Our Team

Dr. Julie Baron is the Director of MTI’s Pelvic Health & Performance Center. She received her BA in Biological Sciences in 2005 from Colby College in Maine and earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2009 from Rutgers University in New Jersey. During her professional training she received multiple awards for excellence in academics, research, leadership, and community service. After starting her career in her home state of New Jersey, Julie relocated to Washington in 2012 where she pursued her love of sports and orthopedics at Proliance Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation and PHENIX Physical Therapy & Personal Wellness. 

Julie’s interest in orthopedics is fueled by her experience as a competitive tennis and softball player. Her passion for physical therapy and her deep empathy for her clients comes from her own experience working through decades of chronic pain and multiple leg surgeries. When she became a mother of two, she discovered her interest in both prenatal and postpartum care, as she struggled with her own orthopedic issues and pelvic pain during her pregnancies. Her first pregnancy resulted in an unexpectedly traumatic labor and delivery complicated by pre-eclampsia. Her second pregnancy was complicated by a separated symphysis pubis and severe pelvic pain that persisted into the postpartum period. 

During this time, Julie unsuccessfully sought treatment from multiple pelvic health specialists and medical providers before connecting with a pelvic physical therapist who was able to listen to her needs and enact a plan of care that could help. Her own difficulties with an obtuse healthcare system during and after pregnancy has motivated her to help others who are navigating the same obstacles: locating compassionate providers, understanding the limitations of insurance companies, and finding individualized care that validates each person’s unique experience.

Julie has completed rigorous coursework in prenatal and postpartum care, pelvic floor training, gender affirming care, and prenatal and postpartum fitness. Her treatments are rooted in a holistic approach, considering the whole person and the outside stressors that impact their current state—functional movement, sleep, nutrition, and stress. This approach allows for the thorough identification of musculoskeletal issues in need of repair and improved results for the client. Through exceptional patient care, the use of evidence-based treatment programs, and a collaborative approach with other healthcare providers, she believes her patients can achieve the goals they had previously deemed impossible. 

As an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Section on Pelvic Health and the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Julie has presented her original research at annual state conferences; led symposiums on lumbar fusions, cervical fusions and ankle rehabilitation; and provided in-services to personal trainers at local gyms. She remains active in the research community with her publications on virtual reality’s role in rehabilitation and the role of a physical therapist in screening patients for depression. Julie continues to further the profession through her medical missions to communities in Haiti and in her collaborations with the Special Olympics. Her interests include enjoying time with her husband and two children, hiking, traveling, cooking and volunteering.

Learn more about Julie

Uchechi’s path to pelvic health didn’t start in the clinic — it started with a global lens. While earning her BA in Eastern European and Eurasian Studies and Political Science from Bowdoin College in 2013, she volunteered with survivors of concentration camps and gender-based violence in Sarajevo. There, amid the work of NGOs focused on community building and physical and emotional health, she was introduced to a powerful idea: movement as a tool for rehabilitation in post-conflict communities.

That early exposure sparked her interest in physical therapy and led her to work as a PT aide. There, she was struck by how normalized incontinence during exercise had become, and by how little information patients received about ante- and post-partum care — a gap she felt called to help close. Determined to be part of the solution, she pursued her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Washington, graduating in 2023.

From there, Uchechi joined MTI Physical Therapy and threw herself into its Sports Residency program, learning field triage, orthopedic care, and hands-on manual therapy. She earned her ABPTS Board-Certified Sports Clinical Specialist (SCS) distinction in 2024 — and the experience reshaped how she sees pelvic health altogether. To Uchechi, the pelvic floor isn’t an isolated system; it’s one piece of the orthopedic puzzle, connected to how the whole body moves, loads, and heals.

That belief set her on a path to build real depth in pelvic health. Uchechi has completed extensive coursework in urogynecological examination and treatment, colorectal health, and male pelvic pain. She’s committed to making quality pelvic care accessible, so that every patient receives the same depth of care around sexual health, urinary function, and bowel dysfunction — regardless of anatomy.

An avid Olympic weightlifter and former collegiate rugby player, Uchechi is especially passionate about addressing urinary incontinence during athletic activities like running and weightlifting. She completed Herman & Wallace’s course on runners and pelvic health, linking her sports residency roots to the athletes and active patients she treats today.

The result is a practice that treats the whole picture. While assessments may begin at the pelvis, Uchechi takes a full-body approach, working with patients to reach their quality of life, health, and fitness goals in a safe, supportive environment. She has a special interest in the full range of pelvic health dysfunction — bladder and bowel issues, athletic incontinence, prenatal and postpartum conditions, and pelvic pain.

Outside the clinic, you’ll find Uchechi Olympic weightlifting, curled up with a book, or spending time with friends.