Matthew D. Neal, MD, FACS

Dr. Neal is the Watson Chair, Professor of Surgery, and Vice Chair of Academic Training in the Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, and the Director of Emergency General Surgery at UPMC. He works clinically as an attending surgeon in the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Critical Care Medicine, the Vascular Medicine Institute (VMI), and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Neal co-directs the Trauma and Transfusion Medicine Research Center and runs a translational research program focused on hemostasis and thrombosis following injury. His basic science laboratory is funded by multiple awards from the NIH, Department of Defense and DARPA. He previously served as a co-lead for the coordinating center for the NIH ACTIV-4 program addressing clinical trials in anti-thrombotics in COVID-19, and he co-chaired the ACTIVE-4a clinical platform.  He has extensive experience in running clinical trials alongside his fundamental and translational science interests. Outside of his role with the University, Dr. Neal is the Chief Medical Officer at Haima Therapeutics, LLC – a biotechnology company focused on innovative strategies for bleeding control. 

Education & Training

• BS, Georgetown University
• MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

• General Surgery Residency, UPMC

• Pediatric Surgery Research Fellowship, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
• Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, UPMC
• Surgical Leadership Certificate, Harvard Medical School (expected 2026) 

Research Interests

• Trauma-induced coagulopathy and hemostasis following trauma and hemorrhagic shock  

• Thrombosis related to injury and acute illness 

• Design of therapeutics to optimize bleeding control and limit thrombotic complications 

• Clinical outcomes in trauma and hemorrhagic shock  

• Clinical outcomes in transfusion medicine 

• Immunothrombosis and multiple organ failure 

• Acute care surgery outcomes research and surgical rescue 

• Outcomes research focusing on emergency general surgery, elective abdominal wall reconstruction, and surgical rescue