Vivianne Tawfik

Anesthesiologist, Pain management specialist


Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Adult Pain)

View Professional Summary »


Additional Languages Spoken:
French

Biography


Vivianne Tawfik, MD, PhD is a board certified Anesthesiologist and Pain Medicine physician who specializes in the treatment of complex chronic pain disorders including chronic post-operative pain, complex regional pain syndrome and peripheral nerve injury.

She obtained her MD and PhD in Neuroscience, with a focus on basic pain mechanisms, at Dartmouth Medical School before joining the Stanford Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine as an anesthesiology resident in the Fellowship in Anesthesia Research and Medicine (FARM) program, of which she now serves as the Director. After completion of her subspecialty fellowship training in Pain Medicine, Dr. Tawfik joined the faculty at Stanford and continues to research the immune contribution to persistent pain while treating patients suffering from chronic pain.

She enjoys science, sushi and snowboarding in her free time.

Professional Summary


Education & Certifications
  • Board Certification: American Board of Anesthesiology, Pain Management (2015)
  • Fellowship, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Pain Medicine (2015)
  • Fellowship, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Research (2014)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Anesthesiology, Anesthesiology (2014)
  • Residency, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Anesthesiology (2013)
  • M.D./Ph.D., Dartmouth Medical School, Pharmacology/Neuroscience (2009)
  • Internship: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (2010) NH

Honors & Awards
  • Award in Pain, Rita Allen Foundation (2019-2022)

Administrative Appointments
  • Assistant Director, Fellowship in Anesthesia Research & Medicine (FARM), Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (2015 - 2018)
  • Director, Fellowship in Anesthesia Research & Medicine (FARM), Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine (2018 - Present)
  • Vice-Chair for Research- Basic Science, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine (2022 - Present)

Publications

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.

Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.


Specializing In

Practice Locations


Pain Management Center in Redwood City Redwood City, CA
Redwood City, CA

450 Broadway Street, Pavilion A, 1st Floor

Redwood City , CA 94063

(650) 723-6238

Make An Appointment More Clinic Information » Getting Here »

Patient Ratings

(15 Ratings)

Overall Rating
5.0/5

View Ratings by Category

5.0/5
Friendliness
Friendliness/courtesy of the care provider
4.9/5
Explanations
Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition
5.0/5
Listens
Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries
5.0/5
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your care
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your treatment
5.0/5
Recommended to others
Likelihood of your recommending this care provider to others
0.0/5
Wait times
Wait time at clinic (from arriving to leaving)

How Our Ratings Work

The Patients Ratings and comments are gathered from our Patient Satisfaction Survey and displayed in their entirety.

Patient Satisfaction Survey Disclaimer

Patient Reviews

(119 reviews)

Very happy with Dr Tawfik’s approach, assessments and her efforts to help. Her ability to understand my long history and focus in on the most essential aspects of my issues within the timeframe of the consultation was impressive. I was a little nervous before the consult since I’ve not had a good run with my long standing health issues, but it all disappeared as soon as she opened the consultation, I felt very comfortable talking with her!
Dr. Tawfik is a wonderful, extremely competent physician. She is highly knowledgeable about pain pharmacology and has been immensely helpful with my medical case. She is an effective listener, a gifted problem solver, and a genuinely caring individual.. I highly recommend Dr. Tawfik to other patients, especially those experiencing difficulty finding effective pain medication.
Amazing doctor
Dr. Tawfik is very thorough and always very prepared. She takes the time to answer all my questions and brainstorms new treatments. She is always thinking outside the box and has my best interest at heart. She’s a brilliant researcher and a dedicated doctor who cares for her patients as a whole. I’m so blessed to have such an amazing doctor that I trust take care of me and look out for my well being.
She is very compassionate and understanding.
As I said...Dr. Tawfik is simply extraordinary. She listens intently, is compassionate and thorough....I just can't say enough good things about her!
Dr. Tawfik is respectful, knowledgeable, and a good listener. She is kind and thoughtful and I am so thankful for her help with my sister.
I find Dr. Tawfik to be a wonderful diagnostician and very easy to talk to. I've been seeing her for years and I trust her opinion and I think that's very important in a Dr/patient relationship.
She is excellent and I feel lucky that she is my doctor.
Dr. Tawfik is an excellent care provider. She's detailed and explains everything clearly in a way that's easy to understand. I appreciate her care.
A truly outstanding physician! Dr. Tawfik goes above and beyond the normal. She is thorough, competent, conscientious, empathetic, and a true medical powerhouse! She thinks logically through a problem or question and gives a complete and understandable answer. I feel extremely blessed to have Dr. Tawfik as my physician.
It was my first time meeting her and it was an absolute pleasure. She seems very knowledgeable and proactive. I am looking forward to her help and expertise.
Exceptional doctor in terms of expertise and bedside manner. I have seen many doctors over the last three years, and she (along with one other doctor) far, far exceeds others.
She is very pressed for time due to being over loaded with patients. She always tries her best to give me the extra time I need. This means a lot to me because she’s really hard to get an appointment with. Sometimes I have to wait 2 months, and I’m an established patient. She knows a lot about my condition CRPS and I wish with having this chronic condition I can see her more. It’s a lot to process and talk about, it definitely justifies more quality time.
Dr Tawfik is an excellent doctor, one of the best I’ve ever had
Dr. Tawfik explains things in very easy terms. She listens to my concerns and we discuss a solution. She is a vey wonderful doctor. She has helped me with my issues and my made my life almost pain free.
Dr. Tawfik is a superb doctor. She listened carefully and deeply to my concerns and gave me excellent follow up instructions.
Dr. Tawfik is the most caring doctor I have had in more than 40 years of being ill with a rare disease. Most doctors have barely heard of it while she specializes in it. She is extremely knowledgable. Even though she is very busy I can depend on her to do whatever she says she will do, like have someone call me, all the many little things that every other doctor says they will do and forgets immediately.
She is very important to the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome patient community because it is very difficult to find doctors who have the knowledge and expertise to treat us.
Dr. Tawfik is great.
She is a wonderful, professional and knowledgeable doctor!
Dr. Tawfik is an amazing provider! She takes the time necessary to listen to her patients’ concerns and thoroughly address these concerns, as well as to make sure her patients’ questions are answered. Also, Dr. Tawfik is incredibly responsive when her patients have follow-up questions and/or concerns. She responds in a timely fashion and provides a clear and detailed response.
She is a fantastic doctor. I owe her my pain free areas and there are a many. She is great!!!
Dr. Tawfik is an extremely capable pain management doctor. She listens intently and is empathetic. Additionally, she is highly intelligent and seeks a treatment plan to meet your specific needs. She is encouraging and extremely thorough. I highly recommend Dr. Tawfik and I feel blessed to have her as my pain management doctor.
She was great. I very much enjoyed talking with her. She understood my issues and addressed them. Great job!
Dr. Tawfik is kind, patient, and thorough with her questions/explanations. I appreciate that she does not want to make multiple changes to medication at one time. She communicates well with me as the patient, my PCP, and other physicians involved in my case.
Dr. Tawfik is great. I'm very relieved, if I HAD to get some mysterious condition hardly anyone else has, that an expert is available to me through Stanford Alliance. As a result of being rapidly diagnosed by the surgeon's PA, and equally rapidly referred to OT & the Pain Clinic, I have received appropriate treatment long before most patients even know what is wrong. I've recovered almost all of my previous function. And I know where to get help when I have a flare. Even if the condition ends up being chronic rather than totally resolving, at this point it is manageable without a huge change in my ADLs or recreational activities.
everything was clearly explained
It is a pleasure to deal with Dr. Tawfik, especially when she is a magnificent expert in her field.
Dr. Tawfik was professional, caring, and listened carefully to all of my concerns/questions. She addressed everything and helped come up with a plan to help me. She is an amazing doctor with excellent people skills. She is wonderful at looking at issues from different angles to help resolve issues & make her patients feel better. Dr. Tawfik is a true gem!
Super grateful for her!
Dr. Tawfik is an amazing doctor. She listens to her patients and discusses their concerns in such a way that they can understand.
I was very impressed and happy with our visit. She was knowledgeable and understood all of my options and what we were going to do.
She's is knowledgeable and sympathetic, which I appreciate.
Dr. Tawfik is such a pleasure to work with. She is very empathetic and extremely smart too. I'm so glad she is my physician!
She is by far the most competent, compassionate and thorough physician that has treated me at Stanford, in the many years that I been a patient there.
She was very professional & listen to my concerns. Thank you
Dr. Tawfik is fantastic! I feel llucky to have a doctor who is researching CRPS. The challenge of understanding this rare syndrome is in good hand with Dr. Tawfik. She has become a beacon of knowledge because of her expertise.
She’s a fantastic doctor. She is personable. knowledgeable and she’s a great advocate of my health!
She's a very kind, knowledgeable and responsive doctor and I feel very fortunate to see her.
Dr. Tawfik is an amazing medical specialist and I am grateful to be under her care as she is beyond excellent and I hold her medical care and expertise in the highest regard. Thank you so very much.
She is nice and listens and did not rush me during our initial visit.
Dr. Tawfik is the best doctor I have ever seen and I have had poor health for 40 years. She is very thorough, explains everything, treats me as an equal, She does not have a superior attitude. Shows up when she says she will when I am an inpatient. I trust her.
Dr. Tawfik is extremely knowledgeable especially in areas of pain pharmacology. She was pleasant, approachable, and she answered each of my questions thoroughly and with much thought and wisdom. She is an exceptional doctor with an exceptional mind. I would highly recommend her!
listens to patient well and interacts appropriately
Dr. Tawfik was very professional. patient and understanding. I felt that she truly care about my condition.
Finally I got the right treatment and plan for my case
I love Dr. Tawfik, she’s been our Doctor for years. Shes an excellent Doctor. She’s very knowledgeable, courteous, very caring, she has an excellent “bedside manner†, she’s a great listener, very thorough, she’s given me great advice, and I really like that she summarizes everything we’ve discussed at the end of our visits. I’m very happy to have her as my doctor. Thank you so much!
Everyone was very professional and polite. I was able to get some additional treatment information.
Very helpful - easy to communicate with.
She is a knowledgeable and very compassionate person, listens well, is concerned and has a wide range of experience with my particular problem.
Dr. Tawfik is an amazing and caring provider who goes above and beyond to help in every way possible. We are thankful and grateful for her guidance. She is professional but also personable. She is a delight to work with!
I truly trust her to give me the best treatment that's available for me. She is a caring and trustworthy person.
It’s always a pleasure speaking with Dr. Tawfik. She listens to your issues and does her best to provide you with various options. She alway speaks clearly and in lay-men’s terms so you can understand.
She's a great doctor, is very kind and approachable and straightforward and very intelligent. Finding her was a turning point in my recovery, not only in terms of treatment but that it is clear she treats patients as participants in their own healing... and that, to me, is critical for healing. It is becoming more and more clear to me that part of the trauma in CRPS is the traumatic experience of how CRPS is stigmatized by the medical community (outside of Stanford). I did not feel stigmatized by any doctor at Stanford and feel that a research hospital is perhaps the best place for CRPS to be treated. I have the sense that Dr Tawfik and her work (as well as the work of Sandip Biswal with PET/MRI, David J Clark, Wade Kingery and the Veterans Admin research group is all supported by Stanford, and could not take place without that support. I know it doesn't make sense financially for "all" CRPS cases, but I feel grateful and am aware of the privilege I had to have been able to receive treatment at Stanford myself, as I previously was completely unaware of the differences as I had not previously had a serious condition or illness. Thank you.
She was great. She was able to give feedback on my previous treatment. She brought up some things that could be tried in the future.
She is a wonderful doctor, treats patient as an equal partner. Is kind, concerned, very thorough and more knowledgable about my rare disease than any doctor I have seen in the 23 years I have this disease.
She was very personable and supportive.
Excellent communication. I feel very at ease speaking with her. Very reassuring.
She’s really very attentive to what you have to say!
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Tawfik about my initial appointment I had with her. I hold her medical expertise and advice in formulating an optimal treatment plan for my pain management needs in high regard. I found her to be exceptionally kind and compassionate towards me and treating my medical conditions.
Dr Tawfik is a skilled and caring physician. She is such a wonderful doctor and human being. I highly recommend her.
Dr. Tawfik is very knowledgeable about my condition. She has offered me ways to help improve my condition and quality of life. She carefully takes the time to help me with finding different options when I experience troubling side effects. She provided detailed explanations for any questions that I had. And also let me know when a medication would not likely be covered by my insurance so that I knew what to expect. On top of all of this, she brings care back into healthcare.
I think she's a wonderful physician and diagnostician. She has a great bedside manner, she listens to her patients and spends sufficient time as well answering patient's questions.
She is a great doctor. She really listens and takes care that her approach to treatment is understood and that (in appointments to check on treatment efficacy) the patient is getting an acceptable level of treatment to manage their chronic pain, I’m very grateful to have been assigned to her care from the moment I became a Stanford Medical Center patient.
She is a great listener, good provider of answers to questions, and is able to carry out her role as a medical professional in a personable and friendly manner.
She’s excellent. And she was dismayed no one from PT or Pain Psych had contacted me yet.
Meeting with Dr. Tawfik was an amazing experience for me! She was really empathetic and supportive.
Dr Tawfik is extremely knowledgeable, very caring and supportive and always exploring ways for me to manage my pain successfully
She is an amazing doctor!â ¤
excellent, personable, knowledgable, efficient, open to all comments and suggestions
I thought the visit was professional, personal and very helpful.
She was just as nice and caring as I heard she would be.
Both my in-person and video calls with Dr. Tawfik have been very professional and beneficial. Dr. Tawfik has taken the time and effort to get to know me, and provide me with exceptional care.
She is an excellent, caring professional who really takes the time to listen and hear her patients so that the appropriate action can be taken. She is AMAZING!
She is an excellent clinician. I also appreciate that she is conducting research on CRPS to help treat or to possibly find a cure for it.
She is a caring, knowledgeable, and thoughtful doctor
She was very kind and listened and asked appropriate questions regarding my health care.
Very professional, a good listener, and provided information and suggested treatment options in a very organized easily understood mann er.
Sorry I think I wrote this in the wrong section I think. So I’ll include it here too. Dr.Tawfik is a fantastic doctor. She is very knowledgeable and compassionate.
She is a very caring person.
Vivianne Tawfik is kind and intelligent, collaborative and knowledgeable. She is a very good doctor and is able to be my health provider while being allowing me to be the expert on what I am experiencing in my body. These are very good qualities in a doctor for someone like myself with CRPS. She is humble and non-assuming but is holding the whole picture for me. She lets me send her articles and ask questions without making me feel foolish for not having the medical expertise that I come to her for and she doesn't seem bothered (or repulsed as many doctors are) that there is much still not known about this condition.
She is an excellent doctor, very thoughtful and thorough.
very thorough . I appreciated the time spent on the video chat.
Dr. Tawfik helped make the video visit effective by looking into the camera. For video visits to work it’s really essential as the patient to feel like you have the doctor’s undivided attention and that there is a rapport despite the distance. Dr. Tawfik performed this flawlessly!
I greatly appreciate Dr. Tawfik's conscientiousness, willingness to spend significant time with me, and attention to detail.
Very open to what I have to say. Directs my care well with the help of Karen. Easy to speak with. Clinic availability is not great but I am aware of that and could ask to shift if needed. I do not feel like my free will is being taken.
She is Great!
I think I should say I gave , I feel the reason I have come as far as have is due to Dr. Tawfik and her care!
Dr. Tawfik is a great doctor and extremely helpful and wants to do the best she can.
Dr. Tawfik is an amazing person. She is concerned. She is always looking for ways to help and to alleviate pain.
Dr. Tawfik never makes you feel rushed, always shows great concern for your problem, includes me in decision making & is a wonderful dr. that I have great confidence in.
Great experience.
Dr Tawfik is amazing. She listens attentively and always considers treatments carefully before she decides they might be useful to mitigate pain
Dr. Tawfik is very knowledgeable. She is an excellent listener and she has great ideas!
I am very impressed with the clinicians at the pain clinic! I like that they treat me like a person, not just a diagnosis. All my questions are always answered and explanations are very thorough.
Dr. Tawfik is an excellent physician. Having a rare condition makes my experience with a specialist in CRPS very positive. She listens and is very knowledgeable. She keeps up with the latest developments!
Dr. Tawfik is concerned, she always listens and she is always looking for ways to help me.
Dr Tawfik is amazing! She listens, has good ideas and is super intelligent
love my team at Stanford!!
She is very understandable, smiling face, very very competent, highly recommended.
She is the best. Very friendly very polite above all very competent.
Very competent & FRIENDLY DOCTOR.
Dr Tawfik is beyond excellent. She is thoughtful, compassionate and knowledgeable
Dr Tawfik is a concerned, responsive and caring doctor She is always willing to listen She thinks about my problem and comes up with ideas that have not been tried before
Love, love, love HER -
Dr. Tawfik is friendly, intelligent and caring. She really listens.
Academic who brought another colleague (a resident student) or without asking me. They joked & laughed a lot. I did not feel included or respected.
Friendly, courteous, good listener, problem solver, caring, focused on providing practical help, looks for root source of symptoms, extremely competent, includes me in decisions. Takes the time needed. Knew my history.
Dr. Tawfik is a woderful doctor. Seems to really care.
I can not say enough awesome things about the Drs. and assistants. Everyone makes me feel like they care. Thank you.
Dr. Tawfik is very polite , always smiling, discussing my problem ( I m always very open with her) taking extra care of me. she is the best.
I have seen many of the providers and they are all good but Dr Tawfik is outstanding!
Dr. Tawfik was wonderful.
Dr. Tawfik always spends time & talks to you, doesn't make you feel rushed or she has to get to the next patient after 5 minutes.
Dr. Tawfik was excellent. She took care to explain, even worked with a Japanese translator on the phone.
Provider is EXCEPTIONAL. She defines humanity in medical practice these days.
Very good provider I felt listened to only negative I'm not sure she understood my pain level.
Vivianne Tawfik has been a God-send!

View More »