Fellow Spotlight: Matthew Durstenfeld, MD

Dr. Matthew Durstenfeld grew up in San Jose, and earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Yale University. During college, he became interested in public health, and spent time in Ghana evaluating a program that used boat clinics to connect with rural populations. He saw medicine as a way to take care of individual patients while also addressing systemic health care issues.

Dr. Durstenfeld earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by an internal medicine residency and chief residency for quality improvement and patient safety at New York University School of Medicine. Among his research projects, Dr. Durstenfeld examined racial and ethnic disparities in heart failure outcomes in New York City. He also enjoyed caring for critically ill patients in the Coronary Care Unit. “It was really satisfying to take care of someone who was on the precipice of death, and bring them back,” he said.

He has a strong interest in global cardiology, and chose UCSF for fellowship because of its strength in all areas of cardiology, as well as the university’s overall excellence in global health. Dr. Durstenfeld hopes to gain more expertise in implementation science in resource-constrained settings. “Often we know how to improve outcomes, and as cardiovascular disease becomes more prevalent worldwide, there’s a huge opportunity to translate those lessons globally,” he said. “We can also apply lessons learned from other countries to the U.S., especially as there is more emphasis here on value.”

Dr. Durstenfeld and his wife, Dr. Anne Durstenfeld, a UCSF pediatrician, enjoy camping, hiking, and spending time with their new daughter, Lucy