Elizabeth R. Volkmann, MD, MS
- Rheumatology
About
Dr. Elizabeth Volkmann is the Director of the UCLA Scleroderma Program and the founder and Co-Director of the UCLA Connective Tissue Disease-Related Interstitial Lung Disease (CTD-ILD) Program. She is an internationally recognized expert in systemic sclerosis and connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease.
Board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Dr. Volkmann graduated from Pomona College where she majored in Neuroscience and minored in Dance. She received her medical degree from UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and subsequently completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Rheumatology at UCLA. During her fellowship, she participated in the Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program and earned her Master of Science degree in Clinical Research.
Dr. Volkmann cares deeply about the welfare of her patients and seeks to empower them on their healing journey with traditional, as well as holistic treatment approaches. She works closely with other specialists to develop comprehensive and personalized care plans that are unique for each patient.
Dr. Volkmann is also an active clinical and translational researcher in systemic sclerosis and interstitial lung disease. Her research focuses on discovering novel biomarkers that can be used to predict whether someone will improve on a specific therapy. She led the first study to investigate the gut microbiome in patients with systemic sclerosis and now leads an international consortium of investigators dedicated to understanding how the gut microbiome contributes to inflammation and clinical symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis. She also participates in clinical trials to help identify new therapies for patients with autoimmune diseases.
She enjoys being active in nature (running, hiking, swimming, riding horses), and she loves to travel, dance and spend time with her family and friends.
Patient Stories
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certifications
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degrees
Recognitions
- Super doctors, Southern California, 2024
- Super Doctors® Southern California, 2024
- Southern California Rising Stars, Super Doctors®, 2019-2023
- Doctor of the Year, National Scleroderma Foudation, 2022
- See More
Related Clinical Trials
Locations
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Medical Services
Areas of Focus
Research
Interests
- Systemic Sclerosis
- Autoimmune Diseases Associated with Interstitial Lung Disease
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Microbiome
Publications
Selected publications
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Volkmann ER, Andréasson K, Smith V. Systemic sclerosis. The Lancet 2023;401:304-318.
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Volkmann ER, Wilhalme H, Assassi S, Kim G, Goldin J, Kuwana M, Tashkin DP, Roth MD. A Novel Prediction Tool for Progression of Systemic Sclerosis-Interstitial Lung Disease Despite Treatment with Immunosuppression. ACR Open Rheumatology 2023 [Online ahead of print].
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Volkmann ER, Tashkin DP, Silver R, et al. Sex differences in biologic profiles and clinical outcomes in two randomized controlled trials for systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease. Lancet Rheumatology 2022;4:E668-78.
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Volkmann ER, Tashkin DP, Roth MD, et al. Early radiographic progression of scleroderma lung disease predicts long-term mortality. Chest 2022;161:1310-9.
- Volkmann ER, Steen VD, Li N, Roth MD, et al. Racial disparities in systemic sclerosis: Short- and long-term morbidity and mortality outcomes of African American participants of SLS I and II. ACR Open Rheumatology 2020;3:8-16.
- Volkmann ER, Tashkin DP, Sim M, et al. Early progression of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis predicts long-term survival in two independent clinical trial cohorts. Annals of Rheumatic Diseases 2019;78:122-30.
- Volkmann ER, Tashkin DP, Kuwana M, et al. Progression of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis: The importance of pneumoproteins KL-6 and CCL-18. Arthritis and Rheumatology 2019;71:2059-67.
- Volkmann ER, Varga J. Emerging treatments for systemic sclerosis. Nature Rev Rheumatology 2019;15:208-24.
- Volkmann ER, Tashkin DP, Li N, et al. Mycophenolate versus placebo for patients with systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease. Arthritis and Rheumatol 2017;69:1451-60.
- Volkmann ER, Hoffmann-Vold A-M, Chang Y-L, et al. The systemic sclerosis disease state is associated with specific alterations in gastrointestinal microbiota in two independent cohorts. BMJ Gastroenterology 2017;4e000134.
In the News
- (Insights in ILD)
- (SRFCURE)
- (Online Symposia)
- (WeAreSRUK)
- (Insights in ILD)
- (Medscape, June 2021)
- (HMP Global Learning Network, May 2021)
- (Healio, October 2020)
- (MDedge, November 2018)
- (UCLA Newsroom, May 2017)
- (PM360, June 2015)
*Note: News website links may expire without notice.
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- L.A. Care
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
Please contact your benefits coordinator or health insurance company directly to verify coverage.
Visit our health insurance information page for more details.
Recognitions
- Super Doctors® Southern California, 2024
- Southern California Rising Stars, Super Doctors®, 2019-2023
- Doctor of the Year, National Scleroderma Foudation, 2022
- Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2021
- Edith Busch-Stiftung Award in Rheumatology, 2020