Sarah Patterson

Sarah Patterson, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is a rheumatology physician-scientist and a core research faculty member at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health. Her clinical and research work focuses on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with an emphasis on integrative health approaches.

Education:

• B.A. in Biology, University of California, Berkeley (2003)
• M.D., University of California, San Francisco (2011)
• Internal Medicine Residency, UCSF (2014)
• Rheumatology Fellowship, UCSF (2018)
• Integrative Medicine Post-doctoral Research Fellowship, UCSF (2019)
• Integrative Medicine Clinical Fellowship, UCSF (2020)

Research Focus: Dr. Patterson's research investigates how lifestyle factors—such as physical activity, nutrition, and stress management—affect disease outcomes in rheumatic conditions. She has led studies on stress resilience, inflammatory pathways, and the role of mindfulness-based interventions in RA. Her work bridges clinical rheumatology with integrative medicine to improve patient-centered care.

Clinical Practice: She established one of the first university-based integrative rheumatology clinics at the UCSF Osher Center. She provides care in the UCSF Lupus Clinic, Osher Center Clinic, and inpatient rheumatology consult service.

Recent Publications: Her research spans topics from qualitative studies on integrative health use in RA/SLE patients to single-cell analyses of inflammatory signaling in lupus. Recent work includes investigations into stress prediction models, physical inactivity’s impact on inflammation, and ACR guidelines for integrative interventions in RA.