About Dr. Partrick
Medical Director, Southern Ocean Medical Center (SOMC) Institute
for Diving Medicine
Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine, Southern Ocean Medical
Center.
Matthew S. Partrick, M.D. is one of only two fellowship trained
hyperbaric and diving physicians in New Jersey and he operates the
only program solely dedicated to diving medicine in the state as
well as one of the very few on the entire east coast. His clinic is
located at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, New Jersey,
in close proximity to Long Beach Island and Atlantic City.
Dr. Partrick started his career at Washington and Lee University in
Lexington, V.A., where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of
Science in Biology. He then went on to Wake Forest University School
of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to earn his Doctor of
Medicine. While at Wake Forest, Matthew was a member of the Alpha
Epsilon Delta Honor Society, 1997-1999, received the Richard Myers
Surgical Merit Award for outstanding achievement in general surgery
during the 2003 academic year and was published in the May 2001
edition of Fertility and Sterility for an article he co-wrote,
“Anonymous Oocyte donations: a follow-up questionnaire”.
After earning his medical degree, Dr. Partrick spent two years at
North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as
a general surgery resident. In July 2004, Matthew received first
place in a resident paper competition given by the North Carolina
division of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma for
his work on “A Practical Application of Practice-Based Learning:
Development of an Algorithm for Empiric Antibiotic Coverage in
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia”, which appeared in the Journal of
Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care. In September 2004, he
received second place in a resident paper competition given by the
American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Region Four. Dr.
Partrick also completed a 40-hour initial training course in
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine at Palmetto Richland Hospital in
Columbia, South Carolina
After leaving North Carolina, Dr. Partrick spent the next three
years at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey
where he completed his residency in emergency medicine. In 2007, Dr.
Partrick was named Chief Resident for the 2007-2008 year. As a part
of this honor, Matthew served on the Atlantic Health System
Residency Committee. In 2007, Dr. Partrick qualified as a NAUI open
water diver with approximately 30 dives. In 2008, he obtained the
NAUI Nitrox certification and, in 2009, the NAUI dry suit
certification. Lastly, Dr. Partrick has qualified for both the
Diving Medical Examiner Function and Diving Medical Officer Function
given by the Penn Hyperbaric unit (2008-2009). Just before coming to
work at Southern Ocean Medical Center, Dr. Partrick worked at the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Institute of
Environmental Medicine in the Department of Hyperbaric Medicine in
Philadelphia, PA.
Over the last few years, Dr. Partrick has prepared extensive
research on seasonal variations of incidence of carbon monoxide
poisoning, a multicenter retrospective review of all cases of carbon
monoxide poisoning presenting to various hospitals in the northeast
United States over a seven year period. His findings confirm
suspicions that in a temperate climate, incidence of carbon monoxide
poison increases in winter months coinciding with increased use and
subsequent exposure to poorly ventilated indoor heating elements.
The research findings are presented in an article entitled: “Monthly
Variations in the Diagnosis of Carbon Monoxide Exposures in the
Emergency Department”, which has been accepted by the Journal of
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine and was published in the most
recent issue of Journal of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.
Some of Dr. Partrick’s most recent research involves the use of
transcutaneous oximetry (TCOM) and its role in risk stratification
for patients with Wagner III-V lower extremity wounds. His goal is
to measure real-time TCOM during hyperbaric oxygen therapy and
develop integrated area-under-curve measurements that further
delineate total oxygen dose and its role as a surrogate outcome
measure. His research entitled “Computer Based Analysis of
Transcutaneous Oximetry May Augment Evaluation of Patients
Undergoing Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy” was presented at the Undersea
and Hyperbaric Medical Society 2009 meeting in Las Vegas. In
addition, Dr. Partrick also contributes regularly to the ACEP
Hyperbaric Newsletter.
Aside from publishing his research, Dr. Partrick has also been
well-received at numerous speaking engagements all over the
tri-state area for varying topics. Dr. Partrick has participated in
Morristown Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Medicine Conference where
he spoke on topics such as an Introduction to Hyperbaric Medicine
(January 2006), Morbidity and Mortality Conference (June 2006),
Radiologic Evaluation of Cervical Spine Injuries (October 2007),
Monthly Variations in the Diagnosis of Carbon Monoxide Exposures In
the Emergency Department (March 2008) and Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning—Pathophysiology and Treatment with Hyperbaric Oxygen (July
28th, 2009), where he was the grand rounds keynote speaker. Lectures
for the Institute for the Environmental Medicine Educational
Conference include Carbon Monoxide Poisoning—Pathophysiology and
Treatment with Hyperbaric Oxygen (October 2008), Decompression
Illness and Gas Embolism in Hyperbaric Medicine (February 2009) and
Transcutaneous Oximetry and Its Role in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
(May 2009). He has also spoken about Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
pathophysiology and treatment with Hyperbaric Oxygen at the
Philadelphia Joint Emergency Medicine Residency Toxicology Day
(April 2009) and on the topic of Diving Medicine for the
Recreational Diver at the South Jersey Dive Club Monthly Meeting
(May 2009) and the New Jersey Dive Council Monthly Meeting (May
2009).
Dr. Partrick is a member of the American Medical Association
(2003-present), National Association of Underwater Instructors
(2007-present), Divers Alert Network (2007-present), American
College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) (2008-present), Secretary of
the ACEP Hyperbaric Medicine Subcommittee (2008-present), Dive
Medical Officer and member of Scientific Dive Control Board National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—National Undersea Research
Program Mid Atlantic Bight (2008-present), Advanced Cardiac Life
Support (ACLS) (June 2008), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
(May 2008), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) (June 2004), New
Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners (April 2008), New Jersey
Division Consumer Affairs Controlled Drug Substances Registration
(Oct 2008) and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency
Practitioner Registration (June 2008).
Recently, Dr. Partrick was named one of NJBiz’s ‘40 Under 40’ for
2009. He also completed a fellowship in Undersea and Hyperbaric
Medicine at the University Of Pennsylvania’s Institute for
Environmental Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He currently
works at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, New Jersey as
an attending physician in emergency medicine. He is also the medical
director of the Institute for Diving Medicine, located at Southern
Ocean Medical Center.
In July and August of 2009, Dr. Partrick volunteered his time by
serving as the diving medical officer for the Texas A&M University’s
Institute of Nautical Archeology while traveling with them on an
expedition to Kizilburun, Turkey. For the past several years, the
INA has focused its efforts on excavating a 1st century B.C. Roman
Shipwreck off the coast of Kizilburun. There, team archeologists
employ open circuit SCUBA gear with staged oxygen decompression
dives to further their scientific research. Dr. Partrick provided
routine medical care for each team diver, as well as administered
emergency medical care for any potential diving emergency.