Biography

Matthew Sun, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in the treatment of meningiomas, skull base tumors including pituitary tumors, gliomas, brain metastases, and other brain tumors. He offers treatment through all modalities, including conventional open cranial surgery, endoscopic minimally invasive surgery, and radiosurgery.

Dr. Sun earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed a residency in neurological surgery at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and gained advanced training through a combined cerebrovascular and skull base fellowship at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital.

He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2023.

Dr. Sun’s research focuses on developing novel immunotherapies for meningiomas. He wants to understand the immune microenvironment of malignant meningiomas and develop targeted immunotherapy regimens incorporating adoptive T cell therapy. His goal is to develop a brain tumor immunotherapy program and conduct clinical trials to test new immunotherapies for meningiomas.

His research has been supported by various grants and ongoing support through the UT Southwestern Clinical Scholars Program. He has authored more than 50 publications on neurosurgery, delivered podium presentations at national neuro-oncology and neurosurgery conferences, and contributed to the textbook Youmans and Winn Neurological Surgery.

His research on meningioma immunotherapy won the Best Basic Science Research Award at the 2021 Western Neurosurgical Society Meeting, as well as the Synaptic Preuss Brain Tumor Research Award at the 2022 American Association of Neurological Surgeons Meeting.

Personal Note

When he’s not at work, Dr. Sun enjoys traveling, playing simulated racing, watching Formula 1, playing the violin, going to the gym, and hiking.

Education & Training
  • Residency - University of California Los Angeles (2015-2022)
  • Fellowship - University of Miami (2022-2023), Combined Cerebrovascular and Skullbase
  • Medical School - University of California (San Francisco)
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • Congress of Neurological Surgeons
  • Society for Neuro-Oncology
Honors & Awards
  • Synaptic Preuss Research Award 2022, American Association of Neurological Surgeons Meeting
  • Best Basic Science Research Award 2021, Western Neurosurgical Society Meeting
  • Silver Award, Resident Research Symposium 2020, University of California, Los Angeles
  • Resident Award for Academic Excellence 2019, University of California, Los Angeles, Neurosurgery Department
Books & Publications
  • Books
    • Brain tumor immunology and immunotherapy in Youmans and Winn Neurological Surgery (8th ed.)
      Uy B, Sun MZ, Everson RG, Liau LM (2022), Elsevier
Research
  • Meningiomas
  • Brain tumor immunotherapy
  • Adoptive T cell therapy

Clinical Focus

  • Meningiomas
  • Skull Base Tumors
  • Pituitary Tumors
  • Brain Metastases
  • Gliomas and Other Brain Tumors

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Matthew Sun, M.D.

Dr. Sun talks about his approach to patient care.