Contact
matthew.schmitz@unitypoint.org
About
Matt Schmitz, CSCS, CES, AFT, is the Manager of the Nassif Community Cancer Center. He has been with the cancer center for nearly two decades and has also served as Physical and Integrative Wellness Program Manager and Cancer Exercise Specialist. He graduated with a degree in Sports Medicine and Community and Commercial Recreation from the University of Iowa and graduated from the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute at the University of Northern Colorado.
Matt chose to become a cancer exercise specialist because he always loved sports and he wanted to help people during one of the most difficult times of their lives. “Cancer is something that affects people in so many ways. Physically, socially, spiritually and emotionally,” he says. “Exercise and integrative wellness can give people a sense of empowerment when it feels like much of their power has been taken away.”
Matt is motivated each day by his patients. He loves having the opportunity to help them and strives to provide them with empathy, compassion and the highest quality of care. His clinical interests include cancer and exercise rehabilitation. When asked to describe the care he provides his patients, Schmitz said, “If a patient were to describe me, I hope the words they would use are caring, committed, knowledgeable, respectful, funny and a good listener.”
His message to patients is, “I am always there for them. It doesn’t matter if it’s the day of the diagnosis or 15 years after treatment, I connect with all my patients on a personal level.”
In his free time Matt enjoys spending time with his wife, three kids and two dogs. He still has a passion for sports, but has hung up his own cleats and now enjoys it through his kids.
Education
- Sports Medicine, Community and Commercial Recreation University of Iowa
- Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute – University of Northern Colorado
Credentials
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
- Cancer Exercise Specialist
- Arthritis Foundation Trainer