Matthews has published multiple policy recommendations pertaining to stem cell research, climate change, and health care.

She was the project director for the task force, Access to Health Care in Texas: Challenges of the Uninsured and Underinsured, from 2004 to 2006.

[2] Selected publications by Matthews include: Her work has been utilized by the National Institutes of Health and United States Congress in policymaking.

Matthews has served on the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 2003 and at the International Society for Stem Cell Research since 2007.

In 2010, Matthews was invited onto a national talk show to discuss stem cell policy hosted by Armstrong Williams.