Legacy Society Spotlight: Nancy Byl’s Gift to the Profession That Impacted Her Personal and Professional Life

For Nancy Byl, PT, MPH, PhD, FAPTA, physical therapy has been more than a career; it’s a personal and professional journey shaped by resilience, gratitude, and a deep belief in the power of research. Over the course of her 60-year career, Nancy has worked as a clinician, educator, and researcher, helping transform the field while also navigating her own family’s complex medical needs.

Nancy with family members, including one of her seven grandchildren.

Now, she’s chosen to give back to the profession in a way that reflects the impact it’s had throughout her own life. Nancy and her husband, Frederick (Fred) Byl, MD, thoughtfully planned their estate with their family in mind. As part of these conversations, Nancy was clear in her desire to designate the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research as the beneficiary of one of her retirement accounts. Her family fully supports this decision and understands it as a reflection of her lifelong dedication to the profession.

“It was important to me that this account go to the Foundation,” she says. “This is something I feel deeply connected to. My family understands that. They know how important this profession has been to me.”

Throughout her journey, physical therapy research has guided Nancy’s decision making in numerous ways. She earned her PhD while raising three children, including a daughter who developed intractable seizures after contracting meningitis. Nancy turned to research to understand more about neuroplasticity, interdisciplinary care, and how to advocate for her daughter. “Despite consultants recommending she be institutionalized, I was determined to find another way. My daughter was eventually able to get out of bed, and today, she’s celebrating her 30th anniversary. One of her children even became a physical therapist.”

Nancy with family members.

Nancy’s dedication to physical therapy research and advocating for her family grew stronger after a life-changing moment in her husband’s career. An avid outdoorsman and prominent ear surgeon, Fred had an accident during a hunting trip when a gun misfired due to improper cleaning, shooting him through the hand. He was faced with a choice: lose a finger or undergo an extensive recovery process to preserve his surgical dexterity.

“I knew how important his hands were to him and his patients,” Nancy recalls. “As a PT, I had the knowledge to advocate for a path that would give him the best chance at a full recovery.” With the right physical therapy and time, Fred was able to return to surgery. “That experience reinforced everything I knew about the importance of rehabilitation,” she shares.

Nancy has been a tireless advocate not just for her family, but for the profession itself. She helped transition UCSF’s PT program from a bachelor’s to a doctoral program, co-developed a DPTSci degree, and conducted pioneering research in focal dystonia that helped shift the way clinicians understand brain plasticity. She is quick to credit the many people and institutions that helped shape her journey, including APTA, the leadership at UCSF, her mentors, and her family, all of whom enriched her love for physical therapy and supported her path as a leader and innovator. That love, she says, helped her meet several life-changing personal and family challenges. It also fueled her drive to elevate the visibility and respect of physical therapy within one of the country’s top academic health centers and inspired her daughter, niece, and granddaughter to enter the field.

But for Nancy, giving back isn’t about recognition. “When I’m gone, I don’t need anyone to remember my name,” she says. “This gift isn’t about the size of the account, it’s about making sure the Foundation continues to grow. I hope others see that too. The profession cannot survive without research. It’s the foundation of our care, our progress, and our future.”

Nancy with the Foundation’s 2025 Board of Trustees.

She also hopes that others who’ve built a meaningful career in physical therapy will consider naming the Foundation as a beneficiary on their accounts. “We’ve been given so much through this profession. Now we have a chance to give something back that will shape its future,” she emphasizes. This kind of gift, she believes, is about setting up the next generation for success, and making sure that research remains the foundation of the profession. With her legacy gift, Nancy is helping ensure that future researchers and clinicians have the support they need to carry the profession forward, just as it helped carry her.