used after you leave the room or after we talk. Just feels more impersonal when your face is in the computer instead of looking at my child and I. But overall much better visit with Dr. Dwelle.
Same problem with Billing, they bill weird separate charges for everything.
Haven’t been back there for over a year though will probably find another place because of billing issues.
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All four of my kids see Dr. Todd Dwelle. I cannot say enough good things about this doctor! He cares, really listens, and has even given his personal email address to correspond when something comes up! He was in the delivery room with my twins and really knows us when we come in. If you need a good pediatrician in Monterey, come here!

5 stars for Dr Dwelle

This is the spot I take my kiddos! After having bad experiences with Monterey peninsula pediatric group I found a good group of great doctors and practitioners. my kids have been seen by Dr. Dweelle & Dr. Kanaya & both were great.

This is where we take our children. We see Dr. Black, who teaches at Stanford Medical School and has practiced in Monterey for 47 years; we also sometimes see Dr. Dwelle, and hear very good things about Dr. Penn. We did not care for Dr. Kanaya or Dr. Hulsted, and, based on a recommendation, will not see Dr. Ruckle.
UPDATE: We have seen Dr. Kanaya again; the second time around, she was great. Dr. Hulstead has left the practice.
The staff is friendly and professional, and we think we get excellent care from the doctors. I recommend them to other parents. Makes sure to set up an interview with a couple of the doctors to see if they will be a good match for you.