Gary S. Firestein, MD

Gary Firestein, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist who diagnoses and treats patients with autoimmune conditions as well as diseases of the joints, muscles and bones. These conditions may include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, chronic back pain, tendinitis, and lupus.

A professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Firestein is distinguished for his research and serves as director of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute and the senior associate vice chancellor for health sciences.

Dr. Firestein's research interest focuses on the pathogenesis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. He was among the first to map the cytokine profile of RA and demonstrate the dominance of macrophage and fibroblast products.

These studies played a pivotal role in the development of highly effective anti-TNF and other anti-cytokine therapies for RA. More recently his research group has defined a novel epigenetic signature in rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Firestein completed his fellowship in rheumatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He did his residency training in internal medicine at UCLA School of Medicine and earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology.

Dr. Firestein is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Arthritis Foundation's Jane Wyman Humanitarian Award in 2010 for his contributions to rheumatology; the Arthritis Foundation Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Arthritis Research; and the American College of Rheumatology Distinguished Investigator Award. He has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.

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For more information, see Rheumatology.