Skip to main content
Gary Firestein, MD, Rheumatology, San Diego, CA

Gary S Firestein MD

Rheumatology•San Diego, CA

Distinguished Professor, Medicine, UCSD School of Medicine

Join to view full profile

  • 200 W Arbor DrSan Diego, CA 92103

  • Phone+1 858-822-0480

  • Fax+1 858-534-2606

Dr. Firestein is on Doximity

As a Doximity member, you’ll join more than three million U.S. healthcare professionals—including 85+% of physicians, and 2/3 of all NPs and PAs—in a private, secure network.

  • Gain access to free telehealth tools, such as our “call shielding” and one-way patient texting.
  • Connect with colleagues in the same hospital or clinic.
  • Read the latest clinical news, personalized to your specialty.
See Dr. Firestein's full profileAlready have an account?

Summary

  • Gary Firestein, MD, is a rheumatologist based in San Diego, CA, specializing in mixed connective tissue disease and arthritis. He completed his medical education at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed by an internship in Internal Medicine at UCLA and a fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of California (San Diego) Medical Center. Dr. Firestein has several publications, including recent articles in Biorxiv, Nature Reviews Rheumatology, and The New England Journal of Medicine, with research focused on rheumatoid arthritis. He is recognized as a Master of the American College of Rheumatology and has been elected to prestigious organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association of American Physicians.

Education & Training

  • University of California (San Diego) Medical Center
    University of California (San Diego) Medical CenterFellowship, Rheumatology, 1983 - 1986
  • UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical Center
    UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine/UCLA Medical CenterInternship, Internal Medicine, 1980 - 1981
  • Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineClass of 1980

Certifications & Licensure

  • CA State Medical License
    CA State Medical License 1982 - 2027
  • Internal Medicine
    American Board of Internal Medicine Internal Medicine
  • Rheumatology
    American Board of Internal Medicine Rheumatology

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Elected member American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2021
  • Elected Master American College of Rheumatology, 2021
  • CMS Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification EpicCare Ambulatory - Core EMR, Epic Systems Corporation, 2012-2015

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • Reply to Letter to the Editor  
    Gary L Simon, Gary S Firestein, Aileen Y Chang, Arthritis & Rheumatology
  • Reply to Comments on “The Frequency of Chronic Joint Pain Following Chikungunya Virus Infection A Colombian Cohort Study”  
    Gary S Firestein, Gary L Simon, Aileen Y Chang, Arthritis & Rheumatology
  • Methods for High-Dimensonal Analysis of Cells Dissociated from Cyropreserved Synovial Tissue  
    Paul J Utz, William H Robinson, Ellen M Gravallese, Soumya Raychaudhuri, Alessandra B Pernis, Susan M Goodman, Michael B Brenner, Lionel B Ivashkiv, Brendan F Boyce, P..., BioMed Central

Lectures

  • American College of Rheumatology (ACR): Winter Rheumatology Symposium 
    American College of Rheumatology(ACR), Snowmass, Colorado - 1/26/2013

Other

Press Mentions

  • RA Begins Long Before Symptoms Appear – Seven-Year US Study
    RA Begins Long Before Symptoms Appear – Seven-Year US StudyDecember 3rd, 2025
  • New Study Shows Rheumatoid Arthritis Begins Long Before Symptoms
    New Study Shows Rheumatoid Arthritis Begins Long Before SymptomsNovember 26th, 2025
  • Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Studies Redefine Prevention and Clinical Research
    Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Studies Redefine Prevention and Clinical ResearchNovember 19th, 2025

Grant Support

  • Rheumatic Diseases Research Training GrantUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO2013–2029
  • Methotrexate treatment of Arthritis caused by Chikungunya virus (MARCH): A randomized controlled trial of methotrexate versus placebo in the treatment of chronic arthritis after chikungunya infectionGEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY2022–2028
  • Methotrexate treatment of Arthritis caused by Chikungunya virus (MARCH): A randomized controlled trial of methotrexate versus placebo in the treatment of chronic arthritis after chikungunya infectionGEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY2022–2028
  • UC San Diego Clinical and Translational Research InstituteUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO2015–2025
  • UC San Diego Clinical and Translational Research InstituteUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO2015–2025

Professional Memberships

Viewing the full profile is available to verified healthcare professionals only.

Find your profile and take control of your online presence:

Dr. Gary Firestein, Dr. Gary Firestein, MD, Dr. G Firestein, Dr. Gary S Firestein