Dr Karen Douglas

Dr Karen Douglas is an experienced Consultant Rheumatologist who provides expert care for patients presenting with a wide array of musculoskeletal and autoimmune conditions. Working within a collaborative, multidisciplinary clinical environment, she delivers clear diagnostic evaluations and personalised treatment plans tailored to the specific needs of each patient. Her reassuring, patient-centred approach ensures that individuals feel supported and fully informed throughout every stage of their diagnostic and therapeutic care.

In her clinical practice, Dr Douglas specialises in inflammatory joint conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, as well as autoimmune connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma. She holds a dedicated clinical and research interest in the cardiovascular complications associated with inflammatory arthritis, focusing on how systemic inflammation and metabolic factors affect vascular health. Her range of clinical procedures includes joint and soft tissue injections, joint aspirations, diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound, and the prescription and monitoring of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medications and biologic therapies. She also leads specialised clinic services for systemic sclerosis and actively participates in commercial clinical trials to advance innovative treatments.

Dr Douglas completed her preliminary medical studies at the University of St Andrews and earned her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) alongside a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Manchester. She later completed her higher specialist training as a Specialist Registrar in Rheumatology, during which she undertook focused research on cardiovascular disease and blood coagulation abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis, earning a Doctorate of Medicine (MD). She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) and remains actively engaged with national specialist interest groups and clinical research initiatives.