
Dr. Matt McCauley always wanted to be a doctor. Now as an assistant professor of emergency medicine, an intensivist and the associate medical director for UW’s hospital-based organ procurement organization, McCauley has built a career at the intersection of emergency and critical care.
His career has been shaped by a passion for solving complex problems, often under immense pressure, with teamwork and evidence-based medicine. “Emergency medicine teaches us to be masters of logistics,” McCauley says. “No other specialty trains you to triage, communicate across specialties, and do more for patients with less like emergency medicine does.”
McCauley’s path began at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he obtained his undergraduate degree before completing his medical training at Case Western Reserve University and emergency medicine residency at Northwestern Medicine. The specialty’s variety and intensity drew him in: handling trauma, heart attacks, strokes, and a range of critical conditions across all demographics. “Emergency medicine offers the best 15 minutes of every other specialty,” he says.
This interdisciplinary nature led McCauley to pursue a critical care fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, where he gained hands-on experience managing ICU cases, including mechanical circulatory support and trauma care. Throughout his training, he remained deeply committed to teaching, finding fulfillment in guiding young clinicians. “Teaching residents to manage complex physiology and become leaders in the emergency department is something that energizes me every shift,” he says.
McCauley’s hands-on approach isn’t just confined to teaching moments. One of his proudest moments came when a patient he had helped intubate, cannulate for ECMO, and manage through weeks of ICU recovery walked into his commercial gym for cardiac rehabilitation. “You don’t always get to see the impact like that, but when you do, it’s really special.”
His dedication to improving patient care extends beyond direct clinical work. McCauley has focused on improving transitions between the emergency department and ICU, as well as developing simulation-based curricula. Being at an academic medical center like the UW Hospitals and Clinics allows him to work on enhancing echocardiography, resuscitation techniques and other critical emergency procedures.
Through his role with UW Organ and Tissue Donation, McCauley is reminded of the compassion that drives his work. The program is dedicated to maximizing the life-saving potential of organ and tissue transplants while honoring the generosity of donors and their families.
Outside of the hospital, McCauley finds balance with his family, embracing life as a new father to an infant son. “Safeguarding time with my family to create memories, even during a busy week, is always worth it,” he says. His dog, a 55-pound Samoyed named Bascom—after the UW’s famous Bascom Hill—also keeps him grounded. “He’s like a living stuffed animal,” McCauley jokes, adding that if Bascom were a doctor, he’d be a pediatrician because of his gentle nature and popularity with kids.
As McCauley reflects on his career, he remains driven by a commitment to both learning and teaching. “Every day brings a new challenge, a new lesson,” he says. Whether in the emergency department, ICU or presenting at a national conference, his goals are simple: make an impact, be a good teammate and inspire the next generation of physicians.