President Message - December 2024

It is one of the highlights of my career to serve the hundreds of members of this association responsible for providing expert care to thousands of patients across Pennsylvania.

With all the attention lately focused on how divided the country is, it seems like the right time to remind our members that PPMA represents one united voice with the goal of the greater good for our profession. There is tremendous comfort in knowing that our association has been here to support you since you began your career and will continue to be here through retirement, providing you with valuable benefits and advocating for all of us.

Last year, we announced a future scholarship at TUSPM in the name of Mike Davis. The scholarship was intended to be a bridge for those pursuing a podiatric education. In addition to this opportunity to support those pursuing podiatric study, we are excited to announce a future partnership with The John Yurconic Agency. The John Yurconic Agency has generously pledged $100,000 towards future education efforts of podiatry students. We are deeply grateful for this support, which will make a significant difference in the lives of these students and, ultimately, the future of our profession.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Yurconic family again for their generous pledge to support podiatry students' future education efforts. We are deeply grateful for this support, which will make a significant difference in the lives of these students and, ultimately, the future of our profession. Thank you.

One of the advocacy issues we are following is related to noncompete agreements in healthcare. The Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act, which currently does not impact podiatrists, will become law on January 1st. We have heard varied feedback in conversations with members and fielded a survey to get a full picture from our members about how these agreements are impacting them. Please take a moment to respond to this survey.

The Goldfarb Foundation is now accepting registrations for LESS CHAOS, which will be in Philadelphia this year. This unique interactive event provides didactic lectures and complementary sawbones workshops. It is expected to draw residents, surgeons, and fellows from Pennsylvania and other areas of the United States. Those interested in attending should register on December 1st, as some activities have limited seats available.

In 2025, The Montana Meeting, which Edwin Hart, DPM has chaired, will celebrate its 20th year. This is a unique educational event that many of us have appreciated the opportunity to participate in over the years. Let's take a moment to thank Dr. Hart for the time and effort he put into this event. If you have not attended in the past, consider attending this year, as I am confident that our board has something special in the works to commemorate the anniversary of this event.

To achieve our goals, we must work hard to retain and attract podiatrists across Pennsylvania. We appreciate your introduction to DPMs that have yet to experience membership and welcome opportunities to engage them with our valuable benefits. Let’s work together to grow our collective voice at this critical time.

As we wrap up 2024 and begin planning for a fantastic 2025, know that my door is open to ideas that could benefit our organization. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you.