Matthews has a Ph.D. in the History of Science and Medicine and has taught these subjects at a number of colleges and universities in the United States. In 2001-2002, he was a DeWitt Stetten Jr. Memorial Fellow in the History of Biomedical Sciences and Technology at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. His research focuses on the history of statistical reasoning as a way to illustrate the role of chance, uncertainty, and risk in both the scientific and public policy arenas, with a particular focus on biomedical research and health care policy. In 1995, he published a book on statistical reasoning in 19th and 20th century medicine under the title Quantification and the Quest for Medical Certainty, which has been translated into Spanish. In addition to his historical training, he has Masters degrees in both public policy and public health.