Mara Sterio's Online Review Report Card

During my daughter's recent office visit, she addressed her concerns over the covid-19 vaccine to Dr. Mara Sterio. Dr. Sterio was was rude, condescending and dismissed her concerns instead of taking the time to listen to her and address her apprehension. A Dr's job is not to belittle their patients, but to ensure trust and compassion. My daughter was almost brought to tears over the whole experience.

One of the best pediatricians in our area. Dr. Sterio is the consummate intelligent professional - relaxed, comforting, insightful. Her judgments are trained by years of observation and clinical expertise. I have trusted her for many years. Great doctor. A+

When our first child was born in 2008 the doctor office of Gruenwald Comandatore and Sterio representative was at Saint Barnabas hospital in Livingston NJ. We did not have a pediatrician and decided to give them a try. Dr Sterio was the first doctor we saw there and she has been our pediatrician ever since. We didn’t know what to expect since we were Same Sex African American couple and some people FROWN upon both but we never felt ANY bias OR racism in fact we FELT ALL the opposite. We are actually FB friends and we have her personal email and cell phone. She has now been our pediatrician for over 10 years for both of our children. When our son was 2.5 years old he developed Ptosis in his eyes after pumpkin picking. Initially we thought it was some sort of allergic reaction or something he perhaps ate. When we took him to see Dr Sterio she said she believed he had myasthenia gravis. We had never heard of the disease. At the time we didn’t know she had a background in neurology and she diagnosed him without any tests. But she also recommended us to a top-notch neurologist. Which the neurologist later confirmed the same, we were even more impressed. She is the BEST! Hands-down one of the best medical doctors I have seen in my 40+ years of life! Her demeanor and bedside manner are calm, positive, thorough, attentive, flexible, personal, and straightforward! We have recommended her to so many people.

Without Dr Sterio's excellent guidance, my grandson would have been places on life altering medications. She was willing to fight for what she knew was right for him She is an amazing diagnostician and a dedicated doctor.

Hands-down one of the best medical doctors I have seen in my 40+ years of life! Her demeanor and bedside manner are calm, positive, thorough, attentive, flexible, personal, and straightforward. We didn’t know what to expect since we were Same Sex African American couple and some people FROWN upon both but we never felt ANY bias OR racism in fact we FELT ALL the opposite. She has now been our pediatrician for over 10 years.

For some time my son has shown rashes on his tummy due to eczema and when I visited the pediatrician’s office in March, I was advised by Dr. Sterio to change his formula to a soy based formula in the event he was lactose intolerant. Shortly after changing his formula, I noticed a dark brown/black residue toward the back of his tongue. I brought my concern to Dr. Sterio during his appointment and she proceeded to tell me “It was normal for my race”. Would NOT recommend!!

On Thursday, April 20th, I took my six-month-old son to his scheduled 6-month checkup. I prepared myself the night before by washing my baby’s favorite blanket that we took along to comfort him after he received his vaccinations. However, I was in no way prepared for the events that took place during this appointment. For some time my son has shown rashes on his tummy due to eczema and when I visited the pediatrician’s office in March, I was advised by Dr. Sterio to change his formula to a soy based formula in the event he was lactose intolerant. Shortly after changing his formula, I noticed a dark brown/black residue toward the back of his tongue. I brought my concern to Dr. Sterio during his appointment and she proceeded to tell me “It was normal for my race”. As a first time mother, I am deeply disturbed that my pediatrician, someone whom I entrust with the safety of my child, alienated my concerns instead of addressing them. I am disappointed that I was provided such a racist response to my legitimate concern. After this incident, I have sought counsel with other medical professionals and none have agreed with my current pediatrician. In fact, they have found the claim to be unsubstantiated. Furthermore, as the mother of a biracial little boy, the doctor’s response infuriated me even more to know that in 2017, we are still categorizing others based on presumptions of their race. To know my son’s physician would offer such lackluster advice and dismiss my concern is truly disheartening. I pray that no mother receives such poor medical care. I hope that going forward; this level of care is no longer tolerated in any arena. Whether subtle or blunt, racism is racism. With the struggles of biracial children not knowing which racial group they fit into, and the negative stereotypes placed on people of African descent I would never imagine my pediatrician would contribute to the increasing racial tension in this country. I will continue to raise my son, free of self-hate and free of the appalling stereotypes that exist, instilling in him the self-love, knowledge of self, and the strength to withstand and overcome any form of mistreatment he may endure whether at the hands of a trusted medical professional or not. I would also like to add that since birth I have been asking the doctors at this practice to have my son tested for allergies. They refused and I was told on multiple occasions that "at this young age we don't test babies, we just wait and see". I found my own allergist and after tests were conducted I learned my son is severely allergic to eggs, making him unable to receive a flu shot! After bringing up these issues with owner Dr. Commandatore, my concerns were once again dismissed! I would NOT recommend this practice to any parent that values the health of their child.

For some time my son has shown rashes on his tummy due to eczema and when I visited the pediatrician’s office in March, I was advised by Dr. Sterio to change his formula to a soy based formula in the event he was lactose intolerant. Shortly after changing his formula, I noticed a dark brown/black residue toward the back of his tongue. I brought my concern to Dr. Sterio during his appointment and she proceeded to tell me “It was normal for my race”. Would NOT recommend!!

the best pediatrician we had ever have!!! all of my 4 kids love her! she's beyond knowledgeable and very caring! my kids adore her! as I said the best pediatrician that could be! feel so lucky we had found her!

Nice people , quick visit and you don't have to wait for long time to be seen by the Dr