Richard Lai, MD

Dr. Richard Lai specializes in treating a wide spectrum of autoimmune, inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. These include connective tissue diseases such as Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus and scleroderma; various types of arthritis such as rheumatoid, psoriatic and gout; osteoporosis, vasculitis, muscle disorders like dermatomyositis and polymyositis, sarcoidosis, and IgG4-related diseases. In addition to his broad clinical focus, Dr. Lai is particularly passionate about advancing care for bone health and elevating treatment, education, and outcomes in these areas.

After earning his Honors Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, he completed an additional Bachelor of Science and medical degree at the University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine. He later pursued postdoctoral research at the Jerome L. Greene Sjögren’s Syndrome Center at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Lai's academic presentations have been recognized by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

As a respected physician and educator, Dr. Lai has served as Principal Investigator on multiple groundbreaking studies, including the MIRROR trial investigating KRYSTEXXA® for uncontrolled gout and long-term studies on secukinumab for axial spondyloarthritis and radiographic progression. He has collaborated with global pharmaceutical leaders like Novartis and AMGEN and has presented abstracts at major conferences including EULAR 2024.