Valerie Callender, MD

Worst experience ever! I had an issue with getting through to the office in reference to my appointment because of the terrible phone system. I had to call multiple times and eventually I sent an email stating that I was disappointed with the experience. Eventually I spoke with a staff member who was able to assist me. I received an email from the CFO stating that my claims of calling multiple time over several days were unfounded and that I needed to provide proof. Even though I thought this was inappropriate I obliged the request and provided screenshots of my call logs, only to be emailed again by the CFO stating that «my assertions did not match up with his records» and they had «spent time chasing exaggerations, and misleading information». I found this to be offensive and requested a call back. During my conversation with the CFO he was rude and did not seem to have a clue about customer service. For some reason he seemed to take my issue with the inadequate phone system rather personal. Even though I had provided screenshots, one of which showed that during my initial call I was on the phone line trying to get through unsuccessfully for 14 minutes, the CFO stated that was not true. The CFO did not seem to think that his statement and emails were offensive. After this exchange I explained that I would no longer do business with Dr. Callender and ended the conversation. I then called the receptionist, cancelled my appointment explaining that I would no longer be doing business with Dr. Callender. I then received another email from the CFO threatening to take me to court for defamation. In all if I had read the online reviews about the staff I would have never chosen this provider. The same CFO has been named in several reviews by other customers who were subjected to the same impolite behavior to include being threatened. Dr. Callender’s CFO is absolutely rude and unprofessional. I do not tolerate this type of behavior… I am taking my business elsewhere.

LONG TIME NO SEE Unilocal! I’ve missed you. Now time to talk about this dermatologist office!
So I have been coming here for over a year and I have to say… the results are decent. The reason I say that is because I’m being treated for acne (I know I’m 24 and should be too old for this shit), seen results but I’m not sure whether it’s the medication I’ve been prescribed or my body finally is starting to get sick of fuckin’ with me. Anyway… I’ll give the credit to the office. I began seeing Dr. Callender but having to make an appointment literally 4 months in advance is short of ridiculous! So I switched to Dr. Young (A co-​doctor) because I, personally, do not have time to for that scheduling non-​sense. That being said, I like Dr. Young a lot. She seems to care and pay more attention to detail than the few times I had Dr. Callender. My largest complaint is the wait time!
Holy crap it is ridiculous! I had an appointment at 9:45am and got into the room at 10:23am. STOP OVER BOOKING! Look I know the rent here can not be cheap but everytime I come here I am never even close to being seen here on time… and I come ON TIME sometimes even early to attempt to avoid the hassle but it never works. This is the reason I will be looking for a new dermatologist. Not because of the service but of the lack of respect for my time. I have to go to work to afford this co-​pay with insurance and the least you can do is get me in and out in a reasonable amount of time.

Dr. Callender is well educated and very knowledgable; however, that’s about the extent of my complements for this office. I took my mother to her appointment this morning and it was really the last straw. My mother was informed that she owed a $ 25 penalty for supposedly not cancelling an appointment from, get this, TWO years ago.
My mother had, in fact, attempted to cancel the appointment but their phone system is so terrible you can stay on hold for 30 minutes, get cut off, and any other phone foolishness. After attempting to get through numerous times, she left a voicemail. By then, she was 3 hours past the 24 hour limit.
This was explained to them but apparently, it was too complicated for their comprehension. So they made the genius decision to not allow my mother to be seen today if she wouldn’t pay it right then and there (which of course she wasn’t going to because she was disputing it). They cancelled her appointment and had us leave. This has got to be the most ridiculous business practice I have ever seen. Not only did they forgo that appointment slot, they made a $ 25 decision over a couple hundred dollars worth of service they would have received if she had been seen.
I really cannot stand when businesses lack logic and the limited knowledge of finances and accounting it would have taken to realize the financial mistake they were making. On top of their foolishness, they were incredibly rude about it. We were so shocked all we could do was give them blank stare.
The receptionist gave my mother the number for her «personal line» because she claims the phones are «very backed up». No sweets, the phones are inefficient. I told my mother not to bother. She needs to find another dermatologist because the whole front desk and their nickel and diming are not only outrageous, but borderline offensive.

Front desk staff was not friendly upon arrival. Wait time was not long. Only 2 people in the waiting room. My appointment was around 2 in the middle of the week. Dr. Callendar was very fast. Came into the exam room, looked at my problem areas and prescribed me medication. Physician was kind. But if you need an appointment with her it will take months to get in. The medication this doctor recommended is very expensive. I paid about $ 400 for 3 Prescriptions.
Overall all I like the provider not a fan of the staff in the office or the time frame it takes to see Dr. Callendar.

I have been a patient for quite a few years and have tried to schedule my appointments either first thing in the am or the last appt. as I have experienced several times the long waits. Communication is not good as it seems the right hand doesn’t seem to know what the left hand is doing. My last appt. was at 10:30. I got there 30 minutes earlier hoping to be seen on time, or no later than 15 mins past my appt time. Several people were seen and left, several people who came in after me were seen and left. I approached the front desk twice about how long my wait would be and was it was being checked on. Once I was called back, I still had to wait. Didn’t get out of there until 11:40. I asked the nurse why it took so long and her attitude was nonchalant when she said «i don’t know what they do up front». The «doctor» that saw me I had never met before and clearly had not read my file because of the line of questions. I asked her why I waited so long for a simple procedure and she too co-​signed on the nurse’s response. My biggest issue at this point is the email I received asking about my experience and my response was met with a long response about my history, the few times I cancelled (when you call and leave a voicemail or respond to the email, they don’t seem to have a record of it and charge you for a missed appt. and then you have to fight to get it off and/​or spend time trying to prove that you did respond). I expressed concern about future appts with the wait time and the constant barrage of charges. The CFO, Errol, took it upon himself to cancel my appt instead of addressing the issues. His response came across very unprofessionally and defensive. I thanked him for his response; told him «he is always right» and asked him to make arrangements to forward my files. I was unaware that Dr. C has a «take it or leave it» policy when it comes to her patients.
I only gave two stars because of my history.

Seems like they have the wait time issues worked out. I had never been to see Dr. Callender before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was late so I called to let them know and they were appreciative, and also let me know I had a 15 minute grace period before I could potentially lose my appointment. I made it in 10 min after my scheduled time and did the required paperwork. There were a bunch of people there so I expected I might be in for a decent wait. Not at all. I got called in within 10 minutes, nurse came in and asked me some questions, and then the Doc came in and hooked me up. No fuss, no muss, and Dr. Callender had a great personality and bedside (chair side) manner. Thanks Doc and staff!

Frustrating experience. I should have know when I was trying to make an appointment and could not get through to a human, to move on, or when I left a message to make an appointment and did not get a return call until almost 2 weeks later. Went for the appointment, I was a few minutes late, but I spent an hour and a half there and about 10 minutes with the doctor; she seemed extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Then I was prescribed a few medications that should have been electronically forwarded to the pharmacy… but wasn’t. I have been calling the office for two days in an attempt to speak to someone about the prescriptions but no one ever answered the phone. I choose Dr. Callender because she specializes in clinical research and I wanted to support a minority owned business. However, I am afraid I will not be returning for my follow-​up visit after this display of «how not to treat your patients». Customer service is of utmost importance to me! Now I wonder if I would ever get through to cancel my appointment…

Dr. Callender’s office is like a spa oasis! I’ve never been inside a doctor/dermatologist’s office as nice as hers – the décor was upscale, classy, and clean. The front desk staff were warm and helpful, and they accept a wide variety of insurance plans which was major for me. My wait time was long but I always have something to read so it didn’t bother me as much (about a 25 minute wait).
She appeared to be a little hurried but there were SO many people clamoring to see her I can’t imagine how she does it every day! She’s helpful and lessened my fears about the reason I saw her today. Although our appointment was quick, she helped to get me what I needed and I will check back in with my results in a few months!

I took my daughter to see Dr. Callender and this was the first time I had been to her office at this location. She took my daughter as a new patient right away as I had called several other doctors and they didn’t have any new patient appointments for months. I personally love Dr. Callender and have seen her years before for myself. She took time to talk to my daughter and really made her feel at ease. My daughter is very critical of ANY doctor, but she was very comfortable with Dr. Callender and is ecstatic about her results. Her visit was in September 2014.

I had my first office visit with Dr. Callender today. To expedite my visit, I printed off the online patient forms and faxed them in the day before. As soon as I arrived, I was assisted and taken immediately back to the waiting room. I only waited for Dr. Callender about 10 minutes — which wasn’t bad. Like others, my visit with Dr. Callender was very quick and to the point. Based on other’s reviews (which was helpful) I requested a paper prescription. I go back in a few months so I will see how things go with my prescription. For those considering this doctor, try to get an early appointment, definitely request paper prescriptions, and please fill out the patient forms in advance. I will be back with a follow-​up review in a few months. I want to see how my prescription works!

Absolutely terrible. The first time I went to this office I waited 2 hours with an appointment. Although I was very upset, I tried to be nice about it thinking maybe they were just behind that day. Dr. Callendar was nice, but honestly the appointment was pointless. She didn’t even examine my skin, just asked me very general questions and gave me an Epiduo prescription.
I returned for a different skin issue a few months later and I waited 2 hours, AGAIN! This is absolutely ridiculous. Then, Dr. Callendar didn’t even see me, it was someone else. This woman was very nice as well and also seemed to actually care about my condition.
Just because you have a good reputation does not mean absurd wait times are acceptable. I now go to a phenomenal Dr. in Bethesda, and I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes.

A friend referred me to Dr. Callender and rated her practice above average. As with other patrons, I’m loosing faith rapidly after my first visit… My initial consultation with Dr. Callender was quick, but efficient. The Dr. gave me a few samples and coupons to balance the cost. My problem and concern like many others is with regards to prescriptions being filled. I was asked if I would prefer electronic or paper. Clearly from reading other commentaries they don’t have a good handle on electronic prescriptions. My suggestion if any would be to get a paper prescription and turn it in yourself. Maybe in the near future her office and or staff will develop a method of filling prescriptions electronically…

This is my second visit. I’m sitting in their waiting room right now and its been an hour and fifteen minute wait so far. I just asked if I was forgotten about. They didn’t forget to collect my copay. I’ve taken a cat nap and everything. I understand Dr C. is highly sought after but they have got to fix their scheduling problems. She did not hesitate to tell me on my 1^st visit that I could only ask her 3 questions because she could not spend too much time with me. I’ve never had a Dr tell me that before but respectfully, I understand. Its business but be just as mindful as the patients you keep waiting for an unreasonable amount of time. I took time off from work that I have to make up later. I could have spent this hour at work. My time is valuable too. As for the people complaining about their prescriptions, I experienced this from my 1^st visit. I believe they may have mixed up the pharmacy locations in their system because when I went to CVS, I found out they sent it to another CVS location. I will say I really like Dr C. She is nice, she will educate you and she has what they call good bedside manners. She reminds me of a family member while maintaining her professionalism. They just need to figure out a way to resolve those time issues so they don’t get patients with an attitude. The front desk staff told me to come at 9:30am or 1:30pm to avoid a long wait.

No words can really express how I feel now that I’ve seen Dr., Callendar numerous times over the last year. I’m so upset I did not find her earlier. I’ve read some of the other reviews, and face it, Dr. C is in high demand so yes there are longer than normal wait times– but I try to get my appts scheduled before 9am or after 5pm, that may mean I have to wait a month longer, but it’s worth it. I love the Cosmetic Center as well, Angela– Esthetician is awesome! extremely friendly. My suggestion when calling for appointments or questions, call before 9am! Don’t complain, keep trying!

Made 3 attempts to make an appointment over the course of 2 weeks. Each time could get no answer at the «make medical apt» number so recalled and pushed the reach the operator button… went to voicemail… left messages with name and number 3 times to make an appointment. No response to any of the messages. Apparently they don’t need any new business, and with an uncaring staff I certainly wouldn’t want to e a patient t there

I’m…losing faith already. I went for a REALLY simple appointment and saw one of the assistants, and for some reason these people are having the hardest time filling my prescription. It’s shampoo and ketoconozole. It’s really not that difficult. Ten days and two phone calls later, and still nothing. They’re supposed to be working on it now, but we’ll see. I mean, if they’re THAT busy, I’ll go down to the office myself and make the call to the pharmacy. I really don’t mind!
Okay, that’s a lie, I do mind, but you get the point. I’m frustrated… I don’t like unprofessionalism.
Not a fan.

Absolutely the worse! I visited here a few months back, I was early and the only one there for my appointment — why did I wait over 45 minutes to be seen by the «doctor» that took 5 minutes. She then gave me a prescription that could not be filled, the pharmacist and I called them back at least 3 more times and never got my prescription. Dr. Callendar doesn’t even see patients anymore, there are other doctors seeing patients, her reputation is no more I will never return there!

Two friends referred Dr Callendar to me. The friends spoke very highly of Dr Callendar. They both rated Dr Callandar with a whooping 100%. I agreed with my friends on Dr Callander’s excellent personable bedside manners. Dr Callandar is an excellent expert with warm presences, and a professional demeanor. What sealed the deal for me were her caring actions. The only complaint I had was the issue with the electronic prescriptions. This transition took longer than I expected to travel to my local drug store. After, notifying Dr Callandar’s office they managed to tweak the electronic problem. Next time I’ll ask for paper prescriptions instead.

Dr. Callender has a beautiful office, friendly staff, and knowledgeable team of medical professionals. The wait time is long — so make plans in advance if you are scheduling around work or other time sensitive appointments. The appointment times are short, but they know what they’re talking about and will help you in any way.

My hairdresser noticed an irritation on my scalp and suggested I head to Dr. Callender since she specialzes in African-​American skin/​scalp problems (i.e., she won’t be horrified when I tell her I put harsh chemical relaxers near my scalp to straighten my hair or have my scalp yanked while getting braids put in).
She’s ALWAYS booked up – I usually have to schedule an appointment a month in advance. And the wait times are kind of ridiculous – bring a book or work to do while you wait. And her manner’s a bit brusque. But despite all of that, she’s a really good dermatologist – she quickly identified my skin/​scalp problems (and even noticed another one I hadn’t even noticed), told me what caused them, gave me a very explicit daily skin care regimen to follow and gave me prescriptions that cleared the problems up quickly in addition to recommending good over-​the-​counter products.
I’ll definitely be back. But be warned, she’s fond of prescribing brand names.