What I Enjoy – Matthew Allen
January 2026…
Matthew Allen, MD
Occupation: Oncologist, Valor Oncology
What do you enjoy most about living in the North State?
The good people, community and the outdoors.
Family: Wife – Janet Carter, PharmD, MSHM and two pups, Lyon and Hugo
How long have you lived in the North State? 16 years
If you weren’t in medicine, what career do you think you’d be in?
A college professor teaching physics or economics.
What song instantly puts you in a good mood?
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.
When you travel, do you prefer big cities, small towns, beaches or mountains?
Beaches – especially the beaches along the coast of California and Oregon.
What hobby or pastime brings you the most happiness?
Sailing and photography.
Do you have a favorite inspirational quote or mantra that keeps you grounded?
Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts – Winston Churchill.
What’s something you learned recently that fascinated you?
I was fascinated to learn that astronauts actually get a little taller in space—up to about two inches—because gravity isn’t compressing their spine. As a radiation oncologist, I spend a lot of time thinking about millimeters in scans, so the idea of casually gaining two inches feels almost like science fiction. Sadly, the effect goes away when they come back to Earth, so I guess I’ll stick to regular shoes instead of space boots.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Just do the next right thing.” Medicine can feel overwhelming—you’re juggling complex decisions, limited information and real lives. That advice reminds me I don’t have to solve everything at once. If I can focus on the next conversation, the next decision, the next small act of kindness, things usually move in the right direction.
If you could have dinner with any fictional character (from books, movies, or TV), who would you choose and what would you ask them?
I’d probably pick an unlikely duo: Dana Scully from The X-Files and Paddington Bear. From Scully, a physician and scientist, I’d want to know how she walks that line between healthy skepticism and staying open to the unexpected—something we do often in oncology. From Paddington, I’d ask how he keeps leading with kindness, even when people don’t make it easy. If you could mix Scully’s clear-eyed logic with Paddington’s quiet optimism, you’d have exactly the kind of attitude I’d like to bring into the clinic every day.
What’s one thing on your bucket list that you are determined to check off someday? Watch an NFL game in every stadium (there’s 30 of them!).
