Joaquin C. Brieva, MD

4.8 
1332 ratings  Read Reviews
Northwestern Medicine logoNorthwestern Medical Group

Primary Specialty

Dermatology

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Practice Focus Areas

  • Acne
  • Atypical Skin Infections
  • Blistering Diseases
  • Complex Dermatology
  • Drug Eruption
  • Ethnic Skin
  • Genital Dermatology
  • Granuloma Annulare

Education

Medical Education:
MD, Universidad del Norte - 1983
Residency:
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago - 1993
University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago - 1996

Languages Spoken

  • Spanish

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Dermatology - Dermatology (Certified)

Faculty Profile

Associate Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine

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Practice Groups and Affiliations

Medical Group:
Northwestern Medical Group
Alignment Category:
Northwestern Medicine Physician Network
On Medical Staff At:
Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Ratings and Reviews

At Northwestern Medicine, our patient’s feedback is important to us. While different care providers have their own unique strengths, we strive to be as transparent as possible with our quality of care.

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Overall Rating

4.8
4.8 

1332 Ratings

Reviews from Patients

100 Most Recent Reviews

Reviews from Patients

100 Most Recent Reviews

August 22, 2022

5.0

He is a great doctor who cares for his patients and gives the highest quality care.

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August 22, 2022

5.0

He's world class and nice.

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August 22, 2022

5.0

Very knowledgeable and professional with a friendly manner

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August 19, 2022

5.0

I prefer to see Dr Brieva because he is really good, but getting an appointment is kind of hard. I have to escalate all the time.

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August 19, 2022

4.0

He's very smart but brief exam

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August 15, 2022

5.0

He’s the best

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August 15, 2022

5.0

Trustworthy

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August 08, 2022

1.0

The doctor arrived 30 minutes late after the scheduled time and the appointment seemed rushed. He did not listen to my concerns. He reviewed what information was in the chart from previous providers and prescribed medication he suspected my insurance would not cover. He did not provide any alternative medication to address the problem.

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August 08, 2022

5.0

professional and kind

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August 06, 2022

5.0

Knowledgeable, through, discuss treatment and diagnosis

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August 01, 2022

5.0

I felt I was listened to, they asked questions

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August 01, 2022

5.0

He’s discovered and diagnosed things about my condition(s) that countless other doctors could not.

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August 01, 2022

5.0

He always gives you his full attention and listens closely. And he is at the top of his craft

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July 31, 2022

5.0

If you have a dermatologist problem you’re not sure what the problem is he would be able to locate it research and help you determine your next step Or treatment

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July 29, 2022

5.0

Great physician

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July 28, 2022

5.0

Personable Smart

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July 28, 2022

5.0

Knowledgeable personable kind caring professional

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July 26, 2022

5.0

Great doc.

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July 26, 2022

5.0

He is very nice easy to talk to.

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July 26, 2022

5.0

Un gran doctor muy exelente servicio siempre me ayuda mucho

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July 25, 2022

5.0

He is the best of everything!!

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July 24, 2022

5.0

He communicates very well with his patients.

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July 22, 2022

5.0

Very impressed with his professionalism, no nonsense care.

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July 21, 2022

5.0

I like Dr. Brieva. He is straight forward and to the point. Very good interpersonal skills.

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July 20, 2022

5.0

I trust him for his expertise. He treated a pre-cancerous place on my face and I rely on him to check my skin every year.

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July 19, 2022

5.0

He is a good doctor.

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July 14, 2022

5.0

On time, knowledgeable, efficient

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July 07, 2022

5.0

He understands and really cares for his patients.

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July 07, 2022

5.0

He is thorough and very competent!

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July 07, 2022

5.0

The knowledge and experience in dermatology

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June 30, 2022

5.0

He is the best of the best.

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June 28, 2022

5.0

Very professional

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June 28, 2022

5.0

Very nice and knowledgeable

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June 27, 2022

2.0

I asked for a full body check for skin cancer screening and it literally took him two minutes. How is that possible?

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June 25, 2022

5.0

He’s thorough and very nice

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June 25, 2022

5.0

His high level of core competence.

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June 21, 2022

1.0

I have been Dr. Brieva’s pt for years and work as an APN at NM. I was given my results of my biopsy via MyChart with the comment from Dr. Brieva “I will call you to discuss treatment options”. I received a call from his scheduler the next day setting up an appointment with him the following week. I thought this would be an appointment to discuss options and maybe proceed with one. When I arrive to the visit, the fellow enters and states “so you’re here for the procedure”. I have researched my diagnosis and thought I had some idea of what options would be presented but I defer to the experts. I asked what procedure they were recommending, and the fellow gave a vague condescending version of what I would be having (I honestly still don’t know which procedure exactly they were recommending - I know cauterization was involved). When I asked about other options, the answer was unclear and convoluted - so that she was bouncing between the different techniques without clarity (starting to talk about one and jumping quickly between them so neither myself or my husband could figure out which she was talking about at any time). When Brieva entered the room I tried to clarify what the fellow had said - she had mentioned sutures and not being able to lift anything heavy - such as my young daughters. He condescendingly said “no one said anything about lifting precautions or sutures”. While I understand NM is a teaching hospital, Dr. Brieva was not in the room with the fellow at the time - so how could he say “no one said”. He saw me crying and started telling me about the benign nature of BCC - which I am aware of and was not the reason for my tears (he even put that in his charting). Rather, I was upset with the lack of clarity in our conversation and options, the rushed nature of the visit and the condescending tones. This entire mess could have been avoided had he just called me with options last week when he said he would - and I could’ve researched on my own. Or he could’ve sat down at our visit for 5 minutes and discussed with me instead of making me feel dumb and like I was wasting his time. If I had a patient in tears in my office, I would take the extra minute to find out what was the issue and try to rectify it rather than talking over them and assuming I knew what the problem was. Instead I paid 25 dollars for printouts from DermNet that I could’ve looked up myself on UpToDate.

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June 21, 2022

5.0

Polite, funny, respectful

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June 20, 2022

5.0

He's a professional

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June 20, 2022

5.0

He is such a good doctor he explained everything to you he tells you the medication you will be on and slowly he starts to take you off the medication when it’s necessary for me to come off

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June 20, 2022

4.0

Highly recommended by other doctors. Visits seem so quick, I wonder about thoroughness. If not for recommendations, I would be concerned.

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June 19, 2022

5.0

Thorough

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June 16, 2022

5.0

Shows care and knows his specialty.

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June 15, 2022

5.0

Over 20 years of eliminating carsnomas before they become serious problems. He was recommended back then by Chicago university as one of the best and they were right.

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June 13, 2022

5.0

The Dr. Brievia was as good as it gets. Great experience for someone that doesn't like going to the doctor.

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June 12, 2022

5.0

Very professional, compassionate, and approachable.

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June 10, 2022

5.0

He knows how to pinpoint diagnosis and what steps to take to help resolve the issues.

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June 06, 2022

5.0

Great doctor

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June 06, 2022

4.0

Knowledgeable but abrupt and very difficult to understand.

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June 04, 2022

5.0

He is both thorough and knowledgeable.

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June 03, 2022

5.0

Provides treatments as necessary and gives medical explanation I understand. Is always friendly and courteous.

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June 02, 2022

5.0

Patient and knowledgeable and overall wonderful Dr

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June 01, 2022

5.0

Nobody is better 😍

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June 01, 2022

5.0

He is very thorough

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May 31, 2022

5.0

Very understanding

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May 27, 2022

5.0

He is so thorough

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May 23, 2022

3.0

Not people/doctor friendly.

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May 22, 2022

5.0

I wasted lot of time with several Doctors to get rid of my problems which even increased. Finally I came to Dr. Brieva and he cured me. His treatments also involves no future return of the problems.

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May 21, 2022

5.0

He is very knowledgable and competent.

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May 20, 2022

5.0

I trust his judgment and recommendations.

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May 17, 2022

5.0

He has a wealth of knowledge.

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May 17, 2022

5.0

Professional, efficient and courteous!

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March 31, 2022

5.0

Great doctor. Caring and throughout

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March 31, 2022

5.0

He knew what he was talking about

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March 28, 2022

5.0

He takes personal interest and is incredibly knowledgeable

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March 28, 2022

5.0

Knowledsble caring. The best

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March 28, 2022

5.0

Very thorough, answers all my questions, was genuinely interested in addressing my concerns and recipes a plan for next steps. The appt put me at ease.

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March 28, 2022

5.0

Went out of his way to answer all my questions and then some, amazing doctor

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March 27, 2022

5.0

Good communicator

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March 26, 2022

5.0

He seemed truly concerned about my condition and showed effort to answer my questions and compose a treatment plan.

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March 24, 2022

5.0

He is the best!

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March 24, 2022

5.0

He is extremely knowledgeable and genuinely listens

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March 24, 2022

5.0

He was on time and the procedure went smoothly.

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March 24, 2022

5.0

The Dr quickly diagnosed my issue and told me everything I needed to know. He was very informative and helpful

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March 23, 2022

1.0

Not friendly. Walked in without asking how I was and said “you have problems with your face, let’s see them” I hope his medical recommendations will help but shockingly impatient and unfriendly

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March 21, 2022

5.0

Great doctor

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March 21, 2022

5.0

I had a better experience today. He greeted me like he knew me (last time introduced as if I were a new patient even though I saw him before). He provided thorough explanation of findings and plan of care.

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March 15, 2022

5.0

Very knowledgeable, friendly.

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March 13, 2022

5.0

Very experienced and knowledgeable.

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March 13, 2022

5.0

What a great guy. No arrogance and very to quell any fears I may have had.

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March 12, 2022

5.0

Good treatment

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March 12, 2022

5.0

very competent

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March 11, 2022

5.0

He is always patient and kind. And of course, knowledgeable and skilled.

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March 09, 2022

5.0

He is extremely knowledgeable and very warm and easy to talk to

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March 08, 2022

5.0

I have confidence in him.

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March 07, 2022

5.0

He’s very knowledgeable and compassionate. What more could you ask for?

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March 06, 2022

5.0

ON TIME - FRIENDLY - MAKES ME FEEL COMFORTABLE

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March 04, 2022

5.0

He is a kind and excellent practitioner.

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March 03, 2022

5.0

I feel he is an excellent doctor who keeps up with the latest in his field of medicine.

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March 03, 2022

5.0

Very nice, knowledgeable and takes time with you

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March 02, 2022

5.0

He’s brilliant

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March 01, 2022

5.0

He is very capable & clear w his instructions. Very

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February 27, 2022

5.0

Professional, knowledgeable and a heck of a good guy.

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February 25, 2022

5.0

Thorough, and clear communication

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February 24, 2022

5.0

He is an excellent physician

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February 24, 2022

5.0

Quick and to the point and made me feel comfortable in his knowledge and experience.

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February 23, 2022

5.0

I spent quite a long time looking for the right dermatologist for my needs. I was highly confident when I came across Dr. Brieva and knee waiting 3 months would definitely be worth the wait. When Dr. Brieva came in, he was instantly engaging and warm! I was beyond impressed with him, he is so knowledgeable and answered many of my questions and concerns. Within seconds he could pinpoint exactly what my skin complications were but also had the descriptive solutions, not just a vague and generic recommended. Super specific and understanding, and very relatable! I have such confidence in him and have recommended him already to friends. Outstanding work and a fantastic team over at Dermatology, thank you so much

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February 23, 2022

5.0

Takes time to explain everything and makes sure you understand why we are doing things. Excellent physician

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February 22, 2022

5.0

Very personable, he took his time explaining his answers to my questions

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February 21, 2022

5.0

He is simply the best!

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Disclosures

Joaquin C. Brieva, MD reported no external professional relationships for calendar year 2021.

External Professional Relationships

Pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies frequently collaborate with basic scientists and physicians within an academic medical center to help advance science and improve patient care. These relationships are important in achieving scientific breakthroughs and in establishing the effectiveness and safety of promising new therapies. In order to assure objectivity in clinical research and patient care, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Feinberg), Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, Children's Hospital of Chicago Medical Center, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have adopted integrity policies that require research and clinical faculty (in full-time, part-time, and unpaid/voluntary categories) to report compensated and uncompensated external industry relationships. Patients are encouraged to discuss these disclosures with their physician as well as to inquire as to how these relationships are overseen by Feinberg. To learn more about our Disclosure and Professional Integrity Policy, and the conflict of interest policies of our joint affiliate survey partners, please go to our Office for Regulatory Affairs Policies page.