Matthew Debo, DO, is a palliative care doctor who specializes in providing medical care to individuals with serious illnesses.
He was drawn to his specialty field during his internship at Geisinger Health in Pennsylvania when he was under the mentorship of a palliative care physician. Working with patients who were critically, seriously or chronically ill allowed him to see the medical field in a new light and recognize the value of providing compassionate care when someone’s health problems aren’t fixable.
After finding his niche, Dr. Debo went on to pursue a fellowship in hospice and palliative care and later served as an associate program director for Hospice and Palliative Medicine for Penn State Health at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
With attentive listening and a warm and empathetic bedside manner, Dr. Debo strives to fully understand each of his patients and their circumstances. This involves not just their medical ailments, but the realities of their day-to-day living, including the challenges they face and who surrounds and helps support them. He considers this an important first step in working to minimize the health burdens his patients and their families carry and improve their quality of life.
In providing the full spectrum of palliative care services, Dr. Debo gives medical treatment and guidance that reduces patients’ symptoms and pain and helps them live more comfortably with their condition. He also educates home caregivers so they can be an integral part of care plans. Knowing that his work can lessen suffering for patients and families and make their lives a little better is what sustains Dr. Debo in his daily work.
When he’s not working, Dr. Debo enjoys spending time with his wife—also a Bayhealth physician—their young son and dogs. He also likes to collect old video game components and build old arcade machines, and he is a huge fan of the Philadelphia Flyers.
