We're Growing & Want To Talk To You!
Medical Assistant
LPN
Front Desk
To Apply For Any Position, Please Email Your Resume To Deborah & Wanda
Atefeh Vafa, MD
Dr. Atefeh Vafa, MD is a practicing Board Certified Rheumatologist at AARA-Southwest Florida Rheumatology. Dr. Vafa earned her medical degree and graduated with Honors at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in Iran. She worked as a general practitioner for almost 2 years.
She then went on to complete her internal medicine residency in John H Stroger Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, Illinois, before completing a rheumatology fellowship at University of South Florida. Dr. Vafa is passionate about taking care of her patients with rheumatic conditions. Her goal is to provide excellent patient care to make meaningful changes in her patients' lives.
She appreciates the continuity of care that comes with treating chronic illnesses. By offering the most current and state-of-the-art therapies and services, Dr. Vafa ensures her patients have access to the highest level of patient care. She also considers serving people to be a privilege and spends as much time as necessary listening to her patients.
Dr. Vafa's treatment focus includes different diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, Inflammatory myositis, Scleroderma, Psoriatic arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Osteoarthritis, Gout, Osteoporosis, Polymyalgia rheumatica, Temporal arteritis, Vasculitis and other Rheumatic autoimmune diseases. In her free time, Dr. Vafa enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and cooking.
Teena Lukose, PA-C
Teena Lukose attended St. John's University in New York where she served as President of the Physician Assistant Association and graduated with honors in 2009. She began working for Manhattan's top hospitals specializing in Neurosurgery and Surgical Intensive care units serving both the adult and pediatric population.
Later, Teena moved to the Tampa, Florida area where she began her family and further pursued her passion for providing exceptional patient care. Soonafter, she became the lead clinician for an ambulatory surgery center in the heart of Tampa Bay and later promoted to Director of Medical Operations while continuing to practice as a treating clinician in Pain Management.
Teena joins the Southwest Florida Rheumatology family with over 10 years of clinical experience and treating patients with various conditions contributing to pain. She is passionate about getting to the root of the problem and promoting a multi modal approach to managing a patient's symptoms.
As a former certified dance instructor and fitness coach she has a special interest in nutrition and fitness. She lives in Riverview with her Husband and three children. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, working out, traveling, and spending quality time with her children.