Col. (Ret.) Matthew J. Eckert, MD, MHPE, FACS

Dr. Eckert is chief of the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Division and program director of the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He previously served as the trauma medical director, associate program director for general surgery residency, and director of surgical research at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.

He trained in general surgery at Madigan Army Medical Center, with subspecialty training in trauma, emergency general surgery, and surgical critical care at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Following fellowship training, Dr. Eckert served as commander of the 102nd Forward Surgical Team and trauma director at the NATO Role III Camp Bastion Hospital in Helmand, Afghanistan. He served as a surgeon in the Joint Special Operations Command from 2013 to 2024 and was the initial member of the military-civilian partnership at UNC, where he continues to serve as an advisor to the program. He retired from active duty in 2024 after 24 years of service, including 19 combat and contingency deployments.

Dr. Eckert’s primary research portfolio includes the examination of coagulopathy of traumatic shock, utilization of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta, and incorporation of novel technologies in managing traumatic injuries in austere environments. His current area of research focus is high-functioning crisis medical response teams.