Kameron Leigh Matthews

Matthews was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.{{cite web |title=theGrio's 100: Drs. Kameron Matthews and Alden Landry, inspiring future doctors city by city |url=https://thegrio.com/2014/01/31/thegrios-100-drs-kameron-matthews-and-alden-landry-inspiring-future-doctors-city-by-city/ |website=thegrio.com |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=January 31, 2014}}{{cite web |title=Chats with the Chief – Dr. Kameron Matthews, Assistant USH for Clinical Services |url=https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/82750/chats-chief-dr-kameron-matthews-assistant-ush-clinical-services/ |website=blogs.va.gov |publisher=United States Department of Veterans Affairs |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=December 21, 2020}} Growing up, she was enrolled in the Cheltenham School District{{cite web |title=KAMERON LEIGH MATTHEWS, MD, JD. |url=https://www.cheltenham.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=61&ModuleInstanceID=4018&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=959&PageID=2452 |website=cheltenham.org |publisher=Cheltenham School District |access-date=May 15, 2021}} and was inspired by her family physician father to pursue a career in medicine.{{cite web |last1=Zoila Perez |first1=Miriam |title=Making More Doctors of Color, One Bus Trip at a Time |url=https://www.colorlines.com/articles/making-more-doctors-color-one-bus-trip-time |website=colorlines.com |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=October 19, 2015}}{{cite web |last1=Trevino |first1=Robert |title=Dr. Kameron Matthews, Co-Founder of Tour for Diversity |url=https://www.osmosis.org/blog/2016/06/09/leaders-in-medical-education-dr-kameron-matthews-co-founder-of-tour-for-diversity |website=osmosis.org |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=June 9, 2016}} Matthews enrolled at Duke University majoring in public policy due to her interests in larger advocacy work and impacting larger populations. She enrolled at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine following her undergrad but took leave to attend the University of Chicago Law School. Matthews was a Tony Patiño Fellow at the Law School, and she served as an intern at LAF and at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law.{{cite web |last1=Jaager |first1=Jerry De |title=Kameron Matthews, '06: JD/MD Focuses on Public Health Delivery and Disparities |url=https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/kameron-matthews-06-jdmd-focuses-public-health-delivery-and-disparities |website=law.uchicago.edu |publisher=University of Chicago Law School |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=April 9, 2019}}

Upon completing her medical and legal studies, Matthews finished her residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She then became a staff physician at the Cook County jail and the juvenile detention center before running a family health clinic in Humboldt Park. During her tenure at the Cook County jail, Matthews advocated for the use of hormones for transgender inmates.{{cite web |last1=Lubell |first1=Bernie |title=Transgender and Behind Bars |url=https://news.wttw.com/2012/03/12/transgender-and-behind-bars |website=news.wttw.com |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=March 12, 2012}} Following this, she returned to the University of Illinois and served as the chief medical officer of Mile Square Health Center and medical director with the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System's Department of Managed Care.{{cite web |title=40 Under 40: Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP |url=http://nmqf.net/40u40/kameron-matthews-md-jd-faafp/ |website=nmqf.net |publisher=National Minority Quality Forum |access-date=May 15, 2021}}

While in law school, Matthews co-founded the Tour for Diversity in Medicine (T4D) project, which aimed to recruit African American and Latino physicians, dentists, and podiatrists to visit college campuses and mentor minority students.{{cite web |last1=Grauer |first1=Neil A. |title=Immense Mission |url=https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/immense-mission |website=hopkinsmedicine.org |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=February 4, 2021}} She revisited the project in 2012 with former classmate Alden Landry and completed four tours on 23 campuses in 17 states and the District of Columbia, during which they reached over 1,800 minority undergraduate and high school students.{{cite web |title=Dedicated Wheels Turn Black Students into Practicing Physicians |url=https://www.afro.com/dedicated-wheels-turn-black-students-into-practicing-physicians/ |website=afro.com |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=November 2, 2012}} As a result of her efforts, Matthews was recognized as a 40 Under 40 Leader by the National Minority Quality Forum. In 2016, Matthews became the deputy executive director of provider relations and services in the Office of Community Care at the Veterans Health Administration.{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Jackie |title=VA taps new Chief Medical Officer (Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Clinical Services) |url=https://www.fedhealthit.com/2020/09/va-taps-new-chief-medical-officer-assistant-under-secretary-for-health-for-clinical-services/ |website=fedhealthit.com |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=September 3, 2020}}

From 2018 to 2020, Matthews served as a National Academy of Medicine (NAM) James C. Puffer, MD/American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) Fellow, which enabled her to "participate in the work of the Academies and further their careers as future leaders in the field."{{cite web |title=KAMERON MATTHEWS, MD, JD, FAAFP SELECTED AS 2018 NAM PUFFER ABFM FELLOW |url=https://www.theabfm.org/about/communications/news/press-release/kameron-matthews-md-jd-faafp-selected-2018-nam-puffer-abfm-fellow-0 |website=theabfm.org |publisher=American Board of Family Medicine |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=October 17, 2018}} Following this, she was elected a Member of the NAM for "leading a significant transformation in veterans’ health care by leveraging the Veteran Health Administration’s internal assets and external collaborations with academic and other community providers to deliver timely, high-quality care to all veterans regardless of residence."{{cite web |title=National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members |url=https://nam.edu/national-academy-of-medicine-elects-100-new-members-2020/ |website=nam.edu |publisher=National Academy of Medicine |access-date=May 15, 2021 |date=October 19, 2020}} In 2020, Matthews was appointed the chief medical officer of the Veterans Health Administration.

Matthews is married to Mazi Mutafa.

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Category:Living people

Category:American women physicians

Category:African-American women physicians

Category:Physicians from Philadelphia

Category:University of Chicago Law School alumni

Category:Duke University alumni

Category:Johns Hopkins School of Medicine alumni

Category:University of Chicago faculty

Category:Members of the National Academy of Medicine

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century African-American physicians

Category:21st-century American physicians

Category:21st-century African-American women