Ashkan F. Ara, MD, MPH, PhD

Dr. Ashkan (Ash) Ara, MD, MPH, PhD, is a board-certified UCI Health rheumatologist who cares for adults with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory rheumatic diseases. He has particular expertise in guiding patients through challenging treatment decisions. Many rheumatic diseases can now be treated with a wide range of advanced therapies, and choosing among them means weighing how each one compares on benefit, risk, cost and burden. Ara brings the tools of decision science to that choice, working with each patient to arrive at the therapy that best fits their unique needs.

Ara trained at UCLA through the Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program, combining a rheumatology fellowship with a PhD in health policy and management focused on pharmacoeconomics and decision science, along with a certificate in clinical informatics. Before that, he completed his internal medicine residency and earned an MPH in epidemiology at UC Irvine. He is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology.

As a physician-scientist, Ara works to advance personalized medicine in rheumatic diseases: matching each patient with the treatment that offers the best balance of benefits and risks for their unique profile. He is also building tools that help patients and clinicians reach that choice together.

Services:

• Rheumatology Services

Clinical Interests:

Rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, connective tissue diseases, systemic vasculitides