Activity Director/Faculty

Tracey A. Dechert, MD, FACS
Chair, Massachusetts Committee on Trauma
Chief of Acute Care and Trauma Surgery, Boston Medical Center
Associate Professor of Surgery, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Tracey A. Dechert, MD, is Chief of Acute Care and Trauma Surgery at Boston Medical Center (BMC). She is also an associate professor of Surgery at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Appointed Chief in 2022, Dr. Dechert is the first woman to be named Surgical Trauma Chief at a Level 1 adult trauma center in Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA and Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Dechert completed her residency in General Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA and her fellowship in the Department of Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. 

Dr. Dechert’s research interests include injury prevention; health services research including social determinants of trauma, surgical equity and advocacy; and surgical education. In 2014, Dr. Dechert’s passions and interests led her to create Socially Responsible Surgery (SRS), an organization which identifies opportunities and fosters engagement in leadership, research and collaboration in the training, development and promotion of surgeons committed to surgical equity. The topic of surgical equity falls under a broader recognition that social responsibility and social accountability need increased attention in medicine. This includes equal access to surgical care, eliminating healthcare disparities and increasing patient advocacy. SRS is committed to their local community as well as advocating for change in underserved communities nationally and internationally. SRS also empowers medical students, residents, and faculty to combine their interest in surgery with this commitment. Since its founding, SRS has expanded to include chapters at institutions across the country. 

Actors

Anne K. Buck, MS
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University School of Public Health

Anne K. Buck, MS, is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Health Law, Policy & Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. Her research sits at the intersection of trauma surgery and social justice, with a focus on firearm injury prevention and gun policy at both the state and national levels. She serves as the Resident Advocacy Chair for the founding chapter of Socially Responsible Surgery at Boston Medical Center and is completing her dissertation on the expansion of Massachusetts’ red flag laws to include clinician petitioners—a project funded by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Anne earned her BA in Philosophy with a concentration in Bioethics from Georgia State University and her MS in Clinical Research from the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, where she is now the Academic Program Manager for the MSCR program and an instructor in research ethics.

Matthew S. Goldfinger, DO
Pediatric Neurologist, Boston Children's Hospital

Matthew S. Goldfinger, DO is a Child Neurologist at Boston Children's Hospital and Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He completed his pediatrics training in Texas and child neurology training in Boston. He now specializes in adult and pediatric behavioral neurology and brain-mind-body disorders. In addition to his medical career, Dr. Goldfinger is a stage actor and director, blending his clinical expertise with a passion for performance and communication.

Rajapillai Pillai, MD, PhD
Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Fellow, Boston Children's Hospital

Rajapillai (Raja) Pillai is in his final year of training in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at Boston Children's Hospital. His clinical and research interests involve the intersection between neurologic and psychiatric illness in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have difficulty expressing themselves. He is the current chair of the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee on Violence Intervention and Prevention, having joined in 2021 with the goal of helping to address trauma in minimally verbal individuals.