When Patricia “Patti” Matsuda, PT, DPT, PhD ’10, was young, a diving accident changed her cousin’s life — and helped shape the course of her own.

Her cousin was seriously injured in the 1950s, when rehabilitation medicine was still a young and developing specialty. Matsuda witnessed the physical and emotional toll on both her cousin and her uncle, who cared for his son without modern wheelchairs, assistive technology or support systems.

“I saw how hard it was,” Matsuda says. “I saw the struggle of the families. I wanted to be part of the solution for people like him and for the people who loved them.”

When a neighbor graduated from one of the first physical therapy classes at the University of Washington (UW), Matsuda saw a path toward doing just that.

Choosing a career built on connection

Matsuda considered both medicine and physical therapy but chose physical therapy because it offered what she valued most: time with patients and the opportunity to build lasting relationships.

After earning her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from UW in 1982, Matsuda built a career spanning clinical practice, teaching and research. She joined the UW Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as a clinical instructor in 1985 and worked as a physical therapist at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Her connection to the UW deepened when she returned as a student, joining the inaugural cohort of the UW School of Medicine Rehabilitation Science PhD program and earning her PhD in 2010. The program celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026, adding another milestone to Matsuda’s long connection to the UW. She went on to become an associate professor, focusing on improving rehabilitation care and preparing future physical therapists to do the same.

For Matsuda, the work was always about serving others.

“I enjoy working with people and getting to know them for who they are,” she says. “To be able to help people is one of the greatest privileges in life.”

Her research also reflected that value. Over the course of her career, Matsuda published peer-reviewed manuscripts and presented research on fall prevention, aging, care for people with disabilities and neurologic rehabilitation.

When asked what has brought her the most joy, however, Matsuda points to her students.

Taking physical therapy into the community

As director of service learning for the physical therapy program, Matsuda helped students put that commitment to people into practice. She built partnerships across the region that gave Doctor of Physical Therapy students opportunities to serve their communities, from fall-prevention screenings at Seattle/King County Clinic to work with the Spinal Cord Injury Transitions and Wellness Program at Harborview Medical Center.

She also helped grow a pro bono partnership with Hillman City Clinic in South Seattle, which primarily serves members of the Vietnamese community. There, students work alongside faculty, alumni and interpreters to care for people who do not have insurance or have exhausted their benefits.

Now in its fourth year, the partnership reflects a belief that has guided Matsuda throughout her career: Care should be accessible to the people who need it.

“With healthcare in its current state, many people do not have access to care,” she says. “We need to be there for them as much as possible.”

That commitment was recognized in 2026, when Matsuda received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from the UW Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity.

A legacy for the next generation

For Matsuda, some of the greatest rewards have come from watching her students find their own ways to make a difference. Her former students now lead clinics, teach and mentor other physical therapists, pursue specialized areas of practice and bring their skills back to their own communities.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to encourage my students and show them how to make an impact,” Matsuda says. “They do not have to wait to make a difference.”

“Patti has long embodied the best of our profession as a teacher, mentor and advocate,” says associate teaching professor Laura Johnstone, MPT, PhD. “Her ability to connect people and build community has shaped generations of physical therapists, and her impact will continue through her students and the communities they serve.”

That impact is a fitting legacy for a career built around relationships — with patients, students, colleagues and communities. But Matsuda is quick to point out that those relationships have shaped her, too.

“Every person I have had the privilege of working with, whether patients, clients, families, care providers or students, has left an indelible mark on my life, impacting me in ways they may never fully realize. I am truly grateful for each one.”

Written by Nicole Beattie