For Matt Civilette ‘18, M.D., Medicine is the Mission

Matt Civilette ‘18, M.D., runs into his patients in some seemingly unlikely places. Civilette may be walking through an imposing aircraft hanger bay and see someone he has cared for perched atop a U.S. Navy jet, performing maintenance on the bird, or making his way through a chow line in search of lunch, and hear a friendly “Hey, Doc!” shouted through the crowd. Dozens of these kinds of interactions take place every day aboard a 100,000-ton vessel sailing across the Pacific Ocean, carrying American service members to their next deployment.

Civilette is a flight surgeon assigned to Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17), stationed in San Diego, California, and attached to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. The Fredonia, New York, native and Class II Naval Aviator says that his job is not unlike that of the team doctor for the Buffalo Bills. Instead of determining whether a player is healthy enough to take the field, he ensures that the nation’s pilots are a formidable, medically ready fighting force.

The Le Moyne alumnus is deeply integrated into this community. He has gone through extensive training to ensure that he understands the unique needs of his patients, whose work is both dangerous and critical to preserving the nation’s security. Like nearly all physicians, he holds clinics and responds to emergencies; he diagnoses illnesses and injuries and designs treatment plans. However, Civilette has also spent time training with the squadron at TOPGUN in Fallon, Nevada, and spent 77 consecutive days at sea aboard an aircraft carrier. The latter are certainly not claims that every doctor can make.

Civilette earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Le Moyne and his medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He credits both institutions with teaching him not just about the biology, chemistry and physiology he relies on every day, but how to connect with others. His mentors include Le Moyne faculty members Darryl Caterine, Ph.D., and Anirban Achayra, Ph.D., who taught him about the importance of being centered and that the best questions are those without an obvious answer. Civilette says that it is thanks to his Ignatian education that he is able to see each person in front of him, not a diagnosis or set of symptoms, but as a fully formed human being.

“At the end of the day, I feel like I’m able to connect with my patients,” he says. “Medicine is called a science, but I think it’s much more often an art, and the art is in figuring out what a person is really asking for and what he or she needs. I’m not just a physician. I’m also a care provider, whether it’s emotional, spiritual or physical.”

Civilette’s time with CVW-17 is drawing to a close. This spring, he will be matched with a residency in anesthesiology somewhere in the United States. He does not yet know where, but he is looking forward to this next challenge. He thinks that his work as a flight surgeon makes specializing in anesthesiology a natural next step. After all, it has been compared to flying a plane. The two most critical elements are “take off” (putting a patient to sleep) and “landing” (waking him or her up). In between, the most important thing is ensuring that the patient has a smooth journey. 

Still, there are things that Civilette will undoubtedly miss about being a flight surgeon. 

“There is no more beautiful sight than a starry night on an aircraft carrier when you’re in the middle of the South China Sea with utter darkness and beautiful starscapes surrounding you,” he says.  

Civilette took part in the HPSP scholarship, Health Professions Scholarship Program, which provides financial support to those pursuing an advanced medical degree who agree to provide four years of service in the Army, Air Force or Navy.