John S. Munger, MD

After my residency in internal medicine, I worked as an emergency room doctor for 3 years, then did pulmonary and critical care training in Boston. I did basic science research starting during my fellowship at Harvard University, continuing for 20 years at NYU. I worked on the biology of TGF-beta, a protein that regulates embryonic development, inflammation, and scarring. With collaborators at UCSF, I made a fundamental discovery about TGF-beta, showing that it is controlled by proteins called integrins. Drug companies are using this insight to test potential treatments for fibrosis and other disorders.

I have treated patients throughout my career and became a full-time clinician over 10 years ago, first in critical care and then in the pulmonary clinic. I was part of our critical care team during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. I’ve continued to try to help those suffering the effects of COVID by seeing patients in our Post-COVID Care Program. In the pulmonary clinic, I see all types of lung disorders, but focus on interstitial lung diseases such as IPF, sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and lung disorders associated with rheumatological diseases.

I focus on how patients experience their problems. I practice "shared decision making” – I will do my best to explain what is happening and what the options are, and then we decide together what to do. Usually, the path forward is pretty clear, but sometimes choosing the best path means balancing different factors specific to your case and preferences. Together, we can make a decision prioritizing what is important to you.