Matthew J. Trowbridge, MD, MPH
Matthew J. Trowbridge, MD, MPH
PubMed
Publications
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health
Research Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine
P.O. Box 800699
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0699
Phone: (434) 924-8488
Fax: (434) 924-2877
E-mail: mtrowbridge@virginia.edu
PubMed
PublicationsBio
Matthew J. Trowbridge, M.D., M.P.H., is a University of Virginia Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health Sciences within the School of Medicine. He also serves as Director of the UVA Medical Design Program and Director of Student and Resident Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Tufts University and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree and Master of Public Health in epidemiology from Emory University. He completed an Injury Prevention and Trauma Research Fellowship at the University of Michigan Department of Emergency Medicine. He is dually boarded, a diplomate of both the American Board of Preventive Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics.
Dr. Trowbridge’s research examines how built-environment characteristics affect EMS system performance and injury outcomes, with current work using national NEMSIS data to analyze urban form variables and emergency response. His injury-prevention scholarship spans motor-vehicle crash biomechanics, teen-driver safety, and translation of epidemiologic evidence into policy. Beyond academic research, he has led large-scale efforts translating health evidence into built-environment practice, serving as Chief Medical Officer of the International WELL Building Institute (2021–2023) and in senior advisory roles across multiple federal, private sector, and philanthropic agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Green Building Council, and ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health).
Education
- Residency, Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine (2010)
- Fellowship, Injury Prevention & Trauma Research, University of Michigan (2007)
- Fellowship, General Pediatrics, Tufts-New England Medical Center (2004)
- Residency, General Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine (2003)
- M.P.H., Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University (2000)
- M.D., Emory University School of Medicine (2000)
- B.A., English, Tufts University (1994)
Research Interests
- Preventive Medicine – Impact of the built environment (architecture, urban design, and transportation planning) on individual (clinical) and population-level health outcomes.
- Medical Education – Use of human-centered design / design thinking to teach complex problem solving, systems-thinking, and inter-disciplinary collaboration within undergraduate medical education.
Current Activities
- University of Virginia Medical Design Program
- Co-Director, Lead Instructor – One-year design thinking / human-centered elective for medical students at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Project website: http://uvamedical.design
- Green Building & Public Health Innovation Partnership
- Principal Investigator – Applied research partnership between the University of Virginia School of Medicine (UVA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This partnership is focused on applying the market transformation tools and principles used within the green building industry to improve health outcomes by influencing the design, operation, and financing of the built environment at a national and global scale. Project website: http://www.greenhealthpartnership.org