Taking the Lead 67: Alan Matsumoto, MD: A Servant Leader

Join host Geoffrey Rubin, MD, MBA, FACR, as he talks with Alan H. Matsumoto, MD, MA, FACR, FSIR, FAHA. A distinguished interventional radiologist, Dr. Matsumoto is the former Chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of Virginia and currently serves as Chair of the American College of Radiology (ACR) Board of Chancellors. A prolific scholar, he has authored over 300 publications and delivered more than 500 invited presentations. Additionally, Dr. Matsumoto has served as President of the Society of Interventional Radiology and the Virginia Radiological Society. Dr. Matsumoto’s inspiring journey begins with a personal history rooted in resilience—his parents’ families spent time in internment camps during World War II, a fact he only learned about much later in life. Born in Salt Lake City, he moved with his family to Stockton, California, at the age of 5 ½, where dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. A self-proclaimed rabble-rouser, he credits his high school years for teaching him the value of building relationships with diverse groups of people (hint, this involves ice cream!), a skill that he has been carried forward into his academic and professional career After attending medical school at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, he completed an Internal Medicine residency at the University of Massachusetts before transitioning to radiology, completing his Diagnostic Radiology residency at the University of North Carolina. Following Fellowship training in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Georgetown University, Dr. Matsumoto and his wife, also a radiologist, spent two years in private practice in Florida before settling in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia in 1991 – and he has never looked back. Throughout his leadership journey at UVA, Dr. Matsumoto has emphasized the importance of emotional intelligence, change management, and servant leadership and reflects that his most rewarding moments as a leader come from bringing people together to accomplish shared goals. His story is a testament to the power of perseverance, collaboration, and leadership grounded in humility and a desire for clinical excellence. Don’t miss this special episode of Taking the Lead.