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Director's Report 2010
G. Dock Dockery, DPM: NWPF Chairman of the Board and Director of Scientific Affairs
With healthcare issues in the news daily and concerns about where our medical community is going, one thing is certain, we all need to stay on top of our profession and knowledge is the key. Once again, the upcoming NWPF academic year is filled with exhilarating and innovative programs and out of the ordinary locations. A wide-ranging collection of new national and resort seminars for 2010 have been approved which will offer timely and very up to date topics designed to augment your general knowledge and offer you practical and forward looking information. All of these scientific programs are provided as a first-class opportunity of continuing medical education for distributing medical and surgical information and increasing your knowledge about new and superior equipment, innovative techniques and surgical procedures for lower extremity care.
All new and exciting itineraries and world-class seminars will be presented in magnificent resort locations such as the outstanding seminar at the Caribbean Cruise Seminar, January 10-17, aboard the RCL's "Adventure-of-the-Seas" Ship. Once again, we will be doing the very popular Lake Tahoe Ski Seminar at Montbleu Resort on February 11-13 and then the 6th Annual Dermatology, Pathology, & Plastic Surgery on May 22-23, the conference and Workshop will be held at the new Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. The 6th Annual Seattle Summer Seminar on June 17-19 will once again be held in our home city with great speakers featuring nationally known doctors and graduates from the Seattle Residency Program. Then there is a superb and terrific seminar planned for Bermuda-Bahamas Cruise, July 8-17, aboard the RCL's "Explorer-of-the-Seas" Ship. This is all followed by our premier seminars at the fabulous Wynn Resort, 16th Annual Las Vegas meeting, on September 23-25, and the 29th Annual Hawaii-Kauai Seminar on October 16-23 at the Grand Hyatt kauai.
Twice a year the NWPF sponsors a medical team of surgeons and podiatric residents from Seattle to attend the Yucatán Crippled Children Project in Merida, Yucatán, Mexico, along with surgeons from the Barry University and South Miami Hospital in Florida. These volunteer doctors travel to the Yucatán and screen children with severe and disabling foot and leg disorders. Several children are then scheduled for reconstructive surgery at a local hospital. A Mexican orthopedic surgeon assists and helps to provide the postoperative care necessary in these cases. In November 2009 the NWPF hosted a meeting in Merida entitled the "Yucatán Pediatric Lower Extremity Seminar" to help raise funds and awareness for this worthwhile program.
The 2009 programs were all extremely impressive but the new 2010 meetings and venues appear to be even more splendid and I look forward to all of the interest they will generate as we prepare for new and advanced techniques and treatments for our patients.
Let me ask you the following questions:
What is the point of having a good career when you can't enjoy the rewards? What is wrong with taking time to share wonderful places and adventures with your friends, family and loved ones? What is wrong with taking your children out of school to show them that there is a real world out there? What is wrong with really enjoying your life while you can?
Too many of us think that we will wait for retirement to enjoy the sights, or wait until the children are out of school to take that trip, or wait until our practices can run by themselves to attend that meeting, or wait and wait for something. Don't do it! Start now and do some careful thinking and planning to live.
Don't sit around any longer– get out there, see the world, do enjoyable things, learn more about your specialty, explore the resort venues and have fun!
Residency Director's Report 2010
Douglas Hale, DPM: FACFAS, Director of Podiatric Medical Education, Swedish Podiatric Surgical Residency Program at Swedish Medical Center.
The Northwest Podiatric Surgical Residency Program was renamed "The Swedish Podiatric Surgical Residency" due to the affiliation with Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, Washington in 2008. The residency is a 36-month Podiatric Medical and Surgical program (PM&S-36). Each year two residents are selected for the 3-year program. The 2009 residency selection process took place at the East CRIP in New Jersey and it was another successful one. We welcome the new residents, Thurmond Lanier and Jeff Robertson, both from the New York school.
Many thanks to the current officers of the Residency Training Committee of the Swedish Podiatric Surgical Residency Program who have been instrumental in continuing the positive academic environment for the residents: Assistant Director, Dr. Ryan Bierman; Research Director, Dr. Jeffrey Christensen; Extern Director, Dr. Matt LaBella; Grand Rounds Chair, Dr. Eric Heit; Clinical Directory, Dr. Dan Lowinger; and Resident Educators and Active Grand Round members, Dr. Richard Bouche', Dr. Kirk Alexander and Dr. Gregory Grant. They continue to provide an environment of academic challenge for our residents.
The commitment to research with regards to the surgical biomechanics of the foot and ankle remains one of the important focal points of our program. Under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Christensen, Research Director, our residents continue to thrive in an environment conducive to research excellence. Each resident is required to complete one research project in the first two years and an additional project in the third year.
Our 2010 graduating residents are Drs. Michael Black and Ryan Shock. Their commencement ceremony will be held at Bell Harbor, World Trade Conference Center, Seattle, on Saturday, June 19, 2010, following the NWPF 6th Annual Seattle Summer Seminar.
Byron L. Hutchinson, DPM, FACFAS, Director of Podiatric Medical Education, Foot & Ankle Institute at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way.
I would like to encourage all of you to consider attending any of the Northwest Podiatric Foundation seminars during 2010!! Much of the proceeds from these meetings help with education and research for the residents at both the Franciscan Foot & Ankle Institute and the Northwest Podiatric Residency at Swedish. If you have local industry representatives that can help contribute to this cause, please have them e-mail Tresha at podfound@aol.com. We have been very fortunate to have hospital wide support but there are many additional educational items and rotations that simply cannot occur without additional funding. Once again thanks for all your support of residency education for the 36-month Podiatric Medical and Surgical (PM&S-36) programs at the Foot & Ankle Institute at St. Francis Hospital and the Swedish Podiatric Surgical Residency. Have a great New Year in 2010.
NWPF Advisor named First Female ACFAS President
Mary Elizabeth Crawford, DPM, FACFAS, one of the Northwest Podiatric Foundation's long-time Medical Advisors, has become the first female president of the 6,000-member American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons. She earned her medical degree from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Crawford completed an advanced foot & ankle surgical residency program in Seattle, WA., and is board certified in both foot surgery and reconstructive rearfoot & ankle surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery.Dr. Crawford is affiliated with Swedish Podiatric Surgical Residency at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle and is on staff of Providence General Medical Center in Everett, WA. Her office, the Ankle & Foot Clinic of Everett, provides surgical and medical foot and ankle care to patients. The NWPF would like to congratulate Dr. Crawford for her great achievement and wish her well in the coming year.