J. John Hoy, DPM, FACFAS, FFPM RCPS(Glasg)
Dual Board-Certified in Foot & Ankle Medicine and Foot Surgery | Clinical Faculty, University of Washington School of Medicine
Dr. J. John Hoy is a dual board-certified foot and ankle physician and surgeon in Seattle with more than 25 years of clinical experience in foot and ankle medicine, rehabilitation, biomechanics, sports medicine, reconstructive foot surgery, and diabetic limb preservation. As owner and clinical director of Seattle Foot and Ankle Center, he provides both conservative and surgical care for conditions ranging from heel pain and sports injuries to complex deformity reconstruction and diabetic foot complications.
In pain? Don’t wait. Early treatment leads to faster recovery. Urgent appointments available. Schedule now or call: 206-682-8741.
With more than 25 years of experience in conservative treatment, rehabilitation, biomechanics, sports medicine, wound care and reconstructive foot surgery, Dr. Hoy provides comprehensive foot and ankle care that many urgent care clinics and general medical providers are not equipped to offer. A foot and ankle physician can first evaluate the problem, establish the diagnosis, and determine the appropriate course of care. Treatment may include education, exercise and rehabilitation, biomechanics and orthotic therapy, other conservative treatments, or surgery when appropriate. When additional expertise is needed, that care can be coordinated as part of the treatment plan.
Dr. Hoy provides comprehensive care for conditions affecting the foot and ankle, ranging from common problems such as heel pain and ingrown toenails to complex surgical reconstruction, sports injuries, trauma, and diabetic limb preservation. His goal is to provide careful diagnosis, thoughtful treatment options—including conservative care, rehabilitation, and surgery when appropriate—and the highest quality of care so that patients can return to comfortable activity as quickly and safely as possible.
Foot & Ankle Conditions and Specialized Care
Dr. Hoy treats a wide range of foot and ankle conditions, including:
• Heel pain and plantar fasciitis
• Bunions, hammertoes, and forefoot deformities
• Sports injuries and overuse conditions
• Tendon injuries and ligament instability
• Foot and ankle arthritis
• Diabetic foot ulcers and limb preservation
• Osteomyelitis and complex infections
• Charcot foot deformity and reconstruction
• Neuromas and nerve conditions
• Biomechanical disorders, gait abnormalities, and movement-related problems
• Foot and ankle rehabilitation for pain, injury, and return to activity
• Foot and ankle trauma
• Reconstructive foot surgery
Dr. Hoy’s Approach to Care
Dr. Hoy views podiatric medicine as the specialty dedicated to the comprehensive medical and surgical care of the foot and ankle. He believes successful treatment begins with a careful diagnosis and a clear explanation of the available options, which may include medical management, biomechanics and orthotic therapy, offloading, wound care, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, or surgery when appropriate. He emphasizes conservative treatment whenever possible and recommends surgery when it offers the best long-term outcome.
His clinical philosophy reflects the breadth of his hospital-based training and subsequent experience. His practice encompasses comprehensive diagnosis and management of foot and ankle conditions, with an emphasis on understanding the factors contributing to a patient’s symptoms, restoring function, and preserving mobility. He manages appropriate foot wounds in his own practice, coordinating with vascular surgery, infectious disease, and other specialists when indicated. He refers patients to specialized wound care services when additional supervision or resources are appropriate.
Dr. Hoy’s longstanding interests in biomechanics and functional outcomes also inform his approach to musculoskeletal rehabilitation. By incorporating structured exercise therapy, progressive loading, movement-based treatment, and orthotic interventions into appropriate care plans, he seeks to help patients restore function, return to daily activities, work, and sports, and avoid unnecessary interventions.
Dr. Hoy believes effective podiatric medicine extends beyond routine foot care and is not defined exclusively by reconstructive surgery. His approach brings together thoughtful diagnosis, comprehensive medical management, rehabilitation, limb preservation when necessary, and surgery when indicated and within his training and scope of practice. He values collaboration with other medical and surgical specialists to ensure patients receive appropriate care for their individual needs.
His goal is to help patients return to comfortable walking, work, and sports as safely and efficiently as possible while maintaining high standards of medical and surgical care.
“I want to be remembered as a foot and ankle physician who diagnosed problems thoughtfully, treated patients comprehensively, used surgery when appropriate, and helped people preserve mobility.” -Dr. Hoy
Why Patients Choose Dr. Hoy
- Over 25 years of clinical experience in foot and ankle medicine and surgery
- Dual board certified in foot and ankle medicine and foot surgery
- Hospital surgical privileges at Swedish Medical Center
- Clinical faculty member at the University of Washington School of Medicine
- Experience treating both routine and complex foot and ankle conditions
- Seattle native, caring for the community since 2004
Specialized Areas of Expertise
Dr. Hoy has advanced clinical experience in:
• Foot and ankle surgery
• Reconstructive foot surgery
• Foot and ankle rehabilitation
• Sports medicine and running injuries
• Biomechanics and custom orthotic therapy
• Diabetic limb preservation
• Osteomyelitis and complex foot infections
• Charcot reconstruction
• Off-loading techniques for wound healing
• Tendon repair and ligament injuries
• Complex forefoot deformities
• Conservative and surgical management of chronic foot pain
Healthcare professionals seeking a comprehensive foot and ankle evaluation for their patients can find referral indications and instructions on our Referring Providers page.
Biography
Born and raised in Seattle, Dr. Hoy returned to his hometown in 2004 to establish his practice and has been caring for patients in the community ever since.
To view Dr. Hoy’s curriculum vitae please click here.
For quality of care outcome testimonials, please click here.
Education
A Horizon Student and Washington Scholar, Dr. Hoy started his pre-medical studies in 1989 at the University of Washington in Seattle through its Honors Program. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Cell and Molecular Biology in 1994.
Dr. Hoy’s path to medicine began as a premedical student at the University of Washington, where podiatric medicine was presented to him by his pre-medical advisor as the medical specialty of the foot, alongside allopathic and osteopathic medicine. He subsequently visited a local podiatric physician who performed reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, and during his own training became particularly drawn to reconstruction and surgery.
This early foundation in comprehensive foot and ankle medicine and surgery shaped his philosophy that foot and ankle conditions should be evaluated by a specialist trained to diagnose the full problem—not simply isolated as an injury, wound, or rehabilitation issue. His practice integrates physician diagnosis, biomechanics, rehabilitation, conservative treatment, and surgery when necessary. This remains the foundation of how he practices today.
“What attracted me to podiatry was the ability to combine medicine, biomechanics, and surgery. I appreciated that many foot and ankle problems could be improved without surgery, while still having the training to operate when necessary. That philosophy continues to guide my practice today.” -Dr. Hoy
Dr. Hoy’s interest in medicine brought him to the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 1995, affiliated with Case Western Reserve University. While there, he served as class delegate to the American Podiatric Medical Students Association. In 1996, while still a medical student, Dr. Hoy worked in this practice as its first staff member.
During his second year at OCPM, Dr. Hoy took a leave of absence to return home and care for his father, who was terminally ill with lung cancer. Following his death, he transferred to the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco and resumed his second year of podiatric medical education. CCPM was one of the historic centers of modern podiatric biomechanics and orthotic science, with a strong emphasis on podiatric medicine and foot and ankle surgery, and didactic instruction provided by professors from the University of California San Francisco/Stanford University Medical Center.
He graduated in 2000 with his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree.
Residency Training and Professional Background
Dr. J. John Hoy completed podiatric medical and surgical training in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego, California, from 2000 to 2002. His training was based at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco and the California College of Podiatric Medicine.
During residency, Dr. Hoy trained alongside physicians and surgeons affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)/Stanford University Medical Center, receiving a very integrated education from clinicians embedded in a major academic medical center and participating in multidisciplinary care. His hospital-based rotations throughout the Bay Area included pediatric orthopedics, vascular surgery, hand and plastic surgery, trauma surgery, wound care, pathology, anesthesiology, inpatient medicine, and emergency medicine.
During these rotations, he joined established inpatient medical and surgical teams comprising attending physicians, fellows, chief residents, interns, and medical students. This multidisciplinary experience exposed him to a broad range of medical and surgical conditions and the collaborative environment of hospital-based care.
At the San Francisco VA Medical Center, podiatry was integrated into the vascular surgery department. Dr. Hoy’s training extended well beyond outpatient foot care to include inpatient and outpatient diabetic foot management, emergency department consultations, hospital rounds, admissions, and surgical treatment of diabetic foot infections.
There was no separate wound care center at the VA; podiatry provided the wound care service. Dr. Hoy managed diabetic foot wounds and participated in limb preservation through coordinated medical, surgical, and mechanical treatment. When patients required revascularization, he worked with vascular surgeons in his department and had opportunities to scrub in on vascular procedures, including stenting and bypass surgery.
He also collaborated with the prosthetics department, which provided laboratory support for diabetic shoes and custom accommodative orthotics. In the podiatry clinic, he dispensed over-the-counter devices and offloading products to address mechanical pressures and protect vulnerable feet.
Dr. Hoy served as Chief Resident of the Foot and Ankle Surgery Service at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. His surgical training included trauma, reconstructive foot and ankle procedures, and complex foot and ankle pathology.
He completed much of his reconstructive foot and ankle training at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego under surgeons whose training lineage traces to Dr. E. Dalton McGlamry, contributing to his approach to forefoot reconstruction, biomechanics, and long-term functional outcomes.
The residency program was highly regarded among podiatric professionals of that era, alongside other nationally respected programs, including the McGlamry-associated residency in Georgia.
Professional Practice
Dr. Hoy has practiced foot and ankle medicine and surgery in California, Texas, and Washington, with clinical experience encompassing outpatient care, hospital-based medicine and surgery, diabetic wound management, and limb preservation.
Following residency, he joined a group of eleven foot and ankle specialists in San Antonio, Texas, where he practiced from 2002 to 2003. During this period, he provided substantial inpatient and outpatient care for diabetic foot disease, wounds, infections, and limb preservation. He practiced in the same medical community and era as Dr. Lawrence Harkless and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, a pioneering institution in diabetic foot medicine.
In 2004, Dr. Hoy returned to Seattle, his hometown, and subsequently purchased a downtown practice on January 1, 2005. He has continued practicing at Seattle Foot and Ankle Center ever since.
After returning to Seattle, Dr. Hoy was asked to serve as wound care attending for a local podiatric surgical residency program at Swedish Medical Center. In this role, he supervised residents during their clinical training at the Swedish wound care center. He was also an attending physician for them in surgery.
Dr. Hoy is licensed in Washington State as a Podiatric Physician and Surgeon and continues to practice at Seattle Foot and Ankle Center in downtown Seattle.
For more information about the practice, please click here.
Board Certification
Dr. Hoy is a Diplomate of both boards recognized by the American Podiatric Medical Association.
His certifications include:
- American Board of Podiatric Medicine – Board Certified (2006, recertified 2015)
- American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery – Board Certified in Foot Surgery (2007, recertified 2015)
He is also a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
In 2025, Dr. Hoy became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (Faculty of Podiatric Medicine). Royal College fellowship is a distinguished international honor that recognizes exceptional contributions and achievements in foot and ankle medicine and surgery.
Read about the advantages of choosing a foot and ankle specialist with dual Board Certification
Hospital Privileges
Dr. Hoy has had active hospital privileges at Swedish Medical Center for inpatient care and surgery since 2004. He primarily performs reconstructive foot surgery at the Swedish Medical Center – Ballard Campus and Swedish Redmond Ambulatory Surgery Center.
Professional Memberships
Dr. Hoy is an active member of several professional medical organizations, including:
- American Podiatric Medical Association (member since 2001)
- Washington State Podiatric Medical Association (member since 2004; Board of Trustees)
- American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine (Associate Member since 2018)
- American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management
For 14 years he held three practice management certifications.
For more information about the foot and ankle physician and surgeon profession, please click here.
Teaching and Academic Involvement
Since 2005, Dr. Hoy has served on the clinical faculty of the University of Washington School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine as a Clinical Associate.
He has helped educate residents from the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency Program. He has additionally taught pre-medical students from the University of Washington and served on the Board of Advisors of a local allied health professions school.
Additional Professional Training
Dr. Hoy has pursued additional professional training in exercise-based rehabilitation through the Progressive Podiatry Project, strengthening his approach to diagnosis-driven foot and ankle rehabilitation, progressive loading, and individualized exercise therapy.
A Patient’s Perspective
“Dr. Hoy is absolutely outstanding!! Superb professional knowledge, skills and judgment! Very kind and compassionate! I feel very lucky to be under his care!” -Dr. Ming C., MD, PhD
Schedule an Appointment
If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hoy at Seattle Foot and Ankle Center, please call the office or request an appointment online.
In pain? Don’t wait. Early treatment leads to faster recovery. Urgent appointments available. Read about Conditions We Treat. Request an Appointment online. Call: 206-682-8741 or Contact Us. Refer a Patient. If you like our content, please link it to your website. Thank you.