09/02/2013    H. David Gottlieb, DPM

Where Podiatry Has Earned International Parity

Right now in Baltimore, MD [August 28 -
September 3] is what I consider the best foot
and ankle course in the world. And a whole host
of podiatrists and international orthopedic
surgeons agree. At this conference, the
Baltimore Limb Deformity Course, orthopedic
surgeons from all over the world meet for 6 or 7
days of intensive training, didactics, and hands-
on workshops dealing primarily with lower
extremity deformity correction.

Lecturers include not only world renowned
orthopedic surgeons, but also world renowned
podiatrists such as Guido LaPorta, Bradley Lamm
and Noman Siddiqui. They are introduced as
podiatrists and as experts in surgical foot
reconstruction.

At the tables where the attendees sit and learn
how to do deformity correction planning by the
use of concepts such as CORA [center of
rotational angulation] and others, DPMs and MDs
are helping each other in a collaborative effort
to learn how to accurately repair deformities.

The founders of this meeting are internationally
known as the best orthopedic surgeons in the
world. One of the founders is the surgeon who
brought Ilizarov’s techniques to the USA and
then championed the Taylor Spatial Frame and 6-
axis correction. The other founder is the one
who re-discovered Ponsetti’s method for clubfoot
correction and is responsible for promoting
world-wide. In fact, he teaches a Ponsetti Pre-
Course that is attended by podiatrists, podiatry
residents and orthopedic surgeons the day before
the BLDC starts. In fact, two of my residents
won 3rd place in the Ponsetti casting contest at
the end of the course.

BLDC is an intense week or so. I’ve loved it
ever since I first went years ago. I highly
recommend it for anyone wishing to expand their
knowledge of deformity correction. It is here
where one can see the Project 2015 gets the
results desired. Talent and ability is
recognized, degree is meaningless. Parity of DPM
and MD exist. Podiatrists are sitting side by
side with orthopedic surgeons and learning side
by side collaboratively. Isn’t that what parity
is about?

The International Center for Limb Lengthening,
which hosts the BLDC, has a Fellowship program.
They take about 5 or 6 Research Fellows [no
clinical duties] and usually an equal number of
Clinical Fellows who are also expected to
produce publishable research. It's nice to know
that they take a number of podiatrists as
Fellows.

In fact, their Chief Fellow this year is a
podiatrist. She was a resident from my program
who graduated this past June. I've known them to
have picked podiatrists as Chief Fellow quite a
few times. Their criteria is ability and often
enough the most capable Fellow is a podiatrist.

Podiatry Fellows in Maryland have a training
license, a limited license, just like residents
do. This means that the Fellow's scope of
practice is that of the Attending for the case.
So the podiatry Fellows do everything from hip
to foot, and shoulder to finger. The scheduling
clerks do not discriminate. Their schedule is
based on a rotation and they all spend the same
amount of time with each orthopedic and
podiatric attending.

Parity exists. The International Center for Limb
Lengthening demonstrates it every day.

H. David Gottlieb, DPM, Baltimore, MD,
hdavidgottliebdpm@gmail.com

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