Dr. Ali Ajam, MB BS

I originally saw Dr. Ajam a few months ago where he said he thinks I have fibromyalgia and possibly an autoimmune disorder. He told me to come back in six months to repeat the blood work and see if I do have this disease. At my follow up he refused to do the blood work and said he'll do it in another six months. He then tells me the lab he uses won't even do the test necessary to diagnose this disease. He suggests something else I might have, but tells me since there's no cure that there's no point in seeking a diagnosis. Basically, according to him, since I'm young I should be focused on getting better rather than worrying about getting diagnosed. When I told him I'm too disabled to stand up long enough to cook healthy food, he said that's fine because on the diet he recommends I don't need to eat very often. So basically the fact I can't stand for 15 minutes is no big deal because I'm overweight and don't need to eat much anyway. I left the office feeling so incredibly discouraged.

I was referred by my primary for resistant oral thrush (a sign of immune disease) and a history of mild autoimmune disease. Dr. Ajam was kind and thorough, but overall I left after my first appointment concerned that he did not take my issues seriously. He ordered a series of tests, but I could only see two in the patient-facing system. He and his staff could not (or would not) tell me the ANA titer by phone or email, and communication wasn’t the best. He did try to call me twice, for which he deserves credit. (I found out months later, he called to tell me I had lupus, but at the time I didn’t understand why no one would answer me. In addition, no one tried to schedule an in-person appointment to discuss the test results.) I felt I had no choice but to seek another physician. Overall, I believe Dr. Ajam is knowledgeable and compassionate, but communication issues with his office can be confusing for patients.

I was referred by my primary for resistant oral thrush (a sign of immune disease) and a history of mild autoimmune disease. He seemed to not understand why I was there. Despite symptoms that should have concerned him and led to more comprehensive testing, he performed only two tests. One was positive (ANA), the other negative; he and his staff could not (or would not) tell me the ANA titer and did not interpret the results for me. I have never received an answer to my email requesting clarification. [He did try to call but we missed each other and he left no message.] In the end, I felt that he discounted my concerns, missed important symptoms, and left me with no relief other than a referral to therapy for a trigger finger. Less than a month later I was diagnosed at Columbus Arthritis Center with lupus.

Great doctor, been seeing Dr. Ajam for four years, i feel he actually cares about my diagnosis and treating me. Listens to my concerns and tries to figure out how to fix it, orders appropriate test, and always follows up with my treatment. Couldn't ask for a better doctor.

My first impression was that he was confident, knowledgeable and actually interested in helping me. You really don't want your doctor to be "unsure" of himself. Dr. Ajam was straightforward in his approach and explained things thoroughly. He answered all of the questions I had and was very reassuring. He ordered the appropriate diagnostic tests. He made sure that he understood what I expected from the visit and he delivered. My husband and I left the visit feeling satisfied. Great doctor!!

Dr. Ajam refused to treat my psoriatic arthritis. He ordered test after test, each result was negative. He completely ignored the large patches of psoriasis, and each negative test should have resulted in a determination of psoriatic arthritis. He even ordered an MRI, which is a completely unnecessary test given my symptoms. I can only assume that he ordered so many tests as a money grab for OSU. I would not recommend him to anyone.