This award honors clinical faculty who consistently share time and expertise in service to internal committees, task forces, and other institutional activities that make a significant impact on the care delivered to UT Southwestern patients.

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Susan Matulevicius, M.D., M.S.C.S.

Associate Dean of Faculty Wellness and Engagement
Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Cardiology

Through the steady rhythm of clinical rounds and committee meetings, Dr. Susan Matulevicius is building something lasting – not with bricks and mortar, but with trust, empathy, and vision. She listens deeply, connects data points that reveal new possibilities, and guides meaningful change within complex systems.

Just after her appointment as the inaugural Assistant Dean of Faculty Wellness in 2019, Dr. Matulevicius laid out her mission: “As faculty feel the pressures of expansion, administrative tasks, and an emphasis on increased productivity, it is easy to feel more cynical, more emotionally exhausted, and less invested,” she said.

“My goal as the Assistant Dean of Faculty Wellness is to ensure that the administration values its faculty, promotes pursuit of passion and lifelong personal and professional growth, and creates a culture dedicated to making faculty members feel invested in and supported as we create the ‘future of medicine, today.’”

Six years later, she now serves as Associate Dean of Faculty Wellness and Engagement, and the Institutional Service Award is a testament to a mission in full stride.

“Through Dr. Matulevicius’ thoughtful leadership, she has become a trusted advocate and architect of change, improving the clinical mission not only through her own work, but through the strength of the teams she supports,” one of her nominators wrote.

Joining the UT Southwestern faculty in 2009, she has served in institutional roles that span wellness, clinical operations, and education. She not only built the Office of Faculty Wellness and Engagement from the ground up but has led UTSW’s systemwide work to reduce faculty burnout and improve the daily experience of clinicians, reflecting her proactive, data-informed approach to institutional change.

These efforts have contributed to a more resilient and engaged workforce, ultimately benefiting patients, and have helped UT Southwestern earn Gold recognition in the American Medical Association’s biannual Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program continually from 2023-2026. This honor reflects substantive programmatic improvements and a peer support infrastructure that strengthens clinician retention and clinical quality.

She also led a team developing the Joy in Medicine Dashboard – a metrics-driven platform that visualizes electronic health records (EHR) use, message volume, note-writing time, and other specialty-specific stressors. By surfacing these challenges at a departmental level, she equipped leaders with data to evaluate the impact of EHR workflows and to target interventions to reduce clinician fatigue – all of which ultimately support safer, more responsive care for patients.

Dr. Matulevicius’ institutional impact is further reflected in more than two dozen committee and task force roles over the past decade, including co-chairing the EHR Provider Optimization Committee and the annual CME-certified Faculty Wellness Retreat as well as contributing to the SAFE Behavioral Intervention Team to proactively protect the safety and well-being of the campus community.

In addition, she serves as UTSW’s representative in key statewide groups such as the UT System Professional Fulfillment Working Group and the Texas Consortium for Faculty Success.

Across this extensive service portfolio, Dr. Matulevicius has been able to create structures and an environment that make it easier for clinicians and faculty to “bring forward ideas, act on priorities, and improve care within their area,” wrote another nominator. “In doing so, she builds models that scale – empowering others to lead and contribute meaningfully across the institution.”

After receiving a B.S.E. degree from Duke University, Dr. Matulevicius earned her medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she was inducted into the medical honors society Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed an internal medicine internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania followed by fellowships in cardiology and advanced cardiac imaging (with a focus on MRI) at Parkland Health in Dallas.

In her words: “It is a profound honor to receive the Institutional Service Award. UT Southwestern’s reputation as a world-class academic medical center is built not on buildings or accolades, but on the extraordinary people who serve here. I am deeply grateful to be in a role where I can advocate for our faculty and help ensure that every individual – our most valuable asset – feels seen, heard, and supported. As a practicing clinical educator and cardiologist, I understand firsthand the challenges of working within a large academic health system. That perspective fuels my commitment as Associate Dean of Faculty Wellness and Engagement to foster a culture of wellness and belonging. Through collaboration with colleagues across Human Resources, Health System leadership, the Provost’s Office, APP leaders, informatics, and more, I strive to create an environment where our faculty can thrive. Whether it’s through peer support, coaching, parental resources, electronic health record optimization, mentoring, or sponsoring emerging wellness leaders, my goal is to make UT Southwestern the best place in the nation to be a faculty member. I find deep joy in faculty success and in reshaping policies and practices to reflect a person-centered approach. I am inspired daily by the brilliance and compassion of our faculty and by the dedication of my team, who work tirelessly to bring joy back to medicine. While I continue to love caring for patients, I equally cherish the opportunity to help others soar and make an impact far beyond what I could achieve alone. This award affirms the power of service, collaboration, and shared purpose – and I am honored to be part of this incredible community.”