10/05/2018    Kevin A. Kirby, DPM

RE: The Passing of Paul Scherer, DPM

I was very saddened to hear about the passing of
one of my CCPM biomechanics professors,
colleagues and friends, Dr. Paul Scherer.

Dr. Scherer was the Dean at the California
College of Podiatry Medicine during my podiatry
student years. Later, Paul was a member of the
CCPM biomechanics faculty during my Biomechanics
Fellowship where I learned from him nearly
daily, greatly enjoying his personality,
intellect and clinical skills.

Paul was a man of many talents and a tireless
worker for the podiatry profession, also
creating ProLab Orthosis Lab and Podiatry Plan
Organization, to name a few of his
accomplishments. Paul also wrote and edited an
excellent book on foot orthoses a few years ago,
“Recent Advances in Orthotic Therapy”.
https://www.amazon.com/Recent-Advances-Orthotic-
Therapy-Scherer/dp/0979947537

However, if there is such a thing as the one
best contribution that Dr. Paul Scherer made to
the podiatry profession, it would have to be his
amazing hard work and talent at producing, as
Scientific Chairman, the finest set of foot and
lower extremity biomechanics seminars ever held
in the United States, the Prescription Foot
Orthotic Lab Association (PFOLA) Annual
International Conference on Foot Biomechanics
and Orthotic Therapy.

During the ten years that Paul organized these
annual PFOLA seminars, from 1998 to 2007, he
made certain that the best international foot
and lower extremity biomechanics experts were
lecturing and giving workshops so that
podiatrists and other foot-health practitioners
from all parts of the world could come together,
learn, be able to share ideas and socialize with
one another.

I spoke with Paul often during this ten-year
period about his plans for the next PFOLA
seminar and participated in all of them. His
excitement and commitment to this worthwhile
endeavor for the worldwide podiatry profession
was genuine and palpable. Paul always wanted
the best for podiatry and his PFOLA seminars
during this ten-year period certainly reflected
his enthusiasm for podiatric education.

Many of my international podiatric biomechanics
colleagues and friends very much looked forward
to the annual PFOLA meeting that Paul organized
since they always knew that the latest and best
foot biomechanics and foot orthosis research and
techniques would be presented at these meetings.
We were all saddened when Dr. Scherer could no
longer organize these important meetings after
2007 since the PFOLA seminars always reflected
his great talents and love for our profession.

Since I was informed of Paul’s death, numerous
podiatrists from around the world who were
positively influenced by Paul’s pleasant
personality, generosity, intellect and teaching
skills have expressed their heartfelt
condolences of his passing since they know that
Dr. Paul Scherer was a one-of-a-kind podiatrist
and educator. Goodbye, Paul. May you rest in
peace and thank you ever so much for what you
have done for me and the podiatry profession.

Kevin A. Kirby, DPM, Sacramento, CA

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10/05/2018    Board of Directors, American Board of Podiatric Medicine

RE: The Passing of Paul Scherer, DPM

It is with deep regret that the American Board
of Podiatric Medicine learned of the recent
passing of Dr. Paul Scherer. Paul’s prominence
as a long-time leader in the profession was
utterly well deserved, as an educator in the
area of biomechanics, through his lecturing and
as owner and CEO of Pro-Lab, one of the finest
orthotic labs in the nation. To the extent that
platitudes must be given at such a time of
sadness, his contributions to the profession
over an extended period of time certainly secure
his place in it. Beyond that is the sorrow
felt by many of us who, over the years, were
trained by him, lectured with him, debated with
him, or were personal friends, as is true of
several of the ABPM Directors, past and present.

Paul was among the first in our profession to
emphasize the need for evidence-based use of
orthoses. He maintained an unwavering
commitment to a standard of excellence in the
products generated by his laboratory, supported
by the best available evidence regarding the
nature and method by which foot and lower
extremity orthoses deliver their benefits.

Paul – If there is a hereafter, we want you to
know what you have meant to so many of us. For
those of us who learned from you and who took it
upon themselves to continue in your footsteps,
you will always be welcome to look over our
shoulder to make sure we do the job well.

Board of Directors, American Board of Podiatric
Medicine