Kathleen Kolstad, MD, PhD
Accepting New Patients

Kathleen Kolstad, MD, PhD

  • Rheumatology
Average rating: 5.0
 
Santa Barbara Primary & Specialty Care |

About

Dr. Kate Kolstad is a general rheumatologist who practices in the Santa Barbara/Montecito area. She enjoys treating the full spectrum of rheumatological conditions including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, vasculitis, myositis, scleroderma, gout, and osteoarthritis. She started her career as a basic scientist, completing her PhD in Molecular Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. She received her medical degree at UCLA and completed her Internal Medicine Residency, Postdoctoral Fellowship, and Rheumatology Clinical Fellowship at Stanford University. She is thrilled to return to her home of Santa Barbara and to UCLA Health. Throughout her career she has had a special clinical and research interest in the intersection of rheumatology and dermatology as well as women's health and rheumatic diseases. 

Outside of the office, Dr. Kolstad enjoys spending time with her husband, two young sons, and dog. 

Languages

English

Education

Medical Board Certifications

Rheumatology, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2020
Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2017

Fellowship

Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 2020

Residency

Internal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 2016

Degree

MD, UCLA School of Medicine, 2013

Hospital Affiliations

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Research

Publications

  • Kolstad KD*, Postolova A*, Fiorentino D, Chung L."Clinical significance of autoantibodies in inflammatory Muscle Disease”  (2017) In: M Hochberg, A Silman, J Smolen, M Weinblatt, M Weisman, and E Gravallese (Eds.) 7th edition Rheumatology. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.
  • Kolstad KD, Fiorentino D, Li S, Chakravarty EF, Chung. Pregnancy outcomes in adult patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2018 Jun;47(6):865-869.
  • Gourh P, Remmers EF, Boyden SE, Alexander T, Morgan ND, Shah AA,  Mayes MD, Doumatey A, Bentley AR, Shriner D, Domsic RT,  Medsger TA, Steen VD, Ramos PS, Silver RM, Korman B, Varga J, Schiopu E, Khanna D, Hsu V, Gordon JK, Saketkoo LA, Gladue H, Kron B, Criswell LA, Derk CT, Bridges SL, Shanmugam VK, Kolstad KD, Chung L, Jan R, Bernstein EJ, Goldberg A, Trojanowski M, Kafaja S, Maksimowicz-McKinnon KM, Mullikin J, Adeyemo A, Rotimi C, Boin F, Kastner D, Wigley FM. Brief report: whole-exome sequencing to identify rare variants and gene networks that increase susceptibility to scleroderma in African Americans. Arthritis Rheumatol (Hoboken, NJ) 2018;70(10):1654–1660.
  • Kolstad KD, Li S, Steen VD, Chung L, PHAROS investigators.Long-term outcomes in systemic sclerosis associated pulmonary arterial hypertension from the pulmonary hypertension assessment and recognition of outcomes in scleroderma registry (PHAROS). Chest 2018 Oct;154(4):862-871.
  • Kolstad KD, Mayo JA, Chung L, Chaichian Y, Kelly VM, Druzin M, Stevenson DK, Shaw GM, and Simard JF. Preterm birth phenotypes in women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: A population based cohort study. BJOG 2020 Jan;127(1):70-78.
  • Chung MP, Kolstad KD, Dontsi M, Postlethwaite D, Manwani P, Zhao H, Kesh S, Simard JF, Chung L. Increased rates of obstetric complications prior to systemic sclerosis diagnosis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2020 Dec 8;10.1002/acr.24533
  • Oldroyd A, Allard AB, Callen J, Chinoy H, Chung L, Fiorentino D, George MD, Gordon P, Kolstad KD, Kurtzman D, Machado PM, McHugh NJ, Postolova A, Selva-O'Callaghan A, Schmidt J, Tansley S, Vleugels RA, VP Werth, R AggarwalA systematic review and meta-analysis to inform cancer screening guidelines in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. . Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 Jun 18;60(6):2615-2628

*equal contribution to work

Insurance

  • Aetna
  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Centivo
  • Cigna
  • First Health
  • Health Net of California
  • Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
  • 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.

Reviews

Overall Rating:
5.0
262 total ratings | 170 reviews
5.0
August 28, 2025
Made me feel heard and not hurried- thought of different solutions- very grateful to her
5.0
August 27, 2025
Dr. Kolstad is excellent. She reviews all test results thoroughly with me. She also offers options and suggestions for dealing with any pain. She addresses all of my questions.
5.0
August 25, 2025
Today was my first time meeting Dr. Kolstad. I've heard lots of talk about "patient-centered care" in the past, but never have I met someone who so embodies this philosophy as she does. The time she took to ensure she truly understood my health concerns, the thoroughness of her questions, the holistic approach to interventions and her clear explanations of treatment options were absolutely exceptional. It is rare to find someone with her depth of knowledge, outstanding empathy for the patient experience, and radiant kindness. I am so thankful she chose a career in medicine, and we are all so lucky she has chosen to practice here in Santa Barbara.
5.0
August 25, 2025
Dr. Kolstad is very knowledgeable and thorough. I always feel completely comfortable with her and trust that I’m getting the very best care.
5.0
August 25, 2025
On time, through examinations, the right questions were asked by the doctor, and prompt and concise answers for OUR questions. We went over our lab results, and my current prescriptions with no issues. The sun is shinning, the birds are singing, and all is well my world!