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Matthew Nielsen, MD, MS, FACS, is a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member and urologic oncologist with a clinical focus in the treatment of bladder, prostate and kidney cancer. He is actively engaged in quality improvement and patient safety efforts at UNC.

MD, MS, FACS
Professor, Urology
Chair, Department of Urology
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Prevention and Control
Urologic Oncology Program

Meet Matthew Nielsen

Area of Interest

Nielsen’s clinical practice is focused in urologic oncology – in particular the treatment of bladder, prostate and kidney cancer. He was co-Director of the integrated Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Oncology Program at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center from 2013-2018, and has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network. His research in medical decision making, cancer care quality and implementation science has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and The American Cancer Society, and nationally recognized by the Urology Care Foundation / Astellas Rising Stars in Urology Research Award.

Alongside his clinical, research and teaching activities, Nielsen is actively engaged in quality improvement and patient safety efforts as Associate Director of the UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement and other leadership roles in the UNC Health Care System, where he received the Physician Friend of Nursing Award in 2017. He has been an active contributor to multiple national organizations, as a member of the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee of the American Urological Association, serving as Chair from 2019-2022, as well as the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement and the American College of Physicians’ High Value Care Task Force and Performance Measurement Committee.

Find publications on PubMed

Awards and Honors

  • H. Fleming Fuller Award, UNC Health, 2022
  • Chair, American Urological Association Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee, 2019
  • Young Urologist of the Year, American Urological Association, 2018
  • Castle Connolly Top Doctors, 2017-2019
  • UNC Health Care System Medical Friend of Nursing Award, 2017
  • Urology Care Foundation / Astellas Rising Stars in Urology Research Award, 2016
  • Best Doctors in America, 2013-2018
  • American Urological Association Leadership Program, 2012-2013
  • National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program Award, 2010-2012
  • Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, 2009
  • 3rd Prize, AUA/Gyrus ACMI Clinical Research Essay Contest, American Urological Association National Meeting, 2008
  • Merit Award, American Society for Clinical Oncology, 2007
  • 2nd Prize, Pfizer Resident Clinical Research Essay Competition, Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urological Association, 2006
  • Alpha Omega Alpha, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 2002
  • American Foundation for Urologic Diseases Student Research Scholar, 2001
  • Harold Lamport Medical Student Research Prize, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 2001
  • Phi Beta Kappa, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1998

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Matthew Nielsen, MD, MS, FACS