Dr Kuluva has been amazing helping my wife and Inas we deal with a Traumatic Brain Injury we got when hit by a car several years ago. Top notch. read more

I wrote a review about Dr. Kuluva a couple of years ago that didn't get posted for some reason. At the time, Yelp said they were going to review it, but then never posted it. Since it never got posted, here goes another try. The reason I'm posting this is that I'd like to 2nd Kristin K's experience with Dr. Kuluva. While my experience was not as awful as her's, I also found him to be pretty dismissive. At the time that I was his patient, I was a graduate student in NYC, and was referred to him via the campus counselling center. At that point in my life, I was dealing with a good deal of depression for a variety of reasons. However, he was often dismissive of the things that I would bring up with him - so much so that I found myself censoring myself during our appointments. In fact, I often left my appointments with him feeling worse than when I came in because he made me feel stupid and whiny. Not exactly a great recipe for building trust with someone. Being an adult child of an alcoholic parent who was also often dismissive of me, this really was an especially lousy way to work with me. After several months, I finally got fed up with seeing him, and quit making appointments. If you give him the benefit of the doubt, I believe he was a doing his residency at NYU Medical Center during the time when I was his patient; and for that reason, my understanding was that he was often dealing with patients with far greater psychological issues than run-of-the-mill depression like mine. As a result, I could see how my issues at the time would pale in comparison. Still, I think it's poor practice to make any of your patients feel worse than when they came in, regardless of how severe their issues are. For those who have had success working with him, all the power to you and God bless. My experience with him, however, was lousy and I could never recommend him to anyone. read more

What a nightmare. I have been waiting months to fix the utter mess this man made in 5 minutes of negligence. I spent half of my first pregnancy without a drivers license, unable to get medical care and continue treatment for a brain injury because of his irresponsible actions. Dr. Kuluva is by far the worst doctor I've ever had, and the few minutes I spent with him barely listening to me was the single most destructive experience I've ever had with anyone who calls themselves​ a professional. I want to warn others of what he did to me, what he could do to you. Please stay away for your own well being. This guy found out that I had passed out 4 months before our meeting and told the DMV to suspend my license - and lied to me about it in tears in his office. I had never met him before, he's not my doctor, he spent all of 5 minutes with me before doing this. He's not even a doctor at the clinic I go to, he just shows up once a month, and I was unlucky enough to be there. None of the other doctors who actually knew me and my situation have ever done this. Absolute negligence. And he lied about it with a straight face saying he wouldn't recommend they suspend it, just that he legally had to tell them so they could review it. Well guess what documents the DMV had on file? Dr. Kuluva recommending my license be suspended. (In case anyone doesn't know, he is required to report, but he has an option to ask them to review my case with driving and/or medical tests - he chose to just tell them to suspend it, which they will automatically do with a doctors recommendation.) I have been pregnant without a drivers license during a 4 month long legal and medical fight to get it back. I have missed countless doctor appointments, I have had to walk 12 miles on a hot day to get a routine prenatal blood test. It has been a nightmare - I am recovering from a brain injury and supposed to spend time out in public as part of therapy to get more used to that, I am supposed to have weekly rehabilitation appointments that I missed most of. I was stuck inside, alone for almost 4 months. It absolutely killed my progress and sent me into an awful depression. I am supposed to be preparing to have a baby, going to the doctor, seeing family...instead I spent half of my first pregnancy unable to do nearly anything. I would not trust this man and I truly hope I never have to see him again. It amazes me the damage that can be done so easily in minutes caused the months and months my life had to be 10x more difficult for no reason while I was fighting to clean up the mess he made. read more

As a patient who has had my fair share of negative experiences with Berkeley physicians, Dr. Kuluva was a breath of fresh air. His exam was thorough, he spent more time with me than I expected, and he even gave me career advice, as I am contemplating a career change. With Dr. Kuluva being the second physician to give me this particular suggestion, I am taking it under advisement. I read his other reviews on here, and they certainly are mixed.The one-star reviewers are dodgy at best, so I decided to go see him, anyways. I did note a few, which were by the patients who complained that Dr. Kuluva made them feel "dismissed" and "whiny". These patients worded their reviews in the self-involved manner of your typical neurotic narcissist, with the sense of entitlement and pseudo-liberal hypocrisy that can only be found in Berkeley. read more

Dr. Kuluva was on-call at Alta Bates Summit when I was diagnosed with MS. I instantly loved his demeanor and thoroughness and his bedside manner was immaculate. He made me smile when I was in shock and I was tested for every single other disease to rule everything. Else out! 34 blood tests, a CT Scan to rule out stroke, 3 MRIS of rain lumbar and sacral spine, and finally a spinal tap. I have loved being a patient with him and highly recommend him. THANK YOU Dr. Kuluva for all you have done to make my disease that much easier!! THANK YOU Lynne Jehle too!! read more

The Veterans Choice program set me up with Dr Kuluva at his Post Street location in San Francisco (honestly I would have went back for the view alone). My experience with him over the year I spent in San Francisco for a neurological condition was a great one. I was working with several neurologists from different locations and it was important to me that during this very difficult time, I had doctors that I felt would genuinely listen to me or care. I was Switching permanent life medications and he was more than comfortable with going through all the available options, the ones with the best results, and his personal view on which might fit best based on my lifestyle and situation/ condition. It's important to me that a doctor remembers who I am or little details from the first visit or the 5th or the 8th and so on in order to know that they see progression or decline and he did just that. He was a comfortable doctor to be around and had a calm professional demeanor which I also appreciated. He didn't use jargon while speaking to me or explaining things, if he did, he immediately explained what they were. He was very open to thinking outside of the box and giving me his honest thoughts and professional recommendations along the way. Overall my experience with him was stellar within the modern medicine field. I was not there for psychiatric help but could tell that perhaps his primary focus was in that area as he spoke comfortably and had a very comfortable space to work in. It was a pleasure having his professional assistance. read more

I have seen Dr. Kuluva three times and have been impressed each time. I was nervous my first time due to the other review but I had a very different experience. The staff at the front and back were very kind. While I did have to wait a bit between the time of my appointment and when I saw the doctor, once I saw him I was so impressed with how much time he spent with me (about an hour) and his bedside manner. I found him to be thoughtful, thorough and genuinely concerned about my fear as to what was wrong with me (migraines). I left off one star because he never returns my call on the first try (following up on blood work, getting medication samples to pick up). I have to call 2 or 3 times to get a response. But he is definitely worth it! read more

Dr. Kuluva is excellent. I have many medical problems and have seen many neurologists regarding various problems including chronic pain. Dr. Kuluva is interested, and has interesting, different ideas. He is a pleasure to work with. I am now in a lot less pain, due to his ideas. read more

Dr. Kuluva struck me immediately as attentive and sincere. His attitude was empathetic, open and responsive. He actually seemed to enjoy his work a great deal. Not only was he knowledgable about my situation (much more than previous specialists), he had new information and recommendations. He also responded to a good sense of humor - something lacking in so many doctors. read more

I had seen Dr Kuluva 2x & pulled up the yelp page for his phone number- Was really shocked by Kristen K's review since I had such an opposite experience. My symptoms were also confusing & had different possible causes and the Dr was wiling to explore the possibilities via tests and possible therapies. He spent a lot of time with me clarifying the onset and symptoms and I would not hesitate to recommend him to others. read more

I like Dr Kuluva. I find him down to earth, friendly, and easy to talk to. He returns my calls, personally and quickly. And I believe he honestly is concerned and wants to help improve my condition. I can see though, how he might not be for everyone...he treats me like an adult who is as much in control of my health and well being as he is. And he is very straight forward. If you want your hand held and a shoulder to whine on; he may not be for you. read more

I have been working in the medical field for several years, and I have visited my fair share of doctors for various things. Across all my encounters with physicians, I have never experienced the rudeness and incompetence that I came across in Dr. Joshua Kuluva. I had been referred to another doctor in his practice, but took an appointment with him because it was available earlier and I was miserable. So that was one of the biggest mistakes that I have ever made. I'm not sure if Dr. Kuluva is interpersonally awkward, or if he had a specific problem with me, but I have never been personally insulted by a physician the way that I was insulted by him. He put me in tears, and made me feel like absolute crap. However, he did agree to run a few tests, so I agreed to see him a second time. Again, another huge mistake. Because the tests were inconclusive, he decided to insinuate that it was stress (i.e. all in my head), and not a physical issue. He absolutely could not say "I don't know what's going on", or even agree that my symptoms did exist despite the lack of clear diagnostic information. Again, he put me in tears with his insensitivity. This time, I tried to address it with him, to which he laughed at me. I was literally begging for something, anything to give me some hope. I asked for non-medical interventions that might help me, such as massage or physical therapy, which made him laugh even more. I worry for others who may become patients of this man. Believe me- you CAN fire a physician that you don't believe is providing you the care that you deserve! I wish that I could describe everything wrong with this man and his practice of medicine, but it would be too long and heavy. Let it suffice that I believe this man should not be a physician, or at least he should be in an area of medicine where he doesn't have patient contact. read more

I had a first time appt. with Dr. Kulova ( I Have M.S. ). I was impressed with his general demeanor and seeming knowledge of MS. I have been thru some bad doctors. He isn't one of them. Thank God. read more

I would give Dr. Kuluva himself 100 stars if I could. He is a kind, caring, conscientious, smart doctor and I've had nothing but great experiences during my various office visits with him. He also prides himself on running fairly on time, (yet seems to always have plenty of time for your questions and concerns during a visit) which is not very common in the medical field. Sadly, I would give one star to the whole administrative operation surrounding Dr. Kuluva. To make an appointment requires waiting on hold at a central Sutter Health phone number (typical hold times are around 10 min from my experience). Then they rarely even have an appointment available. Meaning, they actually tell you, "Sorry there are no appointments." Can you be placed on a cancellation waitlist? No. The only option is to call back every week until the new schedule is out for three months from the time you call (i.e. call in Mid may and you have to wait until the August schedule comes out to even have a hope at getting an appointment). I had the good fortune of getting on his calendar at the last minute, rearranged my whole day to be able to go to the appointment, and when I showed up was told he was 45 minutes behind which just wouldn't be possible for me given the meetings I had rescheduled for later in the day so I could go to the appointment in the first place. At least they told me... but it would have been great to know before I drove 25 minutes to his office and then had to turn right around and drive back after completely inconveniencing my co workers and family to be able to go to the appointment. They wouldn't reschedule me (no appointments available for the next three months). But here's the real kicker, three days later I get a notice in the mail threatening to drop me as a client of the practice because I had missed my appointment! (yeah, the one where I had to leave because I couldn't wait an additional 45 minutes to be seen by the doctor). To their credit, everyone I've dealt with is friendly, but the system is completely unworkable and makes it hard to be a patient of Dr. Kuluva's. read more

I am the guardian for my brother who has total dementia and aggressive behavior problems. We have been seeing Dr Kuluva for almost 3 years. He is one of the kindest and smartest doctors I have ever been to. He has taken such great care of my brother, has personally returned phone calls when crisis occur at my brothers' SNF and always allows plenty of time for questions. I have not had any negative experiences with the front office but I do realize it's an extremely busy office. I feel very fortunate to have found such a great doctor and have refered others to him. read more

I have seen Dr Kuluva 3-4 times over the past 9 months regarding a head injury from a bike accident. Like the last reviewer, my family is fully of scientists and MD's and I consider myself to be a pretty well-informed and critical patient. I found Dr Kuluva to be perfectly competent, careful, and caring. He explained what symptoms were "normal" with such a concussion and gave me possible timelines for recovery. As time has passed, he's checked up on me and reassured me that I'm on the right trajectory for recovery... I'm thankful that his memory/ notes are good enough to keep a longterm perspective. I almost never write these reviews, but I was just looking up the phone number for his office on Yelp and couldn't believe how negative some of the other reviewers are! I guess I would agree that he's less sensitive than, say, a therapist, but I think he's a great deal more sensitive than a lot of neurologists! read more

As someone with MDs littering my family tree (last Christmas: 5 MDs - including a psychiatrist - and one psychologist), I'm writing because I've found Dr. Kuluva to be extremely competent. Anyone reading these reviews needs to remember that poor Dr. Kuluva has several patients with serious neurological issues (I have a non-apnea related sleep disorder). Unfortunately, many of these folks are "not of the right mind" - by definition. They may be paranoid, fearful, etc. I'm sure Dr. Kuluva isn't perfect, but just remember the source of the reviews. read more

For some reason, reviews of doctors seem to be based more on 'bedside manner" rather than actual medical competence; this guy is HIGHLY competent. Unlike most Kalifornia doctors, he went to medical school in the U.S., and he interned in the North East; this means, in very sharp contrast to most every other doctor you'll see around here, he is Lyme Literate. His immediate staff is great too; they follow-up diligently. The department he is in was hard-hit with just about every doctor jumping ship (these sort of specialists can make more money elsewhere, or in private practice...); and even after 5 years the department is still recovering. Many of their listed doctors are working outside their expertise, or are virtually retired, and work very little. (Also, Sutter Health is a task master, MANY good doctors bail on this outfit). The front desk staff for this department is one of the worst in the entire Sutter System. I've taken granny to MANY of them, this one really sucks. They never show their name tags, they never post what doctors are 'in' and what one's 'arn't' - despite a chart for that being present. Let's say Kulava asks for you to come back in 2 weeks; as you leave and make your appointment at the front desk, they will state: "No-way Jose; Soonest I can get you in is a month... unless you want to see one of our other (incompetent) doctors." If you tell them that 2-weeks is actually necessary, then they will say: "too bad, and too sad; also we don't maintain a list for cancellation calls; dats too difficult." (I'm being serious here) A previous poster's comment regarding bad reviews for Dr.Kulava needs repeating: " These patients worded their reviews in the self-involved manner of your typical neurotic narcissist, with the sense of entitlement and pseudo-liberal hypocrisy that can only be found in Berkeley." Say it ain't so! Neurotics visiting a Neurologist! read more

Dr. Kuluva has been incredibly unresponsive. I need to take a medicine everyday and he has not responded to either my calls or the pharmacy's repeated calls and faxes in order to refill the prescription. The pharmacy has been kind and has given me emergency refills of the medicine though they have not been able to get any contact from the doctor. My previous interactions with Dr. Kuluva have also been unsatisfactory and I will be changing doctors immediately. read more

Unfortunately, I've been to many doctors in the past few years. I think the American medical system is broken and it sucks being a cancer survivor. Due to my vast experience with the medical system, I think I'm a bit jaded. That said, I agreed to go to Dr. Kuluva because my internist (who ROCKS) said he was good. When I got to the office, the receptionist was friendly. I did not have to wait long (5 mins or less) to see Dr. Kuluva. I was totally impressed with him. He didn't seem like the average factory medicine doctor (at the boo... Alta Bates Cancer Center). He REALLY took time to probe into my history. At one point I told him I was impressed with his thorough questioning and he said well, it's the first time I've seen you. (I certainly know other specialists in the Sutter program who have not acted similarly.) After a comprehensive physical exam involving reflexes and walking, moving, standing, finger exercises and more, we spoke some more and he had a game plan. He ordered blood tests (and told me why for each test- nice). He told me he would also order some MRI's and also explained why. Then I almost fainted when he told me he thought in my case acupuncture would be helpful. WOW, a specialist who sees a person as a whole body that is connected! I was really impressed with the initial appt and will keep my pain log for the follow up appt. read more