Matthew David Whealon
Biography
Matthew David Whealon, M.D., is Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where he also serves as Assistant Program Director for the General Surgery Residency and Associate Program Director for the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program. He completed his colorectal surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 following his general surgery residency at UC Irvine, where he served as Administrative Chief Resident. Whealon also works as a staff colorectal surgeon at the Tibor Rubin Long Beach VA Medical Center.
Whealon's research focuses on outcomes in colorectal surgery and surgical oncology, with particular attention to the impact of surgeon training and resident involvement on patient outcomes. His work has examined disparities in surgical care, technical approaches to complex procedures including hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, and the use of retrospective databases in evaluating cancer treatments. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles in journals including the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Surgical Endoscopy, and Annals of Surgical Oncology.
In addition to his clinical and research roles, Whealon serves as Clinical Informaticist at UC Irvine School of Medicine. He has been active in surgical education, teaching medical students, genetic counseling graduate students, and nurse practitioner students on topics ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to inherited colorectal cancer syndromes. He received the Fawzia Gadallah Memorial Award for Humanism in Surgery and the Chairman's Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Resident in 2018.
Return to topEducation
- M.D., University of California, Irvine, 2012
- B.S. in Business Administration, California State University, Northridge, 2002
Distinctions
- Fawzia Gadallah Memorial Award for Humanism in Surgery, 2018
- Chairman's Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Resident, 2018
- Chairman's Award for Teaching, 2017
- GME Outstanding Resident Award, 2016
- David Wagner Memorial Scholarship in Chemistry, Moorpark College, 2005
Areas of Expertise
- Colorectal Surgery
- Laparoscopic Surgical Techniques
- Perioperative Outcome Analysis
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Epidemiology
- Neoadjuvant Therapy Efficacy
- Surgical Simulation Education
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management
Recent Publications
- Hasjim, B. J., Ostowari, A., Gandawidjaja, M., Mohammadi, M. D., Murphy, L. S.-L., Whealon, M. D., Vilchez, V., Ichii, H., Redfield, R., Eng, O. S., “De novo colorectal cancer after kidney transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis” (opens in new tab), British Journal of Cancer, vol. 132, no. 11, pp. 1010–1018, 2025.
- Purdy, A. C., Murphy, S., Vilchez, V., Shanmugan, S., Whealon, M., Mills, S., Carmichael, J. C., Stamos, M. J., Nguyen, N. T., “Outcomes of Colectomy and Proctectomy According to Surgeon Training: General vs Colorectal Surgeons” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American College of Surgeons, vol. 239, no. 1, pp. 42-49, 2024.
- Ali A, Lee WF, O'Leary MP, Whealon M, “Great Debates: Surgery or Watch and Wait After Total Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer” (opens in new tab), Am Surg, vol. 90, no. 10, pp. 2362-2366, 2024.
- Whealon MD, Paulson EC, “Benefit or bias: Using retrospective databases to evaluate efficacy of cancer treatments” (opens in new tab), Colorectal Dis, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 899-903, 2022.
- Erica Pettke, Matthew Whealon, Joshua I.S. Bleier, “Management of Premalignant and Malignant Neoplasms of the Anal Canal and Perianal Area”, Fischer's Mastery of Surgery, 8th Edition, Wolters Kluwer, pp. 1460-1469, 2021.
- Gambhir S, Inaba CS, Whealon M, Sujatha-Bhaskar S, Pejcinovska M, Nguyen NT, “Short- and long-term survival after laparoscopic versus open total gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma: a National database study” (opens in new tab), Surg Endosc, vol. 31, no. 9, pp. 3495, 2020.
- Gahagan JV, Whealon MD, Phelan MJ, Mills S, Jafari MD, Carmichael JC, Stamos MJ, Zell JA, Pigazzi A, “Improved survival with adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative chemoradiation regardless of pathologic response” (opens in new tab), Surgical Oncology, vol. 32, pp. 35-40, 2020.
- Chen SL, Kabutey N-K, Whealon MD, Kuo IJ, Donayre CE, Fujitani RM, “Locoregional Anesthesia Offers Improved Outcomes after Endovascular Repair of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms” (opens in new tab), Annals of Vascular Surgery, vol. 59, pp. 134-142, 2019.
- Sujatha-Bhaskar S, Whealon M, Inaba CS, Koh CY, Jafari MD, Mills S, Pigazzi A, Stamos MJ, Carmichael JC, “Laparoscopic loop ileostomy reversal with intracorporeal anastomosis is associated with shorter length of stay without increased direct cost” (opens in new tab), Surg Endosc, vol. 400, pp. 145-147, 2018.
- Maximus S, Figueroa C, Whealon M, Pham J, Kuncir E, Barrios C, “eFAST for Pneumothorax: Real-Life Application in an Urban Level 1 Center by Trauma Team Members”, Am Surg, vol. 84, no. 2, pp. 220-224, 2018.
- Chen SL, Kabutey N-K, Whealon MD, Kuo IJ, Fujitani RM, “Comparison of percutaneous versus open femoral cutdown access for endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms” (opens in new tab), Journal of Vascular Surgery, vol. 66, no. 5, pp. 1364-1370, 2017.
- Whealon MD, Gahagan JV, Sujatha-Bhaskar S, O'Leary MP, Selleck M, Dumitra S, Lee B, Senthil M, Pigazzi A, “Is Fecal Diversion Needed in Pelvic Anastomoses During Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)?” (opens in new tab), Ann Surg Oncol, 2017.
- Whealon MD, Blondet JJ, Gahagan JV, Phelan MJ, Nguyen NT, “Volume and outcomes relationship in laparoscopic diaphragmatic hernia repair” (opens in new tab), Surg Endosc, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 4409, 2017.
- Gahagan JV, Whealon MD, Phelan MJ, Mills S, Pigazzi A, Stamos MJ, Nguyen NT, Carmichael JC, “Lymph Node Positivity in Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma: Should Size Matter?” (opens in new tab), Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 2017.
- Alizadeh RF, Moghadamyeghaneh Z, Whealon MD, Hanna MH, Mills SD, Pigazzi A, Stamos MJ, Carmichael JC, “Body Mass Index Significantly Impacts Outcomes of Colorectal Surgery”, Am Surg, vol. 82, no. 10, pp. 930-935, 2016.
- Alizadeh RF, Hanna M, Moghadamyeghaneh Z, Whealon MD, Mills SD, Carmichael JC, Pigazzi A, Stamos MJ, “Evaluation of Open vs Laparoscopic Colectomy Resections in Stage IV Colon Cancer Patients: American College of Surgeons NSQIP Analysis”, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, vol. 223, no. 4, pp. e85, 2016.
- Gahagan JV, Maximus S, Whealon MD, Phelan MJ, Demirjian A, Joe VC, “Analysis of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography after Positive Intraoperative Cholangiogram: Is It Necessary?”, Am Surg, vol. 82, no. 10, pp. 985-988, 2016.
- Gahagan JV, Hanna MH, Whealon MD, Maximus S, Phelan MJ, Lekawa M, Barrios C, Bernal NP, “Racial Disparities in Access and Outcomes of Cholecystectomy in the United States”, Am Surg, vol. 82, no. 10, pp. 921-925, 2016.
- Whealon M, Vinci A, Pigazzi A, “Future of Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgery”, Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 221-231, 2016.
- Whealon MD, Moghadamyeghaneh Z, Carmichael JC, “Robotic ventral rectopexy”, Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 160-165, 2016.
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Last updated on 5/14/2026.