Chief Executive Officer
With over 25 years of valuable and diverse health care experience, Matthew Foster, MD, MMM, is a proven, accomplished and knowledgeable leader. His many years of service affords a deep understanding of the patient experience, quality, service lines and diverse health care delivery models. He is passionate about innovative care delivery and is a tireless patient advocate. He remains actively involved in the College of American Pathologists and his work with the College helped develop a deep knowledge of heath care economics and policy; serving in numerous leadership roles including as Chair of the Federal and State Affairs Committee and currently as a member of the Board of Governors for the College of American Pathologists.
As an undergraduate, Matt helped establish a pre-medical honor society at Davidson College while pursuing a BA in history. He received his MD from the University of North Carolina. Matt completed a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology and a surgical pathology fellowship at Vanderbilt University and he served as the house staff representative to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Ethics Committee. Matt continued his education with a fellowship in cytopathology at the Medical College of Virginia. He practiced general pathology and provided specific expertise in breast cancer. While maintaining a full clinical service load, he earned his Master’s in Medical Management at Carnegie Mellon University.
Matt has taken numerous leadership roles and served on a variety of committees that have given him a well-rounded perspective of population health. While at Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center, he served as the Chair of the Cancer Committee, Associate Medical Director, and Medical Director. He also served as the Interim Chief Medical Officer for Johnson Health Center, a federally qualified health center that serves 30,000 people in rural Virginia.
In 2021, he sought the opportunity to serve as the Senior Vice President and Chief Physician Executive for Centra Health where he re-designed the physician enterprise with a focus on value to drive clinical excellence while fostering caregiver wellness, patient safety, and quality. Matt also served on Centra Health’s Cancer Committee and Finance Committee, as well as their Board of Directors. In addition, he helped lead the development of programs to fulfill community needs, like the first palliative care program, an emergency department psychiatric stabilization/treatment unit, and a cancer survivorship program at Central Health. He also expanded cancer care services while creating a fund to help local cancer patients in need. He championed the cancer center’s participation in the Quality Oncology Program Initiative and the cancer center’s receipt of the Outstanding Achievement award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
In his spare time, he enjoys being outside, gardening, skiing and mountain biking with his family.