Robert B Chao, MD

Dr. Robert Chao is a specialty care physician board certified in rheumatology and internal medicine. He joined Inova Health System in 2020 and has been practicing since 2014.

Prior to joining Inova, Dr. Chao was at the University of California San Diego. He has a special interest in treating seronegative spondyloarthropathies such as psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and reactive arthritis.

Dr. Chao enjoys working as a team with the patient and other providers to treat the patient's rheumatologic problem collaboratively. He believes early treatment can retain maximum function and improve quality of life in patients with arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Chao currently resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and their spoiled cat, Dany. He works closely with the American College of Rheumatology to advocate for rheumatology patients and the rheumatology community through federal and state legislation. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and traveling.

Memberships/Accreditations

• American College of Rheumatology Advocacy – Advocates for Arthritis

Publications

Chao R, Kavanaugh A. Psoriatic Arthritis: Newer and Older Therapies. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2019;21(12):75. Published 2019 Dec 21. doi:10.1007/s11926-019-0866-1.

Chao R, Purat N, Das M, Efthimiou P. 14-3-3eta Positivity Is Associated with Higher Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Measured by Multi-Biomarker Disease Activity Assay. Annals of Rheumatic Diseases ARD. 2018; doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-eular.1836.

Puri N, Arefiev Y, Chao R et al. Heme Oxygenase Induction Suppresses Hepatic Hepcidin and Rescues Ferroportin and Ferritin Expression in Obese Mice. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2017; doi: 10.1155/2017/4964571.

Chao R, Das M. Skin Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis. International Journal of Clinical and Medical Images. 2017; 4(1): 538. Chao R, Das M, Philip C, & Efthimiou P. Oxygen Dependent Antisynthetase Syndrome Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Responds Promptly to Rituximab with Rapid Pulmonary Function Improvement. Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology. 2017; 28(3): 56-59.

Chao R, Ivanov A, Efthimiou P. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cardiac Amyloidosis. Journal of Clinical Rheumatology. 2019; 25(5): 59-60.