We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Colin Diffie has been appointed Chief of Rheumatology at the St. Louis John Cochran VA Medical Center as of January 13, 2025.
Dr. Diffie graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin and went on to earn his medical doctorate from the same institution where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society in 2014. Dr. Diffie then came to Barnes Jewish Hospital for his Medicine residency where his outstanding performance earned him the prestigious 2019 Knowlton Incentive for Excellence Award, which recognized his compassionate care and leadership in the science of internal medicine.
Dr. Diffie joined the Division of Rheumatology on the Clinician Track. As faculty, Dr. Diffie co-directs the Vasculitis Clinic as well as sees general rheumatology patients both at the Center for Advanced Medicine and the Barnes South County Rheumatology Clinic. In addition to being an outstanding and compassionate physician, Dr. Diffie is committed to fellows and residents’ education. Dr. Diffie will continue to direct the Vasculitis Clinic at Washington University. As Chief of Rheumatology at the VA, Dr. Diffie will lead efforts to advance patient care, education, and clinical research.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Diffie on this well-deserved appointment and in thanking Dr. Amy Joseph for her 24 years of service as Chief of Rheumatology at the VA (2000-2025).
Dr. Joseph has served exemplarily as Chief of Rheumatology. In addition, she also served as Assistant Chief of Medicine (2013-2022) and Acting Chief of Medicine (2012-2013). Her leadership at the St. Louis VA Medical Center earned her the 2010 St. Louis VA Outstanding Scholar Award and the 2015 VA St. Louis Medical Staff Award. Last but not least, Dr. Joseph has acted as the VA site director for the Washington University Rheumatology Training Program. In that capacity, she has provided ample opportunities for our fellows to conduct scholarly activities, resulting in a number of collaborative publications in high profile journals. During her tenure as VA Chief of Rheumatology, Dr. Joseph mentored a number of fellows, many of whom went on to academic careers. Dr. Joseph earned the ACR Master Designation in 2024 at the ACR Convergence, capping an illustrious career.