Vivek K. Murthy

Dr. Vivek K. Murthy is a rheumatologist who cares for patients with disorders affecting the joints, muscles and ligaments, including autoimmune conditions. He has a special interest in connective tissue diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and pain), systemic lupus erythematosus (an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissues and organs), systemic vasculitis (narrowed blood vessels resulting from inflammation) and IgG4-related disease (an autoimmune disorder that can damage organs). He also provides general care for hospitalized patients at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

With the goal of improving patient care, Murthy's research focuses on understanding how expert providers learn, practice and problem-solve and then looks to apply these principles and techniques in medical education and patient care. In his role as an educator, he hopes to inspire medical trainees to use effective diagnostic techniques to ensure the best possible care.

Murthy earned his master of science degree in pharmacology at the University of Oxford and his medical degree at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in rheumatology at UCSF. Before joining the UCSF faculty, he was a hospitalist, clinician educator and assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.