Richard Zweig, MD

Bio

I grew up in New Haven, Conn., where I attended Yale University and studied history. I moved to New York to go to medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. From there, I moved to San Francisco to do an internship in Internal Medicine at the San Francisco General Hospital, followed by a residency in Medicine at UCSF. I completed a fellowship in Rheumatology at UCSF in 1982 and have been working at Kaiser Santa Rosa, since then. I am Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

I am married to Loretta Zweig, MD. We have three sons: Max, Charlie, and Louie. Loretta works at Kaiser in the Family Medical Department. Charlie is the art teacher at Santa Rosa Middle School, and Max wants to become a physical therapist. Louie is an excellent trumpeter and first baseman, and attends Maria Carrillo High School. When not working or attending Louie's concerts, I enjoy gardening, bird watching, music, baseball and studying Chinese medicine.

I value working at Kaiser Permanente since I can devote my undivided attention to my patients' welfare. I will do my best to guide my patients to make the best choices to enhance their health and well-being. I also have at my disposal the combined experience and expertise of the Kaiser Permanente Interregional Rheumatology Association, which links all Kaiser Permanente rheumatologists in the United States by way of the internet. Nowhere else in the world can so many rheumatologists communicate so rapidly about clinical problems. I am proud to be part of this organization and happy to have its resources available for my patients.

I work with my medical assistant, Jenny Pacatte, to provide timely access for rheumatologic consultations and follow-up appointments. In general, I require no special laboratory tests prior to your initial consultation appointment. I would be happy to advise you about medications after our first visit.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

Rheumatology is the care of patients with arthritis and autoimmune illnesses. I like it because I can use all of my internal medicine training, since these illnesses are not confined to one part of the body. I like being a doctor because it makes me feel good to think that I might make somebody else's life easier.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

I am interested in acupuncture and Chinese medicine

Great health resources that I refer to:

I use the website "up to date."

Interests

Currently reading:
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

My favorite book or author:
I enjoy reading Tolstoy.

Great movie:
Jason and the Argonauts

Hobby Photos & Links:

Louie and his Dad high up inYankee Stadium

Family & Friends

People in my life:

My wife, Loretta, is the most important person in my life. I was very lucky to find her. We both work at Kaiser Permanente and she is an excellent physician.

My children and people I care about:

We have three sons: Max, Charlie, and Louie. Max and Charlie are twins. Charlie is about to become a high school teacher. Max is in college, and Lou is in the eighth grade. Loretta and I are fortunate to have such wonderful children.

An interesting story about my family or friends:

Our twin sons were born at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco. That was my first exposure to Kaiser Permanente, and the professionalism of the staff impressed me greatly. I was glad that I had chosen to work at Kaiser Permanente.

We have a golden retriever named Willow, and a cockatiel, Diddy. Willow enjoys chasing the ball, and Diddy imitates the microwave oven and people sneezing.

Pet Photos:

Willow and Dr. Zweig

Travel

An adventure I've had:

When I was a kid, my father took a job in London. I attended school there for a year, and joined an after-school RAF cadet program. As part of this program, I learned to fly a glider and made several solo flights.

I have never experienced anything before or since quite like that.

Favorite place in the world:

My favorite place in the world is the stacks of the Yale Library. There are sixteen million books there; I can think of no other single place which contains so much beauty and knowledge.

One of my recent trips:

Several years ago I spent Christmas eve in the crater of the Haleakala crater on Maui. There are three little huts there, and I was able to seek shelter in one. The sweep of the stars and the stillness of the night were extraordinary.

Travel Photos:

Reading Room at the Yale Library