The Top Doctors
If Pennsylvania Avenue is the capital of the free world, then surely Longwood Avenue is the capital of the medical world. It's estimated that 200,000 people a year come to Boston's medical community, largely centered in the Longwood section, for one reason: the doctors. The government comes here for research, too; Boston gets more than a billion dollars a year in grants from the National Institutes of Health, more than any other city.
The hospitals here are so well known, they're recognized by their nicknames: Children's, Mass. General, the Brigham. It's an embarrassment of riches that can actually make it harder for Bostonians to find a doctor. Most ask around. Neighbors. Coworkers. They want to hear about bedside manner, punctuality, availability.
So did we. We compiled this exclusive list of Boston's best doctors by going straight to the people who know doctors better than anyone else — other doctors. We asked hundreds of physicians one simple question: If a loved one were sick, what doctor would you use?
We got back the names of 1,200 Boston-area doctors considered among the best. We narrowed it down to those who got the most votes, then checked public records and eliminated doctors who have been the targets of known complaints ranging from patient gripes about rudeness to lawsuits that resulted in large payouts.
Some of these doctors may not take new patients; they're the best, after all, and the best are the busiest. That doesn't mean they can't make a referral, including to others in the same practice. Because if there's one thing Boston has in abundance, it's world-class doctors.
However, keep in mind — as the accompanying story on medical errors (“Silent Treatment,”) suggests — that no system is foolproof. Not even in Boston.
Allergy and Immunology
Jonathan Arm
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-278-0300
Richard Horan
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-278-0300
Curtis Moody
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7701
John O'Loughlin
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8441
John Saryan
Lahey Clinic, 781-273-8442
Lynda Schneider
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6117
Albert Sheffer
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-278-0300
Daniel Steinberg
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-232-1690
Francis Twarog
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6117
Cardiology
Frederick Basilico
New England Baptist Hospital, 617-232-3700
Mark Estes
Tufts-New England Medical Center, 617-636-5000
Mark Josephson
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-7393
Joseph Kannam
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-3960
Stan Lewis
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-7533
Bruce Mirbach
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8019
Gilbert Mudge
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-7140
Richard Nesto
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8962
Patrick O'Gara
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-726-3467
Cardiovascular Surgery
Sary Aranki
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-7678
Lawrence Cohn
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5500
William Cohn
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-8383
Richard D'Agostino
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8681
Brian deGuzman
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8672
Ralph De La Torre
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-8383
Frank Sellke
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-8383
David Shahian
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8575
Stanley Tam
Mount Auburn Hospital, 617-354-1080
Christina Williamson
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8340
Dermatology
Kenneth Arndt
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-731-1600
Lynn Baden
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-558-0077
Jeffrey Dover
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-3000
Jessica Fewkes
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-3789
Stephen Gellis
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6126
Harley Haynes
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5771
Samuel Moschella
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8444
Suzanne Olbricht
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8348
Francis Renna
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-969-0210
Robert Stern
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-3753
Endocrinology
Martin Abrahamson
Joslin Diabetes Center, 617-732-2400
Gary Cushing
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8492
Gilbert Daniels
Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-726-8430
Robert Dluhy
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5661
Jeffrey Garber
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, 617-421-1380
John Godine
Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-726-8722
Mary Beth Hodge
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8493
P. Reed Larsen
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5661
Joseph A. Majzoub
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7476
Ellen Seely
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5666
Norman Spack
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7476
George Tully
St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, 617-789-2818
Joseph Wolfsdorf
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7476
Family Practice
Susan Black
Saints Memorial Medical Center, 978-458-6900
David Chodirker
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 781-235-7900
Henry D'Angelo
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 508-660-1200
Joseph Gravel
Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 781-338-7478
William Holgerson
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-964-9070
Allan Pineda
Massachusetts General Hospital, 781-275-0811
Gastroenterology
Peter Banks
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6389
Stella Chow
Lahey Clinic, 978-538-4350
Ram Chuttani
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-0162
Richard Curtis
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-969-1227
Kenneth Falchuk
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-8623
Myron Falchuk
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-8623
Frederick Heiss
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8743
Mark Peppercorn
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-1071
David Siegenberg
Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, 781-245-5005
Andrew Warner
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8494
Jacqueline Wolf
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-9355
Infertility
Robert Barbieri
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5444
Janis Fox
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-4222
Andrè Guay
Lahey Clinic, 978-538-4655
Mark Hornstein
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-4455
Keith Isaacson
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-726-5523
Alan Penzias
Boston IVF/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 781-434-6539
Elena Yanushpolsky
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-4285
Internal Medicine
Mark Aronson
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-9600
Joseph Corkery
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8078
Charles Hatem
Mount Auburn Hospital, 617-868-2650
Robert Hughes
Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-724-6610
Phyllis Jen
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6038
Frannie Kronenberg
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5773
Edward Legare
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-964-9070
Guy Napolitana
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8697
Gerry Orfanos
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-5013
Jennifer Potter
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-7702
Martin Solomon
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-278-1700
Judith Waligunda
New England Baptist Hospital, 617-232-3700
Marshall Wolf
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6330
Beverly Woo
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6043
Nephrology
Robert Brown
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-2147
John Herrin
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6129
Samir Kassissieh
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8430
Julian Seifter
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5771
Ajay Singh
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5951
Edward Walshe
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8430
Henry Yager
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-735-8535
Christopher Ying
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8430
Neurology
Louis Caplan
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-632-8911
Paul Gross
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8495
Kinan Hreib
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-3803
H. Royden Jones
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8633
Michael Ronthal
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-3176
Allan Ropper
St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, 617-789-3300
Martin Samuels
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-7432
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Thomas Beatty
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-243-579
Melinda Birdsall
Lahey Clinic, 978-538-4370
Joseph Hurd
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8495
Mark Kaplan
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-735-8990
Jeffrey Katz
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-735-8800
Eric Lichter
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-4658
Robert McLellan
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8563
Raymond Reilly
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-731-3400
Todd Shapiro
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-734-9024
Oncology
Charles Fuchs
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 617-632-584
Stacey Gore
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, 617-421-8726
Roger Lange
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-2127
Robert Mayer
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 617-632-3000
Joyce McCaffrey
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8410
Lowell Schnipper
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-3666
Lawrence Shulman
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 617-632-3000
Todd Shuster
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8410
Richard Stone
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 617-632-2214
Charles White
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8410
Ophthalmology
Dimitri Azar
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-523-7900
Amita Bhatt
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-964-1050
Don Bienfang
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-7432
Bonnie Henderson
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-3158
Jay Kaufman
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-523-7900
Joan Miller
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-5520
Sarkis Soukiasian
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8555
Fleming Denton Wertz III
Lahey Clinic, 978-538-4440
John Woog
Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, 800-635-0489
Orthopedics
John Emans
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6766
William Healy
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8553
David Mattingly
New England Baptist Hospital, 617-277-1205
Michael Millis
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6773
Daniel Snyder
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-964-0024
Thomas Thornhill
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5322
Richard Wilk
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8227
Otolaryngology
Neil Bhattacharyyra
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-713-2000
Peter Catalano
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8450
Michael Cunningham
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-4250
Robert Dolan
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8450
Richard Fabian
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-4084
Gregory Randolph
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-5520
Mark Rounds
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-630-1699
Jo Shapiro
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5500
Pediatric Cardiology
Michael Freed
Children's Hospital, 617-355-4278
David Fulton
Children's Hospital, 617-355-8165
Jane Newburger
Children's Hospital, 617-355-4278
Edward Walsh
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7893
Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery
Pedro Del-Nido
Children's Hospital, 617-355-8290
Richard Jonas
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7930
James Lock
Children's Hospital, 617-355-4278
John Mayer
Children's Hospital, 617-355-8258
Pediatric Gastroenterology
Jeffrey Biller
Tufts-New England Medical Center, 617-734-2050
Laurie Fishman
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6058
Alex Flores
Tufts-New England Medical Center, 617-636-0135
Richard Grand
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6058
Esther Israel
Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-726-293
Maureen Jonas
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6058
Ronald Kleinman
Massachusetts General Hospital, 617-726-2930
Alan Leichtner
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6058
Harland Winter
Children's Hospital, 617-724-2005
Pediatrics, General
Shelly Bernstein
Weston Pediatric Physicians, 617-632-4917
Bruce Bunnell
Centre Pediatric Associates, 617-735-8585
John P. Cloherty
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7318
Michael Cunningham
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-4250
Deborah Frank
Boston Medical Center, 617-414-5251
Bob Michaels
Longwood Pediatrics, 617-355-7071
Alan Nauss
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8083
Sally Roth
Private practice, 617-232-2811
Mary Scott
Longwood Pediatrics, 617-277-7320
Claire Wilson
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8083
Gregory Young
Longwood Pediatrics, 617-277-7320
Plastic Surgery
Richard Bartlett
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6365
David Bryan
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8584
Mack Cheney
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 617-573-3709
Joel Feldman
Mount Auburn Hospital, 617-661-5998
Charles Hergrueter
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-355-6082
Leonard Miller
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-735-8735
Julian Pribaz
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-639
Timothy Whitney
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8582
Pulmonary Medicine
John Beamis
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8480
Dennis Beer
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-243-6640
Anthony Campagna
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8480
Lynda Cristiano
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6770
Christopher Fanta
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5771
Anthony Gray
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8480
Richard Schwartzstein
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-4020
Andrew Villanueva
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8480
Timothy Wu
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8482
Rheumatology
Ronald Anderson
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5345
Jonathan Coblyn
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5347
Paul Dellaripa
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-8551
Stephen Goldring
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-623-8658
Jean Jackson
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5325
Robert Sundel
Children's Hospital, 617-355-6117
Michael Weinblatt
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-5331
Urology
William DeWolf
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 617-667-8903
Christopher Doyle
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6325
Gary Kearney
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-277-0100
Jeffrey Lamont
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, 617-527-1716
Michael O'Leary
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6325
Alan Retik
Children's Hospital, 617-355-7796
Jerome Richie
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 617-732-6674
Sidney Rubenstein
Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, 781-647-1300
John Smith III
Lahey Clinic, 781-744-2508