Matthew J. Peterson

Matthew Peterson, PhD, FGSA, joined the UNCW faculty in 2021 after working for over twenty years in a variety of roles at several academic institutions. Dr. Peterson is an exercise scientist with expertise in aging and functional decline. He also has quantitative methods and biostatistical expertise. From 2001-2014 he served in several roles at the Durham VA Medical Center and Duke School of Medicine, where he was principal and co-investigator on VA, NIH, and foundation-funded studies focused on examining the benefits of exercise on aging-related health outcomes. Peterson also served a clinical role as program manager for Gerofit, an outpatient exercise program at the Durham VA. He then held a leadership role as Director of Geriatrics Research at Wright State University. Over his career Dr. Peterson has led or collaborated on teams that have secured over six million dollars in funding. His teaching responsibilities include biostatistics, epidemiology, scientific writing, and mentoring graduate capstone projects.