Chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Autoimmunity and Inflammation at UC San Diego and a Professor of Medicine, Monica Guma, MD, PhD earned her doctorate in immunology from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona before completing her rheumatology clinical fellowship at UCSD. She orders musculoskeletal MRI and ultrasound imaging through UCSD Medical Center Rad for early erosive changes in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis patients being evaluated for biologic therapy escalation. Her lab investigates metabolic changes in fibroblast-like synoviocytes and macrophages in rheumatoid, psoriatic, and osteoarthritis pathogenesis, with published work in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases on hexokinase 2 as a selective metabolic target. Dr. Guma designed the ITIS diet, a structured anti-inflammatory dietary protocol tested in published clinical trials as complementary therapy for rheumatic patients. Persistent mechanical joint pain overlapping with inflammatory arthritis is coordinated with the interventional team at The Pain Center San Diego when ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection is indicated alongside systemic DMARD management. Her clinic at 4168 Front Street in the 92103 handles treatment-resistant rheumatoid arthritis cases enrolled in metabolomic and microbiome-driven precision therapy research protocols.