the scoop on Dr. Paul Cunningham/Syracuse

interested to know if anybody has any information to share on this doctor?  i'm looking for your input ... i just had a consultation with Arnet Medical Center in Elmira and was very disappointed ... now, i'm getting a referral to Syracuse ... but, i have no information on this guy, so if you have any first-hand knowledge, i'd appreciate you critique.  thanks.

I don't know anything about him, I'm going to Dr. Simon @ University and the group has been great. I know several people who have also gone there with no complaints. Good luck.

i appreciate your reply to my post ... thanks Jnine!  i'll check him out.

Last I knew, Dr. Cunningham had left the Practice.

I think it's only Dr. Kim and Dr. Simon now.

Give them a call and find out.

Here's the link to their website:

http://www.upstate.edu/surgery/healthcare/bariatric/

thanks so much for the link!

Hi Patidee-

Can I ask what disappointed you with Arnot?  There are multiple surgeons in that practice and if you didn't like one--you could request another.  I started this process back in April and chose to go with Arnot because the surgeon I met with was so thorough and knowledgeable.  I was also able to research his history with another hospital out of state and saw a video of him performing the procedure I want done. 

I'd be more than happy to share any info that I have with you regarding Arnot.

Take care,
Kelli

hi Kelli ... the first people i met when i got there was the receptionist and two young women, perhaps assistants of some kind, nobody smiled or said good morning or even introduced themselves ... very unfriendly atmosphere ... this really surprised me ... after maybe 10-15 minutes, a young woman showed me to a room to where i was weighed and she said the doctor would be with me shortly ... again, she too, was stone faced and mechanical ... i asked her name (Jane) ... after a few more minutes, Dr. Rahman came into the room ... i found him to be very bland and uninteresting ... he went through the motions of explaining the different surgeries, asked me what kinds of foods i like ... he concluded the presentation with 'you will have to lose 50 pounds before you will be considered for surgery ... that would show us that you are serious' (i'm  paraphrasing) ... he didn't tell me anything about himself or his practice ... the entire hour was spent with him trying to suppress yawns ... i almost said something to him like 'you must not have had enough sleep last night' ... because it was quite annoying and at times hard to pay attention to what he was saying ... but i didn't say anything ... he did not come across to me as friendly, compassionate or supportive  ... no bedside manner ... he definitely did not inspire me to have any confidence in him or his abilities ... overall, he was not somebody i would trust to operate on me ... likewise, the staff was not warm or friendly toward me, and i think they should at least pretend to care about a prospective patient ... no, i did not get good vibes from any of the people i met that day ... i'm happy for you though, if you are content with them and trust them that is all that matters ... good luck to you!

Hi,

I know just what you mean.. I had the exact same feeling with my inital consultation and my first appoint which was with Dr. Cunningham's office.   Their office is extremely busy and I felt like I was just "a number" to them,  I was in a waiting area with 4 or 5 other new patients waiting for their inital visit as well. I really felt like i was in a "herd" and we were just being pushed through the system.   I didn't like that feeling at all, so I decided to check out other options in the area and found my Surgeon in Ithaca..  going to see him I knew instantly it was a totally different enviroment..   Switching offices was the best decision I made!!     Go with your gut and don't stay where you don't feel comfortable.

hello Candi ... for the record ... the morning i had my appointment i was the ONLY one in the waiting room ... so the office being 'very busy' was not an excuse for their lack of common curtsey.  you mention Dr. Conningham's office ... i'm a little confused about whether he used to be associated with Dr. Howard Simon ... and is no longer with him ... can you verify that for me?  i ask this because i'm about to schedule a consultation with Dr. Simon once i hear back from them (yesterday i left a message for somebody to contact me) ... after hearing from you, now i'm wondering if i that's not such a good idea ... ???