06/20/2013    Brian Kiel, DPM

Scholl Professor Sues Associate Dean for Defamation

I feel I must respond regarding the recent
lawsuit filed by a professor at the Scholl
College. It seems that in our profession nothing
has changed in the past 35 years. In 1970, we,
the students at ICPM (Scholl) went on strike to
protest the inadequate education and the
dictatorial behavior of the administration at
that time. The dean, Donald Anderson and his
minions used multiple methods of punishment to
maintain their control over the school. They
defamed students, they expelled students, and
threatened anyone who challenged their opinions.

Led by Martin Stoller and several professors,
including Lowell Weil and Steve Smith, we left
the school, formed our own classes and demanded
and eventually forced a change, not only in the
administration but a change in the education of
future podiatrists. It seems that we have gone
full circle and that the present administration
of the same school is trying to shut down any
dissent from their own opinions. The inadequacy
of the those supposedly leading this profession,
as shown by the recent residency crisis and the
apparent refusal by the educators to admit their
inability to plan for any thing other than their
own benefit is criminal.

I am not one who has a grudge against podiatry.
In fact, I love being a podiatrist. It has given
me and my family an amazing standard of living
while affording me the ability to help others. I
do have a grudge against those in my profession
who would and in my opinion, are, destroying
podiatry as a result of policies that are meant
to benefit them and their friends.

It is time that we, the podiatrists in the field,
demand that changes be made. This includes all of
the organizations that claim to do things to help
us but in reality exist only for one purpose, to
justify their own existence. We should refuse to
supply funds to all of these organizations until
changes are made.

I will not continue except to say good for Dr.
Hrywnak. The voice of dissent should not be muted
by those who have the most to lose from that
dissent.

Brian Kiel, DPM, Memphis, TN, Footdok4@gmail.com

Other messages in this thread:

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06/20/2013    Jon Purdy, DPM

Scholl Professor Sues Associate Dean for Defamation (Lloyd S. Smith, DPM)

I have nothing but respect for Dr. Smith and his
vast contributions to podiatry. The last thing I
want to be known for is drive-by blaming. I don’t
believe I blamed anyone or any entity, but simply
stated the schools could do more to prepare
students for the real world of medicine.

Years ago, I interacted with the CPME to help
form new residency positions and did go through
the system, so I’m certainly not an “outsider.”
Maybe Dr. Smith is not aware that I spend many of
my own dollars and endless hours giving back to
the profession every year. I am on the preceptor
list to help displaced students among other
projects I have either helped create, or which I
am involved.

I disagree with the notion that the schools could
not keep up with the rapidly changing world of
heath care. As a matter of fact, I feel they are
obligated to do so. Some of the mentioned items
such as EHR, ICD-10, and ACOs did not pop up
overnight. It is critical to help prepare the
young in our profession for what they will face
outside of academia. I applaud what the Ohio
college has done in the area of practice
management and what Dr. Hrywnak has always
attempted to do at the Chicago school.

Compared to year's past, practice is vastly more
difficult, but non-the-less rewarding. Medicine
has become a monster and near impossible if one
is not taught practice management nor keeps up
with the changes. I feel for the students in
limbo. There need to be mechanisms in place to
make sure this never happens again. Podiatry is
alive as ever, and anyone that knows me, hears
nothing but encouragement and devotion to this
profession.

Jon Purdy, DPM, New Iberia, LA,
Podiatrist@mindspring.com

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06/20/2013    Hartley Miltchin, DPM

Scholl Professor Sues Associate Dean for Defamation

Healthcare will never be the same in the future
due to fiscal restraints. The changes will affect
every practitioner in every specialty but
Podiatry even more so. The initiatives that
Scholl College has made make no sense and only
prove that they want censorship and not relevant
practice information for the students. Assets of
a great school lie in the faculty, not the
administration.

The administration is responsible to maintain a
top notch faculty. In releasing part-time faculty
while they are in the middle of a course only
further points out censorship. Too add to this
there was no feasible plan in place when all the
part time faculty was let go. This is shameful.

As an alumni of the Scholl college I am
disheartened that the school would take such
action. I have invited Dr. Hrywnak to speak many
times at our Canadian seminars, he comes and does
so at his expense and has always given one of the
best presentations. His presentations are dynamic
and informative. Registrants always ask me to
have him included in our annual conference. If
you ask his past students, they will surely all
tell you how fond they are of his informative
presentations, his availability to help and the
fact that he says it like it is without 'sugar
coating'.

Dr. Hrywnak sits on the President Clinton's
Health Care Initiative committee, is a member of
the Illinois health care consortium, is a part of
the Mayors task force for the aging but cannot,
after 27 years, be on the faculty of Scholl
College? Its time for the school or schools to
wake up and 'smell the coffee', applicants are
down for the schools, not enough residencies and
allied health professionals are performing
Podiatric procedures. To quote Dr. Hrywnak," If
we are going to spend 7 years in training we
better not just be limited license professionals,
in the same 7 years that it takes to produce one
DPM you produce 3 PAs or NPs that are not limited
in their scope of practice."

Dr. Hrywnak is right. It's time to seriously
think about what we are and where we are headed,
As far as this law suit is concerned, good for
you Dr. Hrywnak, its time that A DPM run a
school, put together a curriculum, evaluate
residency programs and do site visits to the
Podiatry schools rather than a non DPM. I hope
the college realizes the importance of part-time
faculty, heading the College by a DPM and
providing the students with accurate, truthful
information about the future of healthcare.

The Colleges shouldn't be censoring the truth.
Otherwise we will have graduating students,
without residency placements, loans upward of
$300,000 dollars. Flipping hamburgers at
McDonalds will not allow them to ever repay the
debts.

I believe Dr. Hrywnak and the others were fired
as a means of censorship. I sincerely hope this
gets resolved without expensive litigation and
Dr. Hrywnak and others can get back to what they
are passionate about, teaching students without
fear of retribution or censorship. Time for non
DPM administrators to get their 'heads out of the
sand'.

Hartley Miltchin, DPM, Toronto, Ontario,
ilovebunions@aol.com