Dr. Cynthia Mathis

ADVISORY BOARD and CONSULTANT ON DEI: Dr. Cynthia Mathis is a Board Certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist and the current Clinical Chief for the Department. She completed her training at the UCLA/VA program, and then was proud to be recruited immediately to begin working on staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. During her time at Cedars she has been both a leader and faculty working with teams of Residents and Medical students on the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. Cedars-Sinai, with its historical roots in inclusion, is where she has always felt a sense of belonging. The emphasis on delivery of the best care to all patients surrounded by professionals committed to access to state of the art treatment continues to be both inspiring and energizing.

Her medical practice dossier is multi-faceted and includes her role as Medical Director of the Transitional Care Unit, a Faculty position at the Pain Center, many contributions related to Program development and Community Lectures, and growth of a successful private practice. Most recently, she assisted in staffing the new California Rehabilitation Institute where she also helped guide the organization by completing a Leadership research project which identified reasons for readmissions to the acute medical center and opportunities for improvement. She continues to provide lectures to Residents and to Mentor Junior Attendings. As Clinical Chief she is dedicated to fostering engagement, resiliency, and professional satisfaction. She is also a proud active participant of the Physician Well-Being Committee and the Health Equity Council.

Dr. Mathis committed to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion and Health Equity efforts. For many years, she was the only African-American Physician in her department. As the spouse of an African- American physician and mother to three teenage children of color she lives the issues of DEI. She is passionate about sharing her insights, ideas, and fostering a supportive community for physicians of color as well as promoting health equity. She believes much of the work begins with enriching our knowledge of the unique challenges of BIPOC and, by doing so, fostering empathy and compassion

Medical Professional, DEI Training, Mentorship, Community Leadership, Health Equity, Physician Well-Being, Lifestyle Medicine, Musculoskeletal Medicine with expertise in management of Myofascial Pain and non-operative treatments.

Dr. Mathis graduated from Hahnemann University College of Medicine and earned her medical degree in 1992. She graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Kinesiology. She completed her Residency Training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the UCLA/VA Program. She is a trained dancer and was a member of dance companies including the Bob Banas Dance Company and was the recipient of the Debbie Reynolds Dance Scholarship during her formative years. She continues to enjoy dance to maintain her own wellness.

• Medical Executive Committee- Voting Member, Cedars-Sinai.
• Leadership Development Program Graduate, Cedars-Sinai.
• Advanced Leadership Development Program Participant, Cedars-Sinai.
• Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Leadership Task Force.
• “The Impact of Segregation on the Health and Wellness of Black People, Hospital wide presentation, Cedars-Sinai, August, 2021.
• Recipient of Golden Apple Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching, UCLA/VA Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
• Numerous lectures given to Residents and Medical Students, Cedars-Sinai, David Geffen School of Medicine, and UCLA/VA Residency Program.