Ruth Gadbois Matarazzo ’48

Ruth Gadbois Matarazzo ’48, of Portland, Ore.; Nov. 13. After graduating with honors in psychology, she remained at Brown for one term as a graduate school teaching assistant. During that time she met her future husband, Joe, also a psychology graduate, but after being advised by several professors that it would be harmful to their marriage if they both became psychologists, Ruth applied for, and was accepted into, a one-year business program for women at Radcliffe. Upon graduation, she accepted a position in the personnel department of Marshall Field’s department store while her husband started his PhD program at Northwestern Univ. After learning that men were earning more than twice the wage of women doing the same work, she was compelled to continue her doctoral studies once they moved to St. Louis in 1950. She received her PhD in 1955 from Washington University. She was the only woman in her graduating class and during her clinical training was the first woman admitted into the VA’s hospital internship program. In 1955 she and her husband both accepted positions at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts General Hospital. She was a research fellow and later became a staff psychologist. In 1957, both she and Joe were recruited to establish the first medical psychology department at University of Oregon Medical School, Oregon Health & Science University’s precursor, now called the department of behavioral neuroscience. She was the second full-time female faculty member at the school and went on to serve as a distinguished researcher, clinician, and educator. She specialized in neuropsychology, treating patients with brain injuries and psychiatric conditions and serving as a well-regarded expert witness in court cases. Another of her achievements was her leadership in helping women in medicine and science. She arrived at the school eight months pregnant and worked until she gave birth to her first child. Her example helped change policy for working women at OHSU. She served as a liaison to the Association of American Medical Colleges advocating for women faculty, including the participation of women on medical school committees. She served on numerous editorial review boards and held leadership positions in local, regional, and national psychological associations. She was the recipient of the 2007 Presidential Award of the American Psychological Association for her lifetime of professional contributions and public service. She enjoyed classical music and the opera and served as a founding member of the board of directors of the Portland Opera Association. She is survived by her husband, Joe ’47; two daughters, including Elizabeth Holman ’81; son Harris ’79 and his wife; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.