Shen Jenta,MD

Dr Shen saved my life over 30 years ago at Columbia Presbyterian hospital in NYC when my current doctor ignored my symptoms until it was almost too late. He swooped in and took my case scheduling surgery and making me feel like I was his only patient. He returned calls almost immediately and visited me everyday during my long hospital stay and numerous surgeries and transfusions to save me. Out of curiosity I googled his name and found he was still doing surgery in San Francisco and getting well deserved incredible reviews. For someone facing surgery and you can have Dr Shen take care of you, you couldn’t be in better hands. Don’t be afraid, his help is there.

Dr. Shen…
A wonderful, kind doctor! He know his thing. with 41 years of experience. He took care of my mom’s cancer and rearranged everything in her cavity that the last person who opened her messed up. He did not miss a single day of visiting to see how she was doing during her one week stay even if it meant coming at 9 PM or right after another surgery. He’s just an amazing doctor with extraordinary bedside manners.

Dr. Shen is an extremely dedicated surgeon who saved my life six years ago and who keeps abreast my current medical issues when I report for my annual check-​ups. If you are looking for a physician who keeps conventional office hours in an elaborate office that sends you appointment reminders, Dr. Shen may not be the specialist for you. While his staff is very efficient, Dr. Shen places his emphasis on achieving medical results, not impressing his patients. (When I first met him, he examined me by the light of a bright gooseneck lamp, while a carton of unused test tubes rested on the floor.) Fifteen minutes later, he informed me that I was «very lucky» and that my prognosis was good for a full recovery. He sent me out the door with multiple orders for pre-​operative tests and an imminent surgical date. I was speechless, given all that I had to suddenly absorb and do!
Dr. Shen juggles several busy offices a few miles apart, sees patients on weekdays and weekends, and even performs surgery during the evening hours when the need arises. In my case, the need arose. At the appointed hour. I waited alone, shivering in a thin gown and a warm blanket in one corner of the hospital’s basement surgical wing. I remember staring at the winter moon through a high window, half wondering whether or not to run, when Dr. Shen passed through the door on his way to scrub for the procedure. He sensed my nervousness, walked over and said kindly, «Don’t worry. You’re a very nice lady; it’s going to be alright!»
Early the next morning (Saturday), Dr. Shen stopped by my room in jogging clothes to assure me that all had gone well. He correctly predicted that follow-​up surgery, chemotherapy or radiation would probably not be necessary. When he flew to Taipei the following week, there were minor complications with my small incision. Dr. Shen stayed well-​informed and in contact with me through regular e-​mails that read, «Your doctor is very concerned!» And I truly believe that, several years later, in his own caring way, he still is!

I am alive and have a chance to say THANK YOU to Dr. Shen !
Quick analyzes, almost immediately scheduled surgery!
Everything else doesn’t matter!

I literally owe my life to this man. Can’t praise him enough. Plus, he’s nice, funny, compassionate, professional, and the best surgeon anywhere. Whereas I have difficulty contacting other doctors Dr. Shen is attainable always. I lucked into the very best doctor I could have asked for and he saved my life!

UPDATE: not the best staff or bedside manner but this guy knows what he’s doing and is professional and reassuring.
I’m sure Dr Shen does good work, but his staff seemed incompetent. They scheduled my appointment, then when I called to confirm, said they had no appointment for me. Rescheduled me again… I waited almost an hour after my allotted appointment time to be called in the back. His staff couldn’t find reports and files, never told me beforehand it was cash only and were rude and dismissive. One of his staff seemed like she barely knew what was happening when you spoke to her. When you want to have a doctor’s visit that is reassuring and comforting and feels competent this is not the place to go.

If you require simple surgery, Jenta Shen is perfectly competent and experienced. If you have advanced gynecological cancer and need the most complete surgery to potentially save your life, find a more aggressive surgeon. You might have to go to San Francisco or Berkeley but your life is worth it. When Dr. Shen told me I am a philosophical person and know this is just one life, I knew I needed a different doctor and found Jeffrey Stern in Berkeley at the Alta Bates Cancer Center who sees patients from all over the USA. My life is worth the trips over the BayBridge

Be warned that he is very well known throughout the Bay Area, and hence he is normally jammed up with patients. I made an appointment for 3 pm and didn’t actually get in to see him until 4 pm. The actual visit was possibly 15 minutes total where he examined me, told me the possible outcomes, and what he suggested.
Note: It’s hard to imagine asking questions when a surgeon tells you they have to do a biopsy because they don’t know what’s going on. You really feel like you don’t have a choice. Remember that you do. Thankfully my Husband did manage to ask about options, and Dr. Shen was ready with responses. His responses weren’t «there are no other options» he actually offered reasonable non-​surgical choices. He did preface each one with «it’s not the most conclusive, but…» or «it’s not as conclusive as a biopsy, however…»
I will admit that the long wait did upset me, however that shouldn’t be the only measure by which we choose a doctor. After my surgery his bedside manner was breif… again approximately 5 minutes to check in on me, but he was immediately reassuring. He was all smiles and said that everything would be fine, and that in his experience that I would be «good as new» without even needing to wait for the results to be returned.
I recovered well, and relatively quickly and on my follow-​up, again the wait was extremely long, but due to the good news it was worth it.
If I were to measure him by his bedside manner, probably a 2 star. But thinking about it, maybe he needed to save his energies for the women who needed more attention that I did. For my surgery, recovery and outcome a 5 star… so as a result I’ll settle with a 4 star as a good compromise.

I absolutely loved Dr. Shen!
My OB/​GYN referred me to him for my surgery and told me that he was the absolute best. She did give me a warning that he come across as having no bedside manner. So I went to my pre-​op appointment prepared with my questions. I was pleasantly surprised!
First of all, in all of the drama of the previous week, I showed up on the wrong day. The receptionist was extremely kind and assured me that Dr. Shen would fit me in to his schedule. He did and within the hour I was able to meet with him. Despite having a full waiting room (standing room only), Dr. Shen took the time to sit down with me and review the surgery. He answered all of my questions and asked me to give him a call if I had any other questions.
After the surgery, Dr. Shen stopped by the hospital each day to check on me. He caught my husband and I by complete surprise when he showed up at 10pm one evening to see how I was doing and to let me know I could go home the next day.
Dr. Shen is without a doubt, one of the best OB/​GYN oncology surgeons in the Bay Area. He also seems to be a pretty nice guy with just as much (if not more) bedside manner than most surgeons.

He seems to be the go-​to guy in the Bay Area when it comes to ob/​gyn surgery, and it shows. He worked on my mom last year when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She has completed her treatment and is recovering very well. I accompanied her on most of her visits with Dr. Shen and he is certainly a no-​nonsense kind of guy, but that was fine for my mom though it took me some getting used to. At least he is willing to answer all questions you may have, even though you get the impression he needs to run off to his next appt.

I didn’t know you can rate doctors here :).
Bottom line first: He saved my mother’s life.
She had a rare cancer of the peritoneal (abdominal) lining, and was given 6 months to live prior to the surgery. My mom’s doctor recommended Dr. Shen to do surgery because surgery was the only viable treatment option for her advanced stage cancer. After surgery, my mother chose not to do chemo or radiation, which was an optional follow-​up treatment. Here we are, over 5 years later, and she is still cancer free.
We’re not talking about a general practioner here where a good bedside manner might be expected. Dr. Shen is a gifted surgeon who has the ability to save lives. He is busy shuttling between surgeries, follow-​ups, and patient visits, i can totally understand if he does not have time to exchange pleasantries. He has been short and abrupt with me and my family, and brutally to the point, but I also understand that he is this way out of necessity to efficiently manage his limited time. I have also seen the very caring, concerned, and human side of him, and I am eternally grateful for what he has done for my mom.
–W

I actually really liked this doctor. I don’t really want to sit around chatting about how I may or may not die. I just want him to get the job done with minimal talk on my part or his. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, he went to med school and I didn’t! I use to work in a surgeon’s office and some people were just so annoying!!! So far he’s made me healthy and that’s all I could ask for.

One of the best OB/​GYN oncology surgeons around. Who needs bedside manner when he can save your life? He’ll tell you the truth & he doesn’t sugar-​coat anything. His office is kind of a dump & it’s always full, but his staff is very nice & it’s worth putting up with the inconvenience to see a superb doctor.

I agree, Dr. Shen doesn’t have the best bed-​side manner. He’s abrupt, which isn’t always the best thing while visiting your gynocologist. (think about it…)
He was my surgeon last year and he did a very good job. I recovered pretty quickly too. I had some minor complications which required a couple extra visits beyond the post op appointments. He was good at explaining things to me and solved the problems.
He was recommended to me by my family doctor and I can see why he would have been because of his competancy and years in the field. Apparently, he had been voted «best doctor» in SF for a few years in SF Magazine (voted by his peers), for which he has the plaques on his waiting room wall.
His office is small and there are always many women in the waiting room, so he definately has quite a practice.

he’s really nice, so don’t take offense if he seems somewhat abrupt… most surgeons seem to have more, um, straightforward personalities. but damn he’s good with a knife.

He’s good at what he does, but don’t expect any bedside manner. Gets right to the point – not sure if he likes people, but competent.