The physicians at Asheville Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center, Adrian Vazquez, Sunil Abraham, Ana Arango, Kristin Gowin, Julie Levengood, Christopher Meyer, Ellison Smith and Jill S. Vargo are all Rheumatologists. A rheumatologist is a physician who received training in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disease and systemic autoimmune conditions commonly referred to as rheumatic diseases. The training for a physician to become a rheumatologist involves an additional 3 years of training in internal medicine, and 2-3 years of fellowship training in rheumatology. Common diseases treated by rheumatologists include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus, scleroderma, Sjogren’s, vasculitis, gout, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis. Rheumatologists do not perform surgery.
