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Matthew Allison

Matthew Allison

Credentials: 

  • MD

  • MPH

  • Board Certification, American Board of Preventive Medicine

  • Registered Physician of Vascular Interpretation

Current Position(s): 

  • Director and Staff Physician, Vascular Surgery Section, Surgical Services, VASDHS

  • Professor and Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, UCSD

Personal Statement: 

Matthew A. Allison, MD, MPH is Professor and Interim Chief, Division of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Allison earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the California Polytechnic State University and a Doctorate in Medicine from the Uniformed Services University. After medical school, and a categorical internship at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, he was trained and certified as a US Navy Diving and Undersea Medical Officer and then served in this capacity for 3 tours of duty. Towards the end of his military service, Dr. Allison obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health Epidemiology from San Diego State University (SDSU). Then, he completed residency training in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine (focused on preventive cardiology) and a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular epidemiology, both at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). He is board certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine by the American College of Preventive Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA).

In 2005, Dr. Allison joined the faculty in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at UCSD and was promoted to Professor with Tenure in 2013. Currently, he conducts research that broadly investigates the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, with specific focal areas to include subclinical atherosclerosis, metabolism and body composition, kidney disease, women’s health and racial/ethnic disparities. In this regard, he is the Director of the UCSD Women’s Cardiovascular Health Research Center, the Carotid Ultrasound Reading Center, the UCSD-SDSU MD-MPH program and the Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Prevention, while also being the Director of the UCSD Integrated Fellowship on the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases. He has received postdoctoral fellowship and career transition awards from the American Heart Association, as well as three R01’s and one R21 from the NIH. He has been the subcontract principal investigator for over 12 NIH funded studies. He is an active investigator to the Women’s Health Initiative, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and the Hispanic Community Health Study – Study of Latinos. Dr. Allison currently serves as a Guest/Consulting Editor to the Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes and is on the editorial boards for Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, and Vascular Medicine. He has also served on several NIH study section committees and special emphasis panels. He has published nearly 370 manuscripts and book chapters.

Since 2011, Dr. Allison has been the Director of the Non-Invasive Vascular Laboratory and a staff physician in the Department of Surgery; both at the Veteran’s Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.

Professional History:

  • 2016-present          Division Chief, University of California San Diego

  • 2013-present          Professor, University of California San Diego

  • 2011-present          Director and Staff Physician, Veteran’s Affairs San Diego Healthcare System

  • 2009-2013               Associate Professor, University of California San Diego

  • 2005-2009               Associate Professor, University of California San Diego

  • 1989-2010              Medical Officer, US Navy 

Education:

  • ·         Bachelor’s of Science, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA; 1985 - 1989

  • ·         Doctorate of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD; 1989 – 1993

  • ·         Categorical Internship, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA; 1993 – 1994

  • ·         Undersea Medicine Training, Naval Undersea Medical Center, Groton, CT; 1994

  • ·         Master’s of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA; 1998 - 2001

  • ·         Preventive Medicine Residency, University of California San Diego; 2001 – 2003

  • ·         Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California San Diego; 2003 - 2005

Honors/Awards:

  • Merit Advancement Acceleration (3-years), University of California San Diego; 07/16

  • Academic Tenure, University of California San Diego; 07/13

  • AHA Council for Epidemiology and Prevention, Special Recognition Award; 11/11

  • 2011 North American Menopause Society/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Menopause Journal Best Paper Award; 07/11.

  • Young Investigator Award; Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis; 09/09

  • Fellow, American Heart Association; 11/08

  • Merit Advancement Acceleration (2 years), University of California San Diego; 07/08.

  • Premio Benessere Stresa International Prize for Research and Innovation Related to Wellbeing, "Women's Wellbeing and Health in Midlife: Prevention and Care", Lorenzini Medical Foundation; 11/07.

  • Best Research Award, Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition; 09/07

  • Trudy Bush Fellowship for Cardiovascular Research in Women’s Health, AHA; 3/07

  • Finalist, American Heart Association’s Sandra Daugherty Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Disease or Hypertension Epidemiology; 03/06

  • Finalist, AHA’S Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Award for Investigators in Training; 11/04

  • Fellow to Faculty Transition Award, American Heart Association; 07/04

  • Fellow Travel Award for 5th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke, American Heart Association; 02/04

  • Resident of the Year Award, American College of Preventive Medicine; 11/03 

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, American Heart Association; 07/03

  • Fellow, Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) Annual Conference; 10/02

  • Fellow, NIH Summer Research Training Institute; 07/02

  • Travel Awards, American College of Preventive Medicine Scholarships; 02/02 & 02/03

  • Travel Award, Western Occupational & Environmental Medical Association Scholarship; 09/01

  • Outstanding Graduating Senior, School of Science and Mathematics, Cal Poly; 06/89

  • Dean's Honor List, Cal Poly; 85-89

  • President's Honor List, Cal Poly; 85-89

  • Summer Student Research Fellowship Award, AHA; 06/88

  • Summer Student Research Fellowship Award, US Department of Energy; 06/87

 

National/Global Website: National Center for Biotechnology Information

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