Stacey Affeldt, DPT, alongside manager, Jeffrey Altizer, PT, proudly displays her plaque as the 2026 Patient and Family Choice Award winner for Vanderbilt Health Adult Ambulatory Clinics. (Photo by Donn Jones)
In her late 20s, Stacey Affeldt, DPT, was at a career crossroads.
She had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in her hometown and worked in communications and marketing for several years before moving to Nashville and shifting into wine and spirits retail sales and distribution. Then she got married and went on a six-month backpacking trip.
“We threw our lives into a storage unit and bought one-way tickets to Ireland,” Affeldt said. “It was during that trip that I thought, ‘What the heck do I want to do? I’ve done all these weird jobs, but I’ve always, always, always wanted to be a PT. I just never really had the confidence in myself to do it.’”
When they returned to Nashville, she took the prerequisite courses and exams and applied to physical therapy programs. She graduated from Tennessee State University with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2022; specialized in and began practicing pelvic health PT; and joined Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Therapy Nashville White Bridge in January 2025.
“Pelvic health PT is a field that I have completely fallen in love with and have become incredibly passionate about,” Affeldt said. “Not only can I help patients physically, but there’s a whole emotional and psychological aspect that goes with it. … I’m just so fascinated with the human body and how it functions. I feel like I’m in the right place, and I’m so glad I took that leap later in life to choose something that is really me at my core.”
For her dedication and care, Affeldt received the 2026 Patient and Family Choice Award for Vanderbilt Health Adult Ambulatory Clinics.
Nominations for the award are submitted by patients and families. The award honors employees from across Vanderbilt Health who act with compassion and excellence to provide an exceptional experience for patients and their families. This year, Vanderbilt Health’s patient and family advisory councils bestowed awards on six individuals from Vanderbilt University Hospital, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, Adult Ambulatory Clinics, Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital and Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital.
Pelvic health PT focuses on the pelvic cavity — everything between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor muscles, a “hammock” of muscles between the legs, Affeldt explained.
“Pelvic floor muscles function like any other muscle in the body to control bladder, bowel and sexual function,” she said. “Pelvic floor physical therapists are just like any other physical therapist; we just happen to specialize in a very intimate part of the body and a very important part of the body.”
Affeldt sees a wide range of patients, both women and men, who are experiencing chronic pelvic pain, urinary or bowel incontinence, constipation, prenatal or postnatal issues, side effects from cancer treatments, sexual dysfunction, or other issues.
“It is a very specialized field, and you have to be very cognizant that you’re not just dealing with the physical problem; you’re dealing with an entire person who has a whole life attached to what they’re going through,” Affeldt said.
A patient who nominated Affeldt wrote, “Stacey is an exceptional physical therapist and an even more exceptional human” who “takes the time to truly hear her patients, encourages questions, and thoughtfully addresses every concern. … I have learned so much under her care, and she ensures I understand not just what we are doing in therapy, but why it matters.”
The patient wrote that Affeldt was a source of support during a difficult time.
“She listened with compassion, allowed me space to share updates and emotions, and met those moments with kindness and empathy,” the patient wrote. “Stacey went far beyond what is expected of her role. She made it clear that she genuinely cares about her patients as people, not just as cases.”
“Stacey is so well deserving of this award,” said Jeff Altizer, DPT, Manager of Rehab Services at Vanderbilt Health. “There is barely a week that goes by that a patient does not leave glowing comments on a Press Ganey survey about the tremendous care they received from Stacey.”
Affeldt said she was surprised and “blown away” when she was presented with the Patient and Family Choice Award. “It meant a lot to be recognized for something I pour myself into every single day. It’s not an easy job. A lot of us in health care — we do this work to try to help make a difference in our community.”
