Gary A. Kunkel
( out of 220 reviews )

Gary A. Kunkel, MD

Languages spoken: English, French, Spanish

Clinical Locations

Primary Location

Veterans Administration Medical Center

500 S Foothill Blvd
Salt Lake City , UT 84148
801-582-1565
Get Directions

Dr.Kunkel received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and completed his internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowships at the University of Utah. Dr. Kunkel joined the faculty in 2004 in the Division of Rheumatology and is currently an associate professor of medicine. He is seeing patients at both the University Hospital and VA Medical Center, and has a clinical and research interest in the causes of, detection of (in particular with the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound), and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and gout.



Dr.Kunkel has published several articles in the peer reviewed medical literature, and is a member of the American College of Rheumatology and the Ultrasound School of North American Rheumatologists.

Specialties

Board Certification

American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Rheumatology)
National Board of Medical Examiners

Patient Rating

Patients consistently describe Dr. Kunkel as knowledgeable, thorough, and clear in explaining diagnoses and procedures. Reviewers highlight his strong communication and listening skills, patience in answering questions, and willingness to coordinate with other providers. Many also note his compassion, responsiveness between visits (including email/MyChart), and a collaborative approach that inspires trust and confidence.

Generated via Patient Reviews

5.0 /5
( out of 220 reviews )

The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers. The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments Internal Medicine -Associate Professor (Clinical)
Academic Divisions Rheumatology
Board Certification
American Board of Internal Medicine (Sub: Rheumatology)
National Board of Medical Examiners

Education history

Fellowship Rheumatology - University of Utah School of Medicine Fellow
Residency Internal Medicine - University of Utah School of Medicine Resident
Internship Internal Medicine - University of Utah School of Medicine Intern
Professional Medical Medicine - University of Texas Southwestern M.D.
Undergraduate University of Texas at Austin B.A.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Johnson TM, Frideres H, Roul P, Baker JF, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Smith ID, Kunkel GA, Wallace BI, Porter TR, Bookani KR, Annapureddy AR, Mikuls TR, England BR (2026). Performance of the Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events Calculator in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol, 78(7), 1437-1445.
  2. Wysham KD, Brubeck HF, Baraff A, Roul P, Singh N, Andrews JS, Cannon GW, Kunkel GA, Mikuls TR, England BR, Shoback DM, Katz PP, Garcia JM, Orkaby AR, Baker JF (2026). Frailty Predicts Incident Osteoporotic Fractures in Veterans with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
  3. OSullivan ML, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Rojas J, Kunkel GA, Walsh JA, Patel S, Roul P, Baker JF, England BR, Mikuls TR, Braaten TJ (2026). Mortality in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 78(6), 703-712.
  4. Loecker CN, Yang Y, Roul P, Baraff A, Schmaderer MS, Zimmerman L, Michaud K, Singh N, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Mikuls TR, Orkaby AR, Baker JF, England BR, Wysham KD (2026). Associations of Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity With Frailty Over Five Years of Follow-up. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
  5. Rubino S, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Rojas J, Stoddard GJ, Kunkel GA, Walsh JA, England BR, Baker JF, Braaten TJ (2026). Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related Myositis and Associated Triad Overlap Syndrome. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
  6. Riley TR 4th, Wheeler AM, England BR, Cannon GW, Sauer B, Kunkel GA, Wysham KD, Wallace BI, Monach PA, Reimold A, Kerr GS, Smith ID, Richards JS, Lee I, Thiele GM, Xiao R, Damrauer SM, Levin MG, George MD, Mikuls TR, Baker JF (2025). Heterogeneity in the association of genetic risk for RA and resultant RA phenotypes. Rheumatology (Oxford), 65(2).
  7. Luedders BA, Kass D, Baker JF, Duryee MJ, Yang Y, Roul P, Frideres H, Wysham KD, Monach PA, Reimold A, Kerr GS, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Matson SM, Poole JA, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England BR, Ascherman DP (2026). Performance of an Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis-Derived Multibiomarker Panel for Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Arthritis Rheumatol, 78(2), 302-310.
  8. Hernndez C, Schlesinger N, Rojas J, Walsh JA, Braaten TJ, Kunkel GA, Jones M, Sauer BC, Facelli J, Cannon GW, Lebiedz-Odrobina D (2025). COVID-19 Vaccination Is Not Associated With the Development of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis in US Veterans. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 78(8), 1078-1085.
  9. Coziahr K, Wheeler AM, Luedders BA, Duryee M, Frideres H, Wysham KD, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Ascherman DP, Monach PA, Kerr GS, Reimold AM, Matson SM, Baker JF, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England BR (2025). Combining Three Peripheral Blood Biomarkers to Stratify Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Risk. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
  10. Bhide SA, Roul P, England BR, Brubeck HF, Cannon GW, Singh N, Loecker C, Kunkel G, Mikuls TR, Shoback DM, Michaud K, Katz PP, Garcia JM, Orkaby AR, Baker JF, Wysham KD (2025). Frailty carries an increased risk of death in rheumatoid arthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 75, 152872.
  11. Wallace BI, England BR, Baker JF, George MD, Sauer BC, Rojas J, Roul P, Wysham KD, Brubeck H, Smith I, Caplan L, Monach PA, Kerr GS, Kunkel G, Braaten T, Mikuls TR, Cannon GW (2025). Agreement of Administrative Pharmacy Dispensing With Self-Reported Use of Oral Prednisone in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 77(11), 1350-1358.
  12. Johnson TM, Yang Y, Roul P, Frideres H, Baker JF, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Kunkel GA, Bookani KR, Mikuls TR, England BR (2025). Risk and temporal trends of heart failure subtypes in rheumatoid arthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 74, 152816.
  13. Wheeler AM, Baker JF, Riley TR 4th, Johnson TM, Yang Y, Roul P, Wysham KD, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Kerr G, Ascherman DP, Monach P, Reimold A, Matson S, Poole JA, Duryee MJ, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England BR (2025). Peripheral Biomarker Signatures in Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Arthritis Rheumatol.
  14. Klein J, Wheeler A, Baker JF, Yang Y, Roul P, Frideres H, Wysham KD, Kerr GS, Reimold A, Ascherman DP, Kunkel GA, Cannon GW, Monach PA, Poole JA, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England BR (2024). MUC5B Promoter Variant and Survival in Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Rheumatology (Oxford).
  15. Aripova N, Thiele GM, Duryee MJ, Hunter CD, Yang Y, Roul P, Ascherman DP, Matson SM, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Wysham KD, Kerr GS, Monach PA, Baker JF, Poole JA, Mikuls TR, England BR (2024). Antibodies to Malondialdehyde-Acetaldehyde Adduct Are Associated With Prevalent and Incident Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease in US Veterans. Arthritis Rheumatol, 76(9), 1353-1363.
  16. Walsh JA, Pei S, Alexander S, Braaten T, Walker JH, Clewell J, Douglas KM, Penmetsa GK, Ye X, Breviu B, Cannon GW, Kunkel GA, Sauer BC (2024). Missed opportunities for treatment of inflammatory arthritis and factors associated with non-treatment: An observational cohort study in United States Veterans with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 66, 152436.
  17. Luedders BA, Wheeler AM, Ascherman DP, Baker JF, Duryee MJ, Yang Y, Roul P, Wysham KD, Monach P, Reimold A, Kerr GS, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Poole JA, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR, England BR (2024). Plasma Matrix Metalloproteinase Concentrations and Risk of Interstitial Lung Disease in a Prospective Rheumatoid Arthritis Cohort. Arthritis Rheumatol.
  18. Wheeler AM, Baker JF, Riley T, Yang Y, Roul P, Wysham KD, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Kerr G, Ascherman DP, Monach P, Reimold A, Poole JA, Merriman TR, Mikuls TR, England BR (2024). Development and Internal Validation of a Clinical and Genetic Risk Score for Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease. Rheumatology (Oxford).
  19. Poole JA, England BR, Sayles H, Johnson TM, Duryee MJ, Hunter CD, Baker JF, Kerr GS, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Sauer BC, Wysham KD, Joseph AM, Wallace BI, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR (2023). Serum alarmins and the risk of incident interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford), 63(7), 1998-2005.
  20. Wallace BI, England BR, Baker JF, Rojas J, Sauer BC, Roul P, Kunkel GA, Braaten TJ, Petro A, Mikuls TR, Cannon GW (2023). Lowering Expectations: Glucocorticoid Tapering Among Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis Achieving Low Disease Activity on Stable Biologic Therapy. ACR Open Rheumatol, 5(9), 437-442.
  21. Wheeler AM, Baker JF, Poole JA, Ascherman DP, Yang Y, Kerr GS, Reimold A, Kunkel G, Cannon GW, Wysham KD, Singh N, Lazaro D, Monach P, Bridges SL Jr, Mikuls TR, England BR (2022). Genetic, social, and environmental risk factors in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 57, 152098.
  22. Baker JF, England BR, George MD, Wysham K, Johnson T, Kunkel G, Sauer B, Hamilton BC, Hunter CD, Duryee MJ, Monach P, Kerr G, Reimold A, Xiao R, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR (2021). Elevations in adipocytokines and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford), 61(12), 4924-4934.
  23. Brooks R, Baker JF, Yang Y, Roul P, Kerr GS, Reimold AM, Kunkel G, Wysham KD, Singh N, Lazaro D, Monach PA, Poole JA, Ascherman DP, Mikuls TR, England BR (2022). The impact of disease severity measures on survival in U.S. veterans with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease. Rheumatology (Oxford), 61(12), 4667-4677.
  24. Johnson TM, Yang Y, Roul P, Sauer BC, Cannon GW, Kunkel G, Michaud K, Baker JF, Mikuls TR, England BR (2022). A Narrowing Mortality Gap: Temporal Trends of Cause-Specific Mortality in a National Matched Cohort Study in US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken).
  25. Baker JF, England BR, George MD, Wysham K, Johnson T, Lenert A, Kunkel G, Sauer B, Duryee MJ, Monach P, Kerr G, Reimold A, Thiele GM, Mikuls TR (2022). Adipocytokines and achievement of low disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 55, 152003.
  26. Alex AM, Kunkel G, Sayles H, Flautero Arcos JD, Mikuls TR, Kerr GS (2019). Exposure to ambient air pollution and autoantibody status in rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Rheumatol, 39(3), 761-768.