Founder & CEO · Rheumatologist OnCall® · Founder, Direct Specialty Care Alliance
Diana Girnita, MD, PhD, FACR
Rheumatologist. Physician-Scientist. Founder.
Board-Certified · Rheumatology
Board-Certified · Internal Medicine
PhD · Immunology
FACR
20+ years of experience
20+
17
490+
2
320K+
30M+
In Her Own Words
"Here, you are a person — not a disease."
I understand what it means to need urgent medical care. At age 10, I lay in a hospital bed in Romania with severe liver disease. Those long hours and many hospital admissions shaped my future, calling me to medicine. I became the first physician — and the first university graduate — in my Romanian family.
My journey from that small town in Romania to America seems almost unbelievable sometimes. With borrowed airfare from a friend and $2,000 from my parents selling a parcel of land, I arrived at Harvard University as a postdoctoral fellow. That money barely covered a month’s rent and food, but my determination knew no bounds.
After cardiovascular research at Harvard, I conducted award-winning research at the University of Pittsburgh’s Starzl Transplantation Institute. Yet something was missing — my patients. This led me back to clinical practice, completing my internal medicine residency at The Christ Hospital and my rheumatology fellowship at the University of Cincinnati.
But practicing rheumatology in traditional settings troubled me deeply. I saw patients waiting six months for appointments, driving hundreds of miles to see a specialist, and lying awake at night worried about medical bills. I watched insurance companies disrupt carefully planned treatments, and billing concerns overshadow patient care. Crisis after crisis could have been avoided if doctors could simply be directly connected with their patients.
This was not the medicine I dreamed of practicing.
So, in early 2020, I founded Rheumatologist OnCall® — a direct-pay medical practice. Here, you communicate directly with me — your physician. There are no gatekeepers or insurance companies standing between us. Don’t be surprised when I answer your calls myself, call you in the evening to follow up, or send a holiday greeting card to your mailbox. Through telehealth across 20 states and in-person visits in Costa Mesa, California, I provide the care you need when you need it — at fair, transparent prices with no surprise bills, including low-cost imaging and labs.
My commitment extends beyond the traditional medical model. I completed Stanford’s Nutrition Science program and studied meditation with Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, the renowned founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine. Every day, I help patients blend medical treatment with nutrition, mindfulness, and physical activity to minimize the effects of their diagnosis.
This approach has resonated with millions. My YouTube channel now has over 30 million views, and my work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, Medscape, and KevinMD. I collaborate with the American College of Rheumatology and the National Arthritis Foundation, always staying at the forefront of rheumatology care.
Time is of the essence with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions — waiting months for treatment isn’t just inconvenient, it can cause permanent organ damage. That’s why I created this practice: to get you from diagnosis to treatment to feeling better as quickly as possible. I’ve always been fascinated by the connections among our minds, our bodies, our immune systems, and how we fuel ourselves. Approaching medical care this way isn’t just innovative — it’s the most natural choice of all.
This is the kind of medicine I dreamed of practicing when I was that little girl in a Romanian hospital bed. Today, I'm proud to offer it to you.
Let me help you begin your journey to better health. Here, you’ll find more than just medical care — you’ll find a partner who sees you as a person, not a disease.
Education & Training
Credentials, in full.
1995–2001
Doctor of Medicine (MD) — Summa Cum Laude
2003–2008
PhD in Immunology — Summa Cum Laude
2005
Postdoctoral Research Fellow — Harvard University
2005–2010
Postdoctoral Research — Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh
2011–2014
Internal Medicine Residency — The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, OH
2014–2016
Rheumatology Fellowship — University of Cincinnati Medical Center
2020
Advanced Training — Nutrition & Mindfulness
2020–present
Founder & CEO — Rheumatologist OnCall®
Research & Recognition
A physician-scientist's record.
Research & Publications
- 17 peer-reviewed publications · 490+ citations · h-index 11
- Research spans transplantation immunology, pharmacogenomics, autoimmune disease, and clinical rheumatology
- Published in Am J Transplant, Diagnostics, Am J Case Rep, The Rheumatologist (ACR), and more
- Read her research on PubMed →
- Google Scholar profile →
Awards & Honors
- Top Doctors in Cincinnati — Rheumatology (2017–2020, peer-selected)
- Honorary Doctor Award, Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati (2018)
- Semmelweiss-Nightingale Disease Prevention Award (2016)
- ACR Rheumatology Fellow in Training Travel Award (2015)
- Best Clinical Abstract — American Transplant Congress, Toronto (2008) & World Transplant Congress, Boston (2006)
Invited Speaker
- American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence — speaker & panelist
- Stanford University — academic grand rounds
- National Arthritis Foundation — autoimmune disease, nutrition & lifestyle
- University of Cincinnati — academic & professional lectures
- National & international conferences on autoimmune disease, women's health, and innovation in care delivery
Leadership
- Founder & CEO — Rheumatologist OnCall® (2020)
- Founder — Direct Specialty Care Alliance, the national organization for direct specialty care (2021)
- Volunteer Assistant Professor of Rheumatology — University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (2021–present)
- Member — ACR Marketing & Communication Committee (2024–present)
- Medical advisory boards — SigmaMD, Reactiv · past teaching faculty, Good Samaritan Hospital IM Residency
- Editorial board member, journal reviewer & ACR abstract reviewer · mentor, Endeavor Romania & Blue Heron Foundation
Published Books
Science-backed guides, written for patients..
Thriving with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Your Science-Backed Guide to Conquering RA
The complete patient guide to understanding RA and building a life in remission — medication, nutrition, movement, and mindset. (2024)
The Complete Gout Management and Nutrition Guide: Empowering Strategies for Better Health
Empowering, science-backed strategies to understand, treat, and prevent gout — from acute flares to lifelong control. (2024)
