Vascular Care
Putting patients at the center of vascular care
Matthew Corriere, MD, is changing the approach to vascular surgery to place patients' values and preferences front and center.
December 22, 2025
By Ashley Rabinovitch, Contributing Writer Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
During the COVID-19 lockdown of March 2020, Teresa Rice stayed active by taking a daily walk around the neighborhood with her brother. She began to notice an ache in one gluteal muscle that went away when she stopped walking. Over time, the ache spread to both legs and radiated downward.
By 2024, she had constant pain after walking only a few dozen steps. Her job at a warehouse, which involved frequent heavy lifting, only increased the pain. Her primary care physician suspected a back issue, but steroid shots never provided any relief. Eventually, she underwent a vascular ultrasound that indicated a 75% blockage in blood flow to her legs. Based on the results, she was referred to Matthew Corriere, MD, who had joined The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as the director of the Division of Vascular Surgery in early 2024.
After having Rice complete a walking exercise test, Dr. Corriere diagnosed her with peripheral artery disease (PAD), a common circulatory disorder in which narrowed or blocked arteries restrict blood flow to the legs and cause significant pain and weakness during movement.
“I had searched for answers for so long, and this was the first time someone could actually pinpoint what was wrong,” Rice says.
“Dr. Corriere was so kind and encouraging that I started to feel hopeful,” Rice adds.
Discovering a niche in vascular surgery
Dr. Corriere specializes in treating patients with a broad range of conditions impacting their blood vessels, from aortic aneurysm and renal artery obstruction to PAD and carotid artery diseases. Using techniques informed by his research, he performs minimally invasive procedures, and open surgeries, that give hope and renewed freedom to patients like Rice, who have often suffered for years without answers.
A Georgia native, Dr. Corriere is the son of a nurse who demonstrated the lifelong impact that skilled medical teams can make in the life of a patient. He attended medical school with a plan to become a primary care physician before a vascular surgery rotation set him on a new course. In vascular surgery, he discovered a varied, rewarding field that combines diagnostic challenges and interesting procedures with long-term patient relationships. It was everything he was looking for and more.
After confirming his interest in vascular surgery during residency, he plunged into the world of research. He quickly gravitated toward clinical research, which directly involves patients in developing new drugs, devices and treatments.
“I have always enjoyed the process of identifying an important question and figuring out how to answer it,” he says. “Today, I carry around a list of research ideas wherever I go. I have more ideas than I could pursue in a lifetime, but I love that.”
After confirming his interest in vascular surgery during residency, he plunged into the world of research. He quickly gravitated toward clinical research, which directly involves patients in developing new drugs, devices and treatments.
“I have always enjoyed the process of identifying an important question and figuring out how to answer it,” he says. “Today, I carry around a list of research ideas wherever I go. I have more ideas than I could pursue in a lifetime, but I love that.”
The best treatment is prevention.
