Dr. Karen Toribio, MD
Not yet claimedRheumatologist · Physician (MD)
New Orleans, LA
Dr. Karen Toribio is a rheumatologist on the faculty of Ochsner Health in New Orleans. She teaches in the Ochsner rheumatology fellowship program.
About Dr. Karen Toribio, MD
Updated Sep 20, 2026 · next review Dec 19, 2026Dr. Karen A. Toribio is a rheumatologist at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her office is at 1514 Jefferson Hwy. She joined Ochsner's Department of Rheumatology in 2014 and also teaches as faculty in the Ochsner Rheumatology Fellowship Program.
She went to Loyola University New Orleans for college and to LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, graduating in 2008. She trained in internal medicine at Duke University Hospital and completed a rheumatology fellowship at New York University, where she was chief rheumatology fellow. Her listed clinical interests include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout, along with myositis, vasculitis, ankylosing spondylitis, uveitis, and autoinflammatory disorders. She was born in the Dominican Republic, was raised in New Orleans, and is a native Spanish speaker.
She has a published case report in the journal Clinical Rheumatology (2015) on the co-occurrence of Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease and Still's disease. Ochsner maintains a list of her scholarly work. Public records searched for this profile did not turn up news coverage from 2022 to 2025 naming her, or any public statements from her about vaccines, treatment guidelines, supplements, or alternative medicine. She does not appear to run any public social media accounts.
In the federal Open Payments database, she is listed with $1,902.10 in payments from drug and device companies across 74 records from 2021 to 2025. The largest payers were AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, and UCB. Payments like these are common and legal, and often cover things like meals at educational events.
- Rheumatology at Ochsner Health
- She joined the Ochsner Department of Rheumatology in 2014 and practices in New Orleans. ochsner.org
- Teaches rheumatology fellows
- She is listed as faculty in the Ochsner Rheumatology Fellowship Program. education.ochsner.org
- Training at Duke and NYU
- She completed internal medicine residency at Duke University Hospital (2009-2011) and a rheumatology fellowship at New York University. doximity.com
- Chief fellow at NYU
- She served as chief rheumatology fellow during her NYU fellowship, which her employer cites for teaching and leadership. ochsner.org
- Speaks Spanish
- She is a native Spanish speaker. She was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Orleans. ochsner.org
- Conditions she treats
- Listed clinical interests include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout, plus myositis, vasculitis, ankylosing spondylitis, uveitis, and autoinflammatory disorders. ochsner.org
- Published case report
- She is first author on a 2015 case report in Clinical Rheumatology about Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease occurring with Still's disease. doximity.com
- Hospital affiliations
- Listed affiliations include Ochsner Medical Center, Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner, Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital, St. Bernard Parish Hospital, and St. Charles Parish Hospital. care.healthline.com
- Industry payments listed
- CMS Open Payments lists $1,902.10 across 74 records from 2021-2025, with AbbVie, Amgen, Novartis, and UCB among the payers. ochsner.org
- No board actions reported
- A public NPI aggregator reports no medical board actions and no malpractice claim payment on record. topnpi.com
Worth knowing
- Board certification in rheumatology is reported by consumer directories, but primary verification through ABMS was not performed for this profile. One payer directory lists her board certification as 'Not Provided,' which appears to be a gap in that directory's data rather than evidence about her certification status. phppd.providence.org
- The absence of license discipline is based on a third-party aggregator. The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners primary record was not directly checked for this profile. topnpi.com
- Consumer rating sites carry mixed patient reviews about her. These are unverified opinions, not vetted records, and are noted here only so patients know they exist. healthgrades.com
Industry payments (CMS Open Payments)
Open the CMS recordFederal law requires drug and device companies to report what they pay clinicians: meals, travel, speaking, consulting, and research. Payments are common and legal; the point is that you can see them.
2021 to 2025
$1,902
74 payments
| 2021 | $194 |
| 2022 | $434 |
| 2023 | $603 |
| 2024 | $214 |
| 2025 | $457 |
Top payers
- ABBVIE INC.$702
- AbbVie Inc.$561
- Amgen Inc.$362
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation$100
- UCB, Inc.$95
Payment types
- Food and Beverage$1,894
- Education$8
A word of caution about these numbers
A payment does not mean your doctor is compromised or acting unethically. Most of these entries are drug samples left for patients, or lunch brought in for the office staff, and the amounts are usually small. Research funding and speaking at medical meetings are also normal parts of a clinical career.
As a rough guide, a total under $15,000 a year is usually not a concern. Much larger sums, especially from one company whose product your doctor recommends to you, are worth asking about. You are allowed to ask.
Sources: ochsner.org · education.ochsner.org · scholarlywork.ochsner.org · doximity.com · npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov · care.healthline.com · healthgrades.com · phppd.providence.org. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Summary prepared with AI assistance from the public sources linked above, reviewed every three months. It is not a review, a rating, or an endorsement.
Practice location
Ochsner Health
1514 Jefferson Hwy
New Orleans, LA 70121
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