Matthew D. Neal, MD, FACS will receive 2021 Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award from the American College of Surgeons

CHICAGO: Matthew D. Neal, MD, FACS, has been recognized by the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS) as the Outstanding Mentor of the Year. Dr. Neal, Roberta G. Simmons endowed associate professor of surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, was nominated by Anupamaa Seshadri, MD, an ACS Associate Fellow, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Neal’s award will be presented Sunday, October 24, during the College's virtual Clinical Congress 2021, one of the largest international meetings of surgeons in the world.

The RAS-ACS members, who are surgical trainees and young surgeons early in practice, are encouraged to nominate an ACS Fellow who has impacted their career and inspired them to become involved with the ACS. In his application, Dr. Seshadri said of Dr. Neal: “Both through his words as well as through his actions as a rising academic star in the field of trauma-induced coagulopathy, Dr. Neal was a huge factor in my deciding that continuing to pursue a passion for both trauma surgery and basic science was not only possible, but also would truly enrich my future career. Dr. Neal is a true role model as a trauma surgeon, a surgical intensivist, and a rigorous and talented researcher, but his real gift is mentorship.”

Dr. Neal is a passionate advocate for the American College of Surgeons STOP THE BLEED^® program, serving as an instructor in his community and has also trained UPMC surgical residents to stop the bleed for several years. Through the hard work of STOP THE BLEED (STB) leaders such as Dr. Neal, Pennsylvania has been a leader in the STB community, setting an example for other states to follow. Through his dedication to the STB program, many people in Pennsylvania are prepared to aid in a bleeding emergency and make a difference in the lives of those with a serious bleeding injury. Dr. Neal is a member of the ACS as well as the Association for Academic Surgery and he began his association with the ACS as a resident where he was 2009 recipient of the Wyeth Resident Research Scholar. Dr. Neal became a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) in 2018.

Dr. Neal will receive a monogramed vase to memorialize his contributions to the field of surgery and his impact on the next generation of surgeons.

The RAS-ACS serves to familiarize surgical trainees and young surgeons with College programs and leadership and provides them with an avenue for participation in ACS affairs, fosters development and use of their leadership skills in organized surgery, and provides opportunities for their opinions and concerns as young surgeons and trainees to be heard by College leadership.

The RAS-ACS established the Outstanding Mentor of the Year award in 2019 to be given annually to a Fellow of the ACS who has had a marked impact on the engagement of an RAS member in training and has offered the support and encouragement necessary for the resident to build a strong foundation for a surgical career. Mentors from any surgical specialty are eligible for the award and encouraged to be nominated. Dr. Neal joins pediatric surgeon Danielle Saunders Walsh, MD, FACS, FAAP, and chief of surgery at Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood, PA, Ned Z. Carp, MD, FACS as recipient to this honor.

About Matthew D. Neal, MD, FACS

Matthew D. Neal, MD, FACS, received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University, Washington, DC and his medical degree from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, where he also completed his surgical internship, residency, and fellowship. Dr. Neal is a surgeon-scientist funded by the NIH and DoD with clinical practice in trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care as well as a translational research focus on understanding the mechanisms of hemostasis and coagulation following trauma and hemorrhagic shock. He is currently an associate professor of surgery and Director of the Trauma and Transfusion Medicine Research Center at University of Pittsburgh Medical School in Pennsylvania.

About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has approximately 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. "FACS" designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

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