Accepting new patients
Shatara V. Townes, MD
- Internal Medicine
Average rating:
5.0
Star ratings are displayed only for those physicians who participate in UCLA Health’s patient experience survey program and have received a minimum of 30 survey responses.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2023
Residencies
Chief Resident, UCLA Medical Center, 2024
Internal Medicine, UCLA Medical Center, 2023
Degree
MD, UCLA School of Medicine, 2020
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Areas of Focus
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
Please contact your benefits coordinator or health insurance company directly to verify coverage.
Visit our health insurance information page for more details.
Reviews
Overall rating:
5.0
Star ratings are displayed only for those physicians who participate in UCLA Health’s patient experience survey program and have received a minimum of 30 survey responses.
126 total ratings |
101 reviews
5.0
March 23, 2026
She is not only thorough, but she listens.
5.0
March 23, 2026
Dr Townes is an amazing physician. She listens, she cares and she takes actions. She addressed all my concerns. I’m glad she is my Primary Care Physician.
5.0
March 12, 2026
Very easy to talk to. Very bright and quick. Very knowledgeable
5.0
March 11, 2026
Everyone is so attentive to your needs
5.0
February 26, 2026
Dr. ShaTara Townes provided excellent information and advice for me today.
5.0
February 25, 2026
She is very nice. And careful about all the details.
5.0
February 19, 2026
Dr. Townes is thorough and professional yet friendly and fun to talk to. She takes a very practical approach.
5.0
February 18, 2026
She was kind compassionate and most importantly knowledgeable.
5.0
February 12, 2026
It was an excellent experience. Everyone was warm and respectful
5.0
February 10, 2026
I really like her bedside manner
5.0
February 9, 2026
Listens well Clarifies to confirm Encourages discussion Provides altetnative approaches Sets a targets and reporting plan She is great
5.0
January 29, 2026
Dr. was incredible! Very caring and though. Love her bedside manor.
5.0
January 28, 2026
Dr. Townes is the best PCP anyone could have. Detail-oriented, knowledgeable, professional while being caring. The best!
5.0
January 22, 2026
I feel so fortunate to have Dr Townes as my primary care doctor. She is wonderful.
5.0
January 22, 2026
This is the first time over 19 years with UCLA health that my Doctor has sat and reviewed everything with me regarding my health. She did not push me off to a specialist, or prescribed medication. I love her! Dr. Townes is/ was so pleasant. I did not think once to go on the Internet to research anything that she said.
5.0
January 21, 2026
Dr Townes provides exceptional care and explains things so I can understand them.
5.0
January 20, 2026
Always comforting / reassuring to have your primary physician listening to and caring about your concerns / questions during your annual physical.
5.0
January 12, 2026
Great—thorough, kind, knowledgeable, and helpful
5.0
December 18, 2025
Dr Townes is always a good listener and cares about her patients. She asks the right questions and assists with making sure I am referred to the correct specialist when needed. She is a confident and professional doctor.
5.0
December 11, 2025
My first visit with Dr. Townes, and it was absolutely amazing. She was patient, she listened!! So important for Doctors to do, she did not rush me out.
5.0
December 10, 2025
Answered all my questions in a way that I completely understood. Extremely kind and considerate, but also very professional.
5.0
December 9, 2025
The doctor spent lots of time with me, listened and made great recommendations.
5.0
December 9, 2025
Dr. Shatara Townes is absolutely one of the best physicians in the UCLA medical group. She consistently provides excellent care and treatment.
5.0
December 4, 2025
She’s amazing , supportive
5.0
December 3, 2025
Warm, normalizes
5.0
November 26, 2025
Dr Townes takes excellent care of me and explains my condition to my daughter so we understand what I’m going to do.
5.0
November 26, 2025
Dr Townes is my new PCP and I met her for the first time today. I am very encouraged that I have found a great doctor who is easy to talk to, and seems to really care about her patients’ health. Thanks to her for making me feel she wasn’t hurrying to get through everything.
5.0
November 24, 2025
The doctor is professional, knowledgeable, caring and thorough. She patiently listened and responded to my concerns. I feel that I’m well taken care of.
5.0
November 23, 2025
She was friendly and listened to my concerns and questions.
5.0
November 20, 2025
Dr, Shatara Towned, Wonderful doctor?kind, attentive, and truly cares about her patients. She listen, explain things clearly, and always make me feel comfortable and supported. I?m grateful for her excellent care and I highly recommend her.
5.0
November 17, 2025
Great listening and questions
5.0
November 13, 2025
Great! She is patient, kind, and warm
5.0
November 13, 2025
Kind, approachable knowledgeable.
5.0
November 12, 2025
Takes the time to talk and ask how I am and my family .
5.0
November 12, 2025
Very warm and informative
5.0
November 11, 2025
Dr. Townes has been wonderful. She is kind, compassionate, takes the time to listen and actually build a rapport with her patients, and is incredibly knowledgeable. Dr. Townes is the best doctor I have ever had.
5.0
November 6, 2025
Dr. Townes is a wonderful primary care physician: genuinely empathetic, thorough and also sensual and practical about treatments.
5.0
October 30, 2025
Dr. Townes is a beyond 5-star physician. She is truly caring and always takes the time to listen to my concerns, making me feel valued as a patient. I really appreciate how thorough she is during each appointment; nothing ever feels rushed, and I know she considers all aspects of my health and history when offering advice. Her depth of medical knowledge is impressive, and she explains things in a way I can easily understand. I also feel confident knowing she remembers my patient history and provides guidance that is clear and actionable. I always leave her office feeling well-informed and supported. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking a dependable and compassionate doctor
5.0
October 30, 2025
Love Dr Townes She is not only knowledgeable and smart but listens to me and my concerns. Truly a gem
5.0
October 29, 2025
It was great. This was the first time I’ve seen her and I really liked her and make a good choice on selecting her as my primary care doctor
5.0
October 27, 2025
She’s attentive, thorough, compassionate and competent
5.0
October 27, 2025
She is a very concern Dr and listen
5.0
October 25, 2025
Dr. Townes is amazing!
5.0
October 23, 2025
She is very nice and attentuve to all of my health concierna.
5.0
October 22, 2025
She is always assuring, and plesant..She answered and addressed my future appointments, as well as past visit follow ups, and referrals before leaving her office. My visit was addressed thoroughly. I am very pleased overall with each visit with her..
5.0
October 13, 2025
She is a wonderful listener who is extremely knowledgeable about how best to keep all of my conditions in balance. She is so smart!!
5.0
October 9, 2025
Dr. Townes is a phenomenal provider, and exhibits exceptional bedside manner. All my concerns were met with understanding.
5.0
October 9, 2025
It was professional, nice and she really care about my medical needs
5.0
October 9, 2025
Dr. Townes is excellent. Everyone should have a physician like Dr. Townes: appointments are never rushed; she listens to concerns and provides up-to-date information and is simply the best. Best PCP I’ve ever had.
5.0
October 8, 2025
Dr. Townes is mindful thoughtful has an extremely personable manner and is clearly a highly skilled doctor. When I’m with her, I feel like a patient and not someone sitting on an insurance mandated assembly line. She’s terrific.
5.0
October 8, 2025
As always she carefully listen to me and explained everything
5.0
October 7, 2025
She was very patient kind thorough and attentive. I finally feel like I have a doctor who cares about my health.
5.0
October 2, 2025
Dr Townes is very professional, thorough, kind and compassionate. I felt she listened carefully and took time to look over and discuss my health issues.
5.0
September 30, 2025
I enjoy meeting with my doctor. She listens to my questions and provides complete answers. She explains things clearly.
5.0
September 23, 2025
She's the best doctor I've had so far because she takes time and has a wonderful bedside manner
5.0
September 17, 2025
Dr. Townes is very friendly and helpful.
5.0
September 17, 2025
Dr. Townes may be one of the best doctors I’ve had at UCLA. She listens to all my concerns with patience, is very easy to talk to and always gives me enough time to ask what I need to.
5.0
September 17, 2025
She’s the best doctor I have ever had. She kind and gentle and understanding. She is a true professional!
5.0
September 8, 2025
Dr. Townes is the absolute best
5.0
September 3, 2025
A consultation with Dr. Townes is always a breath of fresh air. She is thorough, clear, evidence-based and very personable.
5.0
August 29, 2025
She was very thorough and personable. She listened. The whole experience was enjoyable.
5.0
August 27, 2025
Dr. Townes is excellent. She listens and responds with meaningful help. She's the BEST!
5.0
August 27, 2025
Dr. Townes is phenomenal. I finally feel not only seen but HEARD. She’s incredibly knowledgeable, professional and caring. Everyone should have such an excellent PCP.
5.0
August 27, 2025
Dr. Townes wanted to see me after I wrote to her about muscle weakness in my Rt. arm and shoulder mobility. I really appreciate her concern and she and her staff’s efforts to be examined ASAP.
5.0
August 26, 2025
Dr. Townes is fantastic! Warm, professional, caring, and prioritizes patient education.
5.0
August 13, 2025
Quite pleasant
5.0
July 31, 2025
Love her. Her manner is excellent
5.0
July 22, 2025
Dr Townes spent significant time with me and made me feel very comfortable and heard. She was thorough and addressed all my questions and concerns
5.0
July 21, 2025
I am not waiting too long, everybody.is friendly and work efficiently
5.0
July 18, 2025
As I have experienced with Dr. Townes, since I started going to her as my primary care physician, she continues to be thorough, thoughtful, listens and relates in ways that I can understand.
5.0
July 14, 2025
Dr. Townes really listens and I trust her to have the expertise to navigate my health concerns.
5.0
July 10, 2025
Dr. Townes is compassionate and caring. She explains everything well and takes time to answer my questions
5.0
July 10, 2025
Really personable and a good listener
5.0
July 9, 2025
Dr. Townes was wonderful. I felt very comfortable with her and she was truly excellent.
5.0
July 9, 2025
Dr. Townes is it good and kind doctor. She listens. She cares and she tries to work with me in any way she can regarding what my problems are at the time of the visit. She explains things in a way that I can understand. I feel lucky to have her as my primary care physician.
5.0
July 8, 2025
I feel heard by my doctor and that I am receiving excellent care from everyone.
5.0
July 3, 2025
Dr. Townes is the best. I’ve been very fortunate in having wonderful PCP’s at UCLA and Dr. Townes is right up there with the very best. Personable, while also being exceptionally smart- she knows exactly how to explain the most complex medical issues to lay people.
5.0
July 2, 2025
I LOVE her! She is informed, kind, thorough, personable, and relatable! I feel lucky to have her as my Primary Care doctor.
5.0
June 3, 2025
My visit with Dr. Townes was an exceptional experience. She had a great customer service manner. Even though I was her last patient for thr day, she was delightful, very engaging and took time to go through my chart history. I was ready to leave the UCLA group, but she definitely restored my confidence and decision to stay.
5.0
June 2, 2025
Very close attention to detail. Highly experienced very kind completely up-to-date on hospital visits, etc.. trustworthy.
5.0
May 30, 2025
Dr Townes is new for me. She was patient, she listens to my concerns and she carefully reviewed my chart. We discussed my health concerns, diet and have a plan. I feel very fortunate to have been able to change to Dr Townes, after my pcp left UCLA. Very happy with today’s visit
5.0
May 30, 2025
I came to UCLA not knowing what to expect, especially when it came to finding a primary care physician. After doing some research, Dr. Townes stood out—so I took a chance. I’m so glad I did. Dr. Townes is exceptional: she’s thorough, personable, and truly takes the time to listen and care. I’m extremely happy with her care; she goes above and beyond. I highly recommend her!
5.0
May 28, 2025
Provider transfer appointment. I felt like Dr. Townes listened well to my responses and she was able to get a good idea of my state of health.
5.0
May 22, 2025
Professional, listened to my concerns, gave me treatment options, knowledgeable, caring, and thorough! I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Townes. I feel very fortunate to have her as my PCP. Thank you!
5.0
May 21, 2025
She’s easy to talk to and provided very helpful information. Very knowledgeable about many different medical questions I had.
5.0
May 21, 2025
Great experience with Dr Townes. She was very thorough and was thoughtful answering questions. I look forward to many healthy years working with her.
5.0
May 21, 2025
Dr.Townes is excellent. The best PCP anyone could ask for.
5.0
May 20, 2025
Dr.Townes is really an angel! She is very caring and compassionate. She doesn’t treat my daughter as another patient on her hectic schedule, she treats her with respect and true concern on her wellbeing. We are so blessed to have her as our PCP.
5.0
May 20, 2025
My doctor was great. She addressed my concerns.
5.0
May 19, 2025
Doctor was compassionate, knowledgeable and dedicated. She had a comprehensive understanding of my health history. She made me feel very comfortable.
5.0
May 17, 2025
Very personable and engaged. Answered my questions.
5.0
May 16, 2025
I felt heard
5.0
May 16, 2025
She is incredible- I can’t say enough wonderful thing about Dr. Townes She is caring, compassionate and very attentive. She takes time to listen and never rushes through our appointment. She makes me feel like she truly cares for my well being. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a GP.
5.0
May 14, 2025
Preop appt-MD was her usual efficient compassionate and prompt. Office staff was kind and helpful, too.
5.0
May 12, 2025
Dr Townes is the best doctor I’ve ever seen.
5.0
May 12, 2025
Dr Townes was very thorough and helpful. She went through all the next steps and took the time to help me with multiple scheduling and letters I would need for work. I’m very appreciative of her care
5.0
May 7, 2025
She was thorough, kind, considerate and professional. I’m glad that she will be my new Primary Care Doctor.
5.0
May 7, 2025
Dr. Townes has a warm and welcoming presence that put my nervousness at ease. She took the time to listen and encouraged shared decision-making, which made me feel empowered in my care. She is compassionate and attentive in a way that shows me she is dedicated to patient care.
5.0
May 6, 2025
Dr. Townes was attentive, patient, and kind. This is one of the best medical experiences I’ve had.
5.0
May 6, 2025
Very knowledgeable and caring. Understood my needs and set things in motion to help me. I feel lucky to have selected Dr Townes as my PCP.
5.0
May 6, 2025
Dr booked sufficient time to review my case history in order to thoroughly assess and understand my medical health history.