About Us

About Southland Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center

Inland Empire’s Largest Rheumatology Group

Southland Arthritis was founded by Dr. CV Mehta and his wife Deni Mehta in 1983 in the city of Hemet. Over the years, we have expanded throughout Southern California and offer a variety of services for patients with Rheumatic diseases.

Board Certified Doctors

Our Physicians are Board Certified in Rheumatology and are experts in the non-surgical management of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, Arthritis and Osteoporosis.

Graduate Medical Education

Several of our Physicians hold Clinical Faculty positions at Academic Medical Centers and we are a Rheumatology teaching site for doctor's in training.

Clinical Trials

We have 2 clinical trial centers in the cities of Hemet and Riverside. We conduct FDA clinical trials on various Rheumatic Diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Psoriatic Arthritis

Arthritis X-rays
Our Doctors

Meet Our Qualified Doctors

Our Physicians are Board Certified in Rheumatology and are experts in the non-surgical management of Systemic Autoimmune disease, Arthritis and Osteoporosis.

Our Blog

Latest Blog & Articles

Find answers to your questions or read interesting articles about Arthritis and Rheumatology treatments

Dr. Chandrakant Mehta

Dr. Chandrakant Mehta

Dr. Chandrakant Mehta was the first Rheumatologist to practice in the cities of Hemet and Menifee and has been providing medical care in Southern California since 1983. Dr. Mehta and his wife, Deni Mehta, established Southland Arthritis & Osteoporosis Medical Center and have been blessed with a very loyal and hardworking staff! Dr. Mehta completed his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Easton Hospital in Pennsylvania and completed his fellowship at Loma Linda University. Dr. Mehta is dual Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. Dr. Mehta enjoys walking, traveling and playing with his grandchildren!

Dr.colburn-keith

Dr. Keith Colburn

Dr.Keith Colburn is a distinguished Professor of Medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine where he served as the Chief of Rheumatology until 2014 and was the Chief of Rheumatology at the Loma Linda VA Hospital until 2016. Dr.Colburn has published over 50 articles in medical journals and was the associate editor for the Journal of Investigative Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and American College of Rheumatology and is dual board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. Dr.Colburn has trained many of the practicing Rheumatologists in Southern California and he enjoys traveling and birdwatching.

Dr. Amal Mehta

Dr. Amal Mehta

Dr. Amal Mehta grew up in Hemet and was heavily influenced by his father’s passion for Medicine. Dr.Mehta earned a B.A. in Economics from UCLA, a Healthcare MBA from George Washington University and Medical Degree from Ross University School of Medicine. Dr. Mehta completed his Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Banner University Medical Center and his Rheumatology Fellowship at Loma Linda Medical Center. Dr. Mehta is Dual Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology and has participated as an investigator in over 50 clinical trials for various Rheumatic diseases. Dr. Mehta is Clinical Faculty at Loma Linda Medical Center and is involved in Rheumatology education for the Family Medicine Residency Program at Loma Linda’s Murrieta Campus. Dr.Mehta enjoys playing tennis, traveling and spending time with his family and he looks forward to making a positive impact in the lives of his patients.

Dr. Dharmarajan Ramaswam

Dr. Dharmarajan Ramaswamy

Dr.Ramaswamy completed his Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Lincoln Medical Center in New York. Dr.Ramaswamy completed his Rheumatology fellowship at the University of Southern California and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. Dr.Ramaswamy is an avid reader and enjoys spending time with his family.

Dr. Janki Trivedi

Dr. Janki Trivedi

Dr. Trivedi completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI which was followed by medical school at the University of the Caribbean. After medical school she completed her residency in Internal Medicine with Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee, WI. This was followed by a rheumatology fellowship at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington D.C. Dr. Trivedi enjoys spending her free time cooking, reading, exercising and spending time with her family.

Dr. Natalia Chavez-Chiang

Dr. Natalia Chavez Stewart

Dr. Natalia Chavez Stewart received her medical degree from the Universidad San Martin De Porres in Lima, Peru. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of New Mexico. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. Dr. Stewart is passionate about healthy living and its positive impact on physical and mental health, motivating a healthy lifestyle on her patients when treating rheumatic diseases. The addition of Dr. Stewart expands Southland Arthritis Rheumatology capacity and responsiveness to patients and their families. Dr. Stewart enjoys spending time with her family, paddle boarding, hiking, swimming, dancing and she is fluent in Spanish. She loves California and is pleased to be part of the excellent team of Rheumatologists at Southland Arthritis.

Dr. Purva Chhibar

Dr. Purva Chhibar

Dr. Purva Chhibar is a passionate and empathetic rheumatologist who goes above and beyond to care for her patients by creating personalized treatment plans for each patient using an integrative approach including combining medications, diet and lifestyle modifications. She values the importance of an anti-inflammatory diet, acupuncture, yoga, meditation and tai-chi, when appropriate. Dr. Chhibar strongly advocates for her patients and strives to provide them with the most up-to-date and evidence-based care. Her patients describe her as compassionate, caring, personable and a good listener. She has done significant work in promoting social justice in the medical setting and provides a safe space to patients of all races, backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities and sexual orientation.

Dr. Chhibar was born in India where she completed medical school before moving to Los Angeles. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency training in 2016 followed by her Rheumatology Fellowship training in 2018, both at the University of Southern California. She is dual board-certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine.

Dr. Chhibar specializes in treating diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, cutaneous lupus, vasculitis, recurrent idiopathic pericarditis, tendinitis, bursitis, gout, pseudogout, post-COVID-19 inflammatory conditions, raynaud’s disease, scleroderma, inflammatory myositis, fibromyalgia, adult onset still’s disease, familial mediterranean fever and other auto-inflammatory disorders.

In addition to treating patients, Dr. Chhibar contributes to the field of medicine by sharing medical findings and presenting her work at multiple international rheumatology conferences, including the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR).  In February 2017, Dr. Chhibar was featured in the ACR magazine, “The Rheumatologist”.

In her spare time, she volunteers at several Non-Profit Organizations. She values the importance of self-care and practices yoga and meditation. Dr. Chhibar likes to paint, travel, and take long walks with her dog. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends.

Dr. Stephanie Song

Dr. Stephanie Song is an east coast native from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. She completed medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, which was followed by Internal Medicine residency at Temple University Hospital. She then completed Rheumatology fellowship training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Song has expertise in
musculoskeletal ultrasound, has a clinical interest in Rheumatoid Arthritis, and is a member of the American College of Rheumatology. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, family, friends and dog. She is committed to and inspired by her patients, dedicated to practicing thorough and evidenced-based care, and pleased to be a part of the team at
Southland Arthritis.

Angel Bustamante, PA-C.

Angel Bustamante, PA-C.

Angel Bustamante PA-C completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at California State University Fullerton. He then earned his Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Western University of Health Sciences in the city of Pomona. He is nationally certified as a Physician Assistant. He grew up in Orange County prior to settling in the Inland Empire and has been treating Rheumatic diseases and performing joint injections since 2003. He enjoys snowboarding, jet skiing, traveling, exercising and spending time with his family and friends. He aspires to make a difference in his community by providing compassionate care and improving the quality of life of his patients.

Lisa Asfahani, PA-C

Lisa Asfahani, DHSc, PA-C

Lisa Asfahani DHScPA-C is certified and state licensed Physician Assistant practicing in Rheumatology. Lisa graduated from California State Polytechnic University with Bachelor’s degree in Biology, her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Sciences from Loma Linda University in 2011 and most recently, her Doctorate degree in Health Sciences from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences in 2022. Lisa is experienced in both Rheumatology as well as in General Medicine andinvolved in numerous clinical studies in the field of Rheumatology. She is member of several professional societies including the Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP) and California Academy of Physician Assistants (CAPA). Lisa’s goal in patient care is to treat each patient/provider interaction as an opportunity serve, to teach, and to heal. She enjoys traveling and spending time with family whenever she can. 

Chris Yuchao Jin

Chris Yuchao Jin

Chris Yuchao Jin PA-C is a Rheumatology Physician’s Assistant who earned a Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Gannon University in Erie Pennsylvania. He has expertise in performing ultrasound guided joint injections and has been involved in numerous clinical trials in the field of Rheumatology. Chris believes the most important part of any patient interaction is active listening, empathy, and compassion. He hopes to establish long term relationships with his patients, educate and advocate for their health, and improve their quality of life. In his time off he enjoys watching movies, going to music concerts, traveling, photography, and film making.

Alvin Yan, PA-C

Alvin Yan, PA-C, is a board-certified Physician Assistant. He attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he majored in Biology before moving to North Carolina and obtaining his Master of Physician Assistant Practice degree at Campbell University. Alvin’s first introduction to Rheumatology was during his clinical elective rotation at WakeMed Raleigh, which instilled in him a sense of wonder and fascination with the specialty. Alvin treats a variety of inflammatory joint diseases, including Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Gout. He continues to advocate for patients afflicted with rheumatologic conditions and provides patient-focused, individualized and compassionate care for all of his patients. As a southern California native, Alvin enjoys spending time at the beach, hiking trails, and experiencing the newest food trends.

Deni Mehta

Deni Mehta

Deni Mehta – co-founded the medical practice with her husband on June 14th, 1983 in the city of Hemet, California. Deni has a Bachelors degree in Chemistry and a Bachelors degree in Education. Deni is the Practice Administrator for Southland Arthritis and is also a certified DEXA technician. Deni has been instrumental to the growth of Southland Arthritis and has established strong business relationships with other providers and administrators. Deni enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her family.

Dr. Marc Phillpotts

Dr. Marc Phillpotts

Dr. Marc Phillpotts is a board certified physician in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. Dr. Phillpotts earned his medical degree at The University of the West Indies in Jamaica. He moved to Washington, DC where he completed Residency training in Internal Medicine at Howard University Hospital, then Fellowship training at the George Washington University. He has held an academic position as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the GW SMHS. He is a member of several professional societies including the American Medical Association, International Society of Clinical Densitometry and American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Phillpotts has expertise in musculoskeletal ultrasound and bone densitometry. In his spare time, Dr. Phillpotts enjoys running, swimming and tennis.