Dr. Matthew Stewart graduated from the University of Sydney in 1985, then stayed at Sydney Uni to complete an internship and large animal residency under the mentorship of Dr. David Hutchins.

After three years in equine private practice, Matthew enrolled in Cornell University Veterinary College’s PhD program, graduating in 1999 with a dissertation focused on regulation of growth plate chondrocyte differentiation.

For the following four years, Matthew joined the Orthopaedics Department at Case Western Reserve University where he developed his research program and provided surgical expertise in a range of orthopaedic animal models.

In 2003, Matthew moved to Veterinary College at the University of Illinois and is now Professor of Large Animal Surgery and FARMS section head. Dr. Stewart’s research addresses musculoskeletal cell phenotypic regulation as this relates to disease progression and repair. This has included studies on chondrocyte endochondral ossification, articular chondrocyte cell cycle regulation, tendon repair and equine stem cell biology. In recent years, Matthew’s research has focused on regulation of periosteal progenitor cell chondro- and osteo-genesis, in the context of callus formation and maturation. In March 2026, Matthew became the President of the VOS.