Zhanna Rutstein-Shulina, MD

Amazing, amazing doctor and practice. I agree with Dawn S. about wishing I «could write a book about how much I love these women.»

I’ve had 2 babies with Dr. Shulina and I can not say enough about her. I love her and everything she did for us. I am eternally grateful. She is so kind and caring and thorough and capable and inspiring. She loves her job and is truly dedicated. I couldn’t have done it without her.
She honored my wishes and never pushed any other agenda.
I must admit that appointments later in the day usually involve some waiting, and that’s not fun, but it’s because she really spends time with her patients. Best bet is early morning appointments.
All the doctors and nurses and receptionist here are fantastic. I could write a book about how much I love these women.

READ THIS IF YOU ARE CONSIDERNG Shulina as your OB. My sister was 34 weeks pregnant, and shulina was her doctor throughout the entire pregnancy; up until the day my sisters mid wife realized the baby no longer had a heart beat while doing a pre-​natal check up at home. Once my sister called Shulina and let her know the baby no longer had a heart beat and wanted to show up to Roosevelt Hospital (during shulinas working hours), shulina responded with «you are no longer my patient,» and recommended she seek care elsewhere. My sister went to a hospital in jersey under recommendation of her midwife and was taken care of with the utmost attention, respect, and integrity; both medically and emotionally. As a first year medical student, Patient Centered Care and practioner-​patient relationship is truly stressed and is made a crucial part of the curriculum. And the reason why is to avoid scenarios like these that give doctors in the US such a negative stereotype of lacking empathy and care for their patients, but more importantly to avoid situations that are damaging to a patient. This had happened a little over 6 months ago by now, but it wasn’t until earlier today that my sister was telling me that this had happened. I was shocked and disgusted with the way Shulina handled the situation; and not just because it was my sister, but because any woman who was practically 9 months pregnant with a healthy baby who loses it abruptly due to an unlikely but possible true knot forming in the umbilical cord; SHOULD NOT be told by their doctor of 9 months that they are practically no longer relevant to them. I am absolutely appalled by Shulinas behavior, and personally offended that she represents healthcare professionals although so severely lacking in what it means to be one. The kicker? As an attorney my sister could have easily taken her to court and filed a malpractice suit; but lucky for shulina she was uninterested in dealing with her anymore and just wanted to heal and mourn in peace. It seems based off these other reviews that Shulina is great when everything is fine; but the purpose of a doctor is to know more; what to do, how to do it, and to execute with utmost integrity and dilligence when something is wrong. In my opinion it seems shulina has lost sight of her responsibility as a doctor to her patients; and forgets that despite her hard work to earn an MD, she is no longer appreciative of what it actually means to be a healer. If you are interested in a doctor to take your money or bill your insurance to tell you things you could read on the internet and hope something never goes wrong; seems like Shulina is your go to. But if you are searching for a doctor that maintains personal and professional integrity, and will be everything you need them to be as your OB (as is a doctors responsibility), then I recommend you continue your search. Maybe this isn’t enough to say shulina should not be practicing medicine anymore; but what certainly is unfair is to realize your OB could care less if your unborn baby dies.

It is difficult to find words to describe what a gifted specialist Dr Shulina is. She is one of 3 doctors at the practice and was not our primary OB but ended up delivering our baby a little over a month ago. We were aiming for a VBAC (vaginal after cesarean) and I firmly believe she is the reason we were successful. Although we had a situation that could have developed into a more serious complication, Dr Shulina was CALM, clear and quick. She instructed us on what to do to get the baby to come down quicker — made the call to use a vacuum to pull the baby out and the birth ended up being safe and beautiful thanks to her. The energy in the room was very positive and she remained in control the whole time. We believe she truly made our birth a wonderful and safe experience and could not be more grateful.

I had seen Dr. Shulina twice before, both for well visits. She was a good doctor and I had no complaints other than that I had to wait two months for a well visit which seems like a lot to me.
I wanted to talk to the doctor about some issues I was having getting pregnant. She wouldn’t return my calls but had a staff member call me to schedule an evaluation. There was no confirmation call but I was on top of my appointment time. I arrived literally 2 minutes late (2:32 for a 2:30 appointment). I filled out the paperwork and began to wait. And wait.
At about 3, I informed the staff that I needed to leave by 3:45 because I had a bus to catch. I was told I was the next patient. At 3:15 I was told that there were actually 2 patients ahead of me and that it was my fault since I was 20 minutes late (which I wasn’t). Finally they came out to tell me that it would be a while and would I care to reschedule. No apologies. Just a «don’t let the door hit you on the butt on the way out» approach.
I said I would rather find a new doctor. One who actually acts professionally and has a staff that at least pretends to care.
It’s pretty clear to me that this office is so busy and so well off that they can afford to alienate people. What a waste of my time. Learn from my mistake and find a different doctor.

I’ve now been to Doctor Shulina’s office twice, and have spoken to her on the phone twice. She’s the best.
First, the offices are brand new, clean and comfortable. The front office staff was very nice and professional.
Next, we did wait a while but there was only one couple ahead of us. Unlike my old doctor with an obscenely crowded waiting room. Although we waited a while, when it was our turn she spent a long time with us. It was our first visit and she was so sweet, kind and seemed genuinely excited for us.
She wanted to see the baby for herself (was about 14 weeks at this point) and spent a long time on the ultrasound.
Then we sat with her to go over the whole process.
I left feeling happy and genuinely excited about my new obgyn. Yes, we waited a while but it seems like it’s because she’s taking the time to sit with everyone for a while. At my old doctor I’d wait an hour just to get a rushed 5 minutes with my doctor who seemed annoyed at my questions.

I love Dr. Shulina! I also love the rest of her practice. She’s been my ob-​gyn for 4 years now and has been with me through the ups and downs of pregnancy, miscarriage, and child birth! Throughout it all she’s been incredibly kind, compassionate, and personable. I love that she remembers details about my life and always greets me by name. I’m never rushed (though sometimes I DO have to wait awhile in the reception area) and she’s very patient and thorough in answering questions. She was so encouraging through my pregnancy. After each important test she always calls to personally tell you results (even if everything is normal/​good).
The practice itself is also lovely! Very new, clean, and professional. The rest of the (all female) doctors are also great, as well as their mid-​wife, Sarah. Sarah was actually the one to deliver my little one, and she was fantastic. Very reassuring and down to earth.
Highly recommend Dr. Shulina and any of her colleagues! They’re affiliated with Mt. Sinai — Roosevelt hospital.

I started seeing Dr Shulina when I was pregnant with my first child and had a bad experience with my previous OBGYN. She is so warm and caring! She never rushes you. She makes you feel comfortable and answers all your questions! I am so glad I found her. I had the chance to meet with all the Dr’s in the practice before my daughter was born and they were all just as good! I couldn’t be more pleased with the staff and Dr’s at this office. Highly recommend!

I don’t really understand all these bad reviews. dr Shulina was great during my pregnancy, responsive, attentive, always caring and super nice. She returned all my calls so quickly that I was impressed. Yes sometimes she interrupts when you are explaining your issue because she thinks she knows the problem and that could be annoying but she’s a great doctor. You can trust her.Period. The problem there is part of the staff, she used to have a Russian assistant that was the most unpleasant woman I’ve ever dealt with, rude, self sufficient and not helpful at all. luckily at the end of my pregnancy I haven’t seen her anymore so I guess she’s gone! The other girls are nice and cooperative, but you always wait more than 30 minutes, that is annoying and could be improved. I ended up delivering with dr bradley who I have reviewed with 5 stars, she’s so far the best doctor I ever dealt with, she perfectly delivered my baby boy and was really warm, friendly and nice during the delivery (and ladies, I wasn’t nice at all!!!) she was so empowering and encouraging that I pushed for just 20 minutes and baby was out! thanks Shulina and Bradley for the great experience!

I’m really glad I waited to write this review until after my second visit. If I had written it after my first, it would have been 4 stars… Dr. Shulina seemed really helpful, caring, and competent, although I did have to wait an hour for my appointment to actually begin (and only after walking out of the room in the paper gown and finding someone to remind them that I was there). But I was willing to write that off as a busy day.
Nope, not after the second «visit.» I put that in quotes because the visit never actually happened, as the staff completely neglected to even schedule the visit. This was a visit for an IUD insertion. I stood beside Dr. Shulina as she asked the front desk to order my IUD, then I made the appointment for three weeks later. The woman at the front told me to call my insurance and double check that all was covered, so I left, went to work, immediately called my insurance to verify, and then called Dr. Shulina’s office that same day to confirm the scheduled appointment. I even spoke to Dr. Shulina the week beforehand and said that I would see her the next week for the insertion.
I take the day off work, take a pill for pain, and get to the office. The front desk has no record of an appointment for me. Fine, mistakes happen. But instead of actually putting ANY effort into getting me an appointment as soon as possible, they just stare blankly and say that they don’t even have a mirena ordered for me. I tell them that this is fucking unacceptable and I want to see Dr. Shulina. Dr. Shulina comes out and has the nerve to SCOLD me for using «language» in front of pregnant people! THEN she tries to blame ME for the unscheduled appointment, because I didn’t know the name of the person who scheduled me (?) and because I didn’t call some other office number to order the mirena myself (which makes NO sense because I literally stood beside her as she told the staff to order it, and if I did need to call someone to order it, would it not be the responsibility of the person who scheduled me to freaking tell me that??) THEN she tells me that she is not even inserting IUDs anymore after Jan 1 because it «costs her money» and refers me to some random clinic, where she is «sure» that I will be able to get an appointment next week (which is christmas, by the way, I’m so sure that will happen).
I am appalled. Losing an appointment that someone takes a day off work for is bad enough, but to do absolutely nothing to make it right and then to have the audacity to scold the patient as though it’s my fault that staff is incompetent? Forget it.

In addition to consistently waiting about an hour and a half in the waiting room every time I saw her, Dr. Shulina gave me horrible treatment. I had to wait over a month for colposcopy results, and she refused to return any of my phone calls although I called three times a day every day and specifically asked to speak to her. Then when my results came back with severe displasia she told me to do nothing but wait and see what happens. I don’t know if she wanted me to have full blown metastasized cervical cancer, but that decision was completely negligent. She also would spout out statistics to me and lecture me at an extremely fast pace and not let me ask any questions. She would even cut me off mid-​sentence. If you are going through something scary where you need support, this is not the doctor for you.

I started seeing Dr. Shulina after I became pregnant with my first child in February. The first visit she confirmed our pregnancy and sat down with my boyfriend and I for about two hours to discuss everything we needed to know and answer any questions we had. I have to mention that we were both terrified of having a child and Dr. Shulina immediately put us at ease and made me feel very comfortable with her as my obstetrician. I knew that I would want a natural birth from the beginning and she was very reassuring that I could deliver my baby in the birth center given that there were no complications. Dr. Shulina continued seeing me throughout my pregnancy and usually she was very prompt with appointments as long as I scheduled them early in the day. My pregnancy was low-​risk but she always took the cautious route and ordered tests when there was any doubt that something could be awry. She also encouraged early ultrasound and genetic screening. Dr. Shulina was always open to my questions and always extremely kind during appointments. She has a warm and bubbly personality and great bedside manner. I ended up delivering a healthy baby boy with Dr. Rhee but I would recommend Dr. Shulina to anyone looking for a compassionate and professional doctor and would choose her in a heartbeat should I become pregnant again.

Dr. Shulina is okay, but is always late. We have never waited for less than 30 minutes and some days she is over an hour late. I’ve never experienced this type of constant tardiness for other doctors in my life. Then when we finally get seen, the appointment is over in 5 minutes and they don’t apologize for making us wait. It is unfortunate that the practice is clearly overbooking their doctors. For the most part the medical care is good but the wait time is horrible.

I had a good prenatal experience with Dr Shulina and thought that she was a good fit for my natural birth plan– until the time came to actually deliver. Rather than having a rational conversation with me about the options and pros/​cons of interventions– she lectured me about how she didn’t think I would get anywhere. In a time when I needed support and to come up with a mutual solution, all I got was negativity and being treated like a child. I was so happy when she was off call for my actual delivery, the midwife Sara was a much calmer and more respectful person. Looking back on my delivery, my baby is the best part and Dr Shulina was the worst.

Dr. Shulina is ok, probably if you have no issues she is great. However if you have any health concerns not great. She kept telling me I was fine, and to be patient with getting pregnant, she kind of ran some tests, but literally laughed off my concerns. After 6 months of that i went to another doctor, who took me seriously and diagnosed my issue.
Now the even more frustrating upsetting thing is getting my records from the office, Im not sure what is happening but the office staff is not sending my records to my new doctor. I have made numerous requestsboth in writing and over the phone, and keep getting the run around. Im told its in archives, Dr. Shulina has to review them, etc. Its has now been 2 ½ weeks since my last written request and still no records. Very frustrating and concerning about what this office has to hide that they are so protective of medical records.

Dr. Shulina is a kind, knowledgeable and encouraging OB/​GYN. My first visit with her was to determine if I was indeed pregnant. It was a wonderful first visit and I knew I wanted to see her throughout my pregnancy. She supported my decision to have a natural birth and genuinely cared for me throughout my pregnancy.
When I went into labor, Dr. Rhee was the attending physician. She was amazing, as well! She was so encouraging! She tried many techniques with me during the laboring process. She was the exact personality I needed in that moment! She obviously is very experienced and skilled with natural births. She also fought for me to be in the birthing center. When I first arrived, it was full. I was allowed to birth in the labor & delivery as if I were in the birthing center (no IV, etc…). Dr. Rhee made sure I was relocated to the birthing center after giving birth, so we (husband, me and baby) could all recover together. In labor & delivery they wanted to put our baby in the nursery, but Dr. Rhee made sure that didn’t happen (as we wanted). Such an amazing doctor!
I loved both of these women, the rest of the staff I visited, and their office. I recently relocated to Chicago and am missing them so much! I have not been able to find anything that compares to their group!

I loved DR Shulina. She was the perfect mix for me of a really skilled, competant doctor and the more hippy style naural childbirth methods I wanted. For ladies who want to try natural but aren’t quite comfortable with things like home-​births or midwifes, she is a GREAT fit. I ended up having a precipitous labor which was very scary and she was a total pro at handling it, and at being both a highly qualified technician and a comforting cheerleader to calm me down and get me through it. I always felt like she listened to me and my husband well, including both of our voices and concerns in the process and giving us the information we needed to make sure the birth of our son went well. I could not recommend her enough.

My husband and I moved to NYC during the middle of my pregnancy. We had a difficult time finding an OB who would accept us as new patients after 20 weeks. Finally, we found Dr. Shulina and I feel like I got so lucky! She is so friendly, knowledgeable, and kind. I tend to feel nervous in doctors’ offices, even when it’s just my PCP, but Dr. Shulina always makes me feel at ease. I was really impressed at my first appointment with her when she spent a whole hour with me. I’ve had a handful of appointments with her since then and she never seems rushed or stressed — always smiling and upbeat.
My due date is still 7 weeks away, and I know that she may not be the one who actually delivers our little girl, but I feel good about working with any doctor in that practice.

First off, the good news is that the practice has moved into a new site and the waiting room is five times the size of the old one. Woo-​hoo, finally, enough comfy seating for everyone!
This is my second child, Dr. Shulina delivered my son two years ago, and now I’m back with her while expecting my second. I’ve always appreciated how thorough, supportive and thoughtful she has been when answering all my questions and clearly explaining things such as tests, what the numbers really mean and any risks involved etc.
Generally, I’ve had to wait about 30 minutes from my appointed schedule time, so I bring a book. Though, once, pregnancy brain caused me to misremember my appointment time and I showed up over an hour late (well past office hours.) Dr. Shulina was finishing up paperwork and still honored my appointment, so I really appreciated that.
It’s a busy practice but the staff is generally helpful and pleasant, I just figure that everyone has bad days. Personally, I’ve only encountered one or two bouts of someone being short or having a dismissive attitude in the 3 ½ years I’ve been a patient.
When you are a patient here you have to schedule an appointment with all the partners, so I’ve meet the other doctors as well. I was lucky enough to have Dr. Shulina come on-​call when I delivered, but I would have felt confident with any of them. In fact, Dr. Bradley was with me when I first came in (my labor was 16 hours) and she, too, was wonderful.

While my primary OB was Dr. Anna Rhee, I ended up delivering with Dr. Shulina at Saint Luke’s Birthing Center, and she was wonderful. I had a VERY fast labor and when I arrived at triage I was 8.5 cm dilated. I really wanted to push, but the triage doctor told me matter-​of-​factly that because it was my first baby I would probably need to wait 1 or 2 hours before I could push. I NEARLY LOST MY MIND.
Being told that I’d have to wait another 2 hours before I could push was impossible for me to comprehend, and so rather than stick to my plan to have a natural birth at the Birthing Center, I told the triage doctor I wanted medication. It was at that very moment — my breaking point — when Dr. Shulina overheard me and came in saying in such an encouraging tone, «What? You can’t give up! You’ve come so far, so fast… I bet you’ll have this baby in less than an hour.»
It was EXACTLY the energy and support I needed. She checked and I was already 9.5 dilated, so she wheeled me into the Birthing Center and as soon as I was on the bed she told me to just push when I felt I needed to. She was so casual and comfortable that it really helped me focus and feel as calm as I could at the late stages of labor.
While the actual office of Dr. Shulina and the 3 other women in her practice is SO tiny and cramped and hectic… I encourage women to look past that and remember the end game — the delivery. These women get rave reviews because they really shine on the big day.