• Kyle Duncan, CPMS Class of 2014, was elected president-elect of the American Podiatric Medical Students Association at its House of Delegates meeting in February.

• Jeff Weber, CPMS Class of 2013, received the Robert Barnes Memorial Scholarship from the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine (AAPSM). This $1,000 scholarship, which was presented to Jeff on campus by AAPSM vice president and CPMS graduate Paul Langer, D.P.M.’99, is awarded to a pediatric medical student who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing pediatric sports medicine and who is active in an AAPSM student chapter.

• Lisa Grant, CPMS Class of 2014, will receive a DMU research grant for $9,620 for her submitted proposal, “Dissimilarity in Charcot Ankles versus Charcot Midfoot.” Lisa is working on this research project with Simon Geletta, Ph.D., associate professor of public health; Katie Besselman, CPMS Class of 2015; and CPMS Dean R. Tim Yoho, D.P.M., FACFAS.

• Emily Quinn, CPMS Class of 2012, received the Michael L. Stone D.P.M. Outstanding Professional Conduct Award sponsored by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery at the board’s annual meeting held recently in conjunction with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons annual scientific conference. The award includes a $2,000 honorarium.

Congratulations and kudos to these students for reflecting so well on their college and DMU!

So mid-February I cranked up the Foo Fighters on my iPod, strapped on my ear muffs and began running around the neighborhood. Or, I should say, I’d run for a minute or so and then would have to slow down to a brisk walk for a while. Then disaster struck: During a longer trek on a recent Saturday, my right heel began to hurt so much I was reduced to limping. By the time I got home, I couldn’t bear weight on that foot.

I won't be doing this any time soon.

That sent me straight to DMU’s Foot and Ankle the following Monday, where James Mahoney, D.P.M., FACFAS, and student-doctor Jeff Weber diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot, the plantar fascia, which occurs when the tissue is overstretched or overused.

The bad news: No 5K for me on St. Patrick’s Day. Walking, especially on stairs, is painful. And I’ll likely have to try some new-to-me cardio workouts, like using the elliptical machine as Dr. Mahoney suggested, to maintain my fitness.

The good news: Thank goodness for podiatric physicians! I left my Foot and Ankle appointment with an orthotic in my shoe that’s supporting my arch and cushioning my heel, which immediately eased my discomfort. I have instructions for a set of rehabilitation exercises and stretches, some of which I can do at my desk. And while I’m disappointed that the fussy conditions of my oversized, bunion-plagued feet mean I’ll likely never be a runner, I know I can continue to participate in the aerobic, spinning and strength-training classes I (try really hard to) enjoy. Once my foot is ready, that is.

By solving problems with people’s feet and lower limbs, podiatric physicians truly enhance their patients’ quality of life.

Since I’ve drawing some attention by hobbling around and wearing sneakers with my suits, I’ve learned that plantar fasciitis is very common – everyone who’s expressed sympathy has either had it or has had a family member so inflicted. Have you had this ailment? If so, what are your tips for treating it?

It was another excellent year for board results for the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery(CPMS) program here at Des Moines University. The class of 2012 sat for Part II of the American Podiatric Medical Licensing Exam earlier in January. The first time pass rate for CPMS was 93% compared to a national first time pass rate of 82%. The Part I first time pass rate reported earlier this year for the class of 2013 was 98% compared to a national first time pass rate of 85%.

Congratulations to the students, faculty and staff for a job well done.

SAVE THE DATE to attend the fourth annual Des Moines University Foot & Ankle Surgery Symposium!

TOPICS:

• Complicated First Ray
• Controversies in the Hindfoot
• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Decisions in Nerve Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Trauma 8 to 5

DATE:
April 27 – 28, 2012

LOCATION:
Des Moines University
Student Education Center Auditorium
3300 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50312

Campus map and directions

REGISTRATION:

• Physicians – $125
• Students – $25

Registration is open. For questions, please email cme@dmu.edu, or call Vanessa at 515-271-1541.

DMU has the perfect way for pre-med students to get a head start…

The DMU Health Professions Advanced Summer Scholars Program (Health P.A.S.S.) gives them a taste of what it’s like to be a student in osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physician assistant or physical therapy.

The FREE three-week program takes place at the end of July and is open to college sophomores and juniors who want to get a taste of what med school will be like and pad their resumes with a little hands-on experience. Enrollment is limited to 10 students and applicants must have a minimum cumulative college grade point average of 3.0.

APPLY NOW!

I can understand why they ask this question, as many people have an aversion to feet. My first response is to chuckle inwardly and think about the specialties I could never see myself practicing. I certainly don’t say that to put down other specialties, but we each have our specific areas of interest and strength. While I knew in undergrad that I wanted to go into medicine, I had no idea what area of medicine I wanted to pursue. To learn more about my options, I spent time shadowing physicians in several different fields: family practice, otolaryngology, dermatology, urology, ophthalmology, etc. I found things in each specialty that I liked, but nothing seemed to jump out at me.

While I knew I didn’t have to know exactly what I wanted to do going into medical school, I did want to have a better direction. I just couldn’t see myself waking up every day and looking forward to going to work in each of these other specialties. So as my time in undergraduate was coming to a close and applications for school were coming out, I decided that the next doctor I wanted to shadow was a local podiatrist. I had gone to see him before and also knew him outside the doctor-patient relationship. To be honest, before I went to shadow him I didn’t know that podiatry was a separate degree (D.P.M.) rather than a residency post-M.D./D.O. degree.

DMU's podiatry students learn ways to improve patients' quality of life.

After shadowing him, it was like a light bulb flipped on in my head. Podiatry had many of the things I wanted in a practice. One of the things I found most appealing is that it focuses on improving one’s ability to move about without pain. To be able to help someone walk with less or no pain is an incredible feeling. You get to walk (no pun intended) through the whole process with the patient, from seeing them come in with pain and walk out at a later visit pain-free. That is awesome. Whether this is done by conservative care or surgery, helping a patient to be able to ambulate easier drastically improves their quality of life.

The practice even has a lot of flexibility with how much office time/surgery one does. Honestly, one isn’t going to know which side of practice they will like better until they get first-hand experience in the office and the OR. Personally, I take a lot of comfort knowing that when I graduate residency, I have a choice of how involved I want to be in both. If I decide that surgery isn’t my thing, I don’t have to do a lot of it. Or, on the other hand, if I absolutely love it, I can do more.

Another one of my desires for a medical practice was to find a specialty that had a wide range of patients not only in age but in background. I didn’t want a practice that was all of one group, e.g., pediatrics, ob/gyn, etc. Podiatry does have a focus on diabetic care (which tends to lend itself to the geriatric population), but it also has an array of other groups such as the pediatric population, adults and athletes. You really get it all. So those of you out there who are still contemplating what you may want to do, go check out a local podiatrist and see what it is really about!

Having the D.O. program at DMU also impacts all our other programs in approach, overlap and understanding and that gives our grads an edge. Wouldn’t you want to know your health care practitioner understood other disciplines and had a whole body outlook on your health?