12/15/2025    Robert G. Smith DPM, MSc, RPh

RE: Who are We? (Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD)

As a daily reader and consumer of the news,
advertisements, and fascinating accounts of
accomplishments reported in PM News even before my
graduation from a podiatric medical college; I
have enjoyed the content and witness that as a
profession ideas, opinions, and point of views can
be translated and defined as a geometric area of a
circle (360 degrees) over time ever expanding in
size but consistently a circle. Thank you, Dr.
Block, for a great account, these many years.

The year 2025 has ushered in some previous views
and introduced some new ones that have given this
reader cause for pause as 2026 begins to peak over
the horizon. The changes to the healthcare arena
will be paramount as they will change for
patients, care givers, and all providers
uniformly. Over the years I have held the belief
that a podiatrist, podiatric physician, and
podiatric physician and surgeon with head held
high embodies parity with all those that
prescribe, monitor, or dispense Medicinals,
pharmaceuticals, and remedies. I have not enjoyed
or have been entertained by unkind statements made
about our profession, organizations, students, and
peers.

Therefore, I would like to offer a proposal to the
American Podiatric Medical Association and given
the closing of the President’s term of Dr. Brooke
Bisbee, DPM to President Dr. Patrick DeHeer, DPM
to consider a conceptional program entitled: “The
Sound of Footsteps Forward” that will chronicle
our profession from the early struggles towards
parity to our future. Sound bites from our early
leaders like those emeritus members from the
podiatry academy of the National Academy of
Practice, leaders from other podiatry
organizations, our colleges, our residents, our
students, in their own words.

As one views graduation classes photos over time
from our podiatry colleges, we see a diverse
community like the patients we treat this a
testament of podiatry’s accomplishments from the
early days. Once these sound bites and short
selfies are created and produced, they can be
released on social media, podcasts, YouTube, and
websites, unlike a Zocdoc advertisement where an
actor pretending to be a podiatrist asks about
reading any good books.

I would be happy to donate some seed money to “The
Sound of Footsteps Forward” project and then APMA
can work out the logistics for the cost of the
entire project. I believe "who we are?" can best
be answered by our own voices as we move forward.

Bob Smith, DPM, Ormond Beach, FL

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