APMA News - November/December 2012 - (Page 40)

T A Tradition of Leadership: APMA Executive Directors Move Podiatric Medicine Forward During his many years of service to podiatric medicine, Dr. Klombers has seen a tremendous amount of change. Nowhere is change more evident than in the field of education. “When I graduated in 1944, there were no residency programs. Students today are thoroughly prepared to practice and professionally serve together with the [orthopedists]. The progress has been remarkable.” He also has seen the field literally evolve in name and function. “I was involved when we changed the name from chiropodists to podiatrists. It was all about the public perception. Chiropodists performed minor foot care. To be recognized by the public and other medical professions, we changed the name. It was tense. But it was necessary, and it was the right decision.” In 1986, Dr. Gastwirth had a similar experience when he made the change from practice to a position at APMA. “At first, it was difficult, but I knew that it would be a significant change for me,” he said. “I, like many other doctors, enjoyed a special relationship with my patients. There is nothing more special than the feeling I Glenn B. Gastwirth, DPM had when my patients entrusted me with providing them with medical or surgical care, and I was able to improve the quality of their lives.” Dr. Klombers and Dr. Gastwirth share a very similar background with intersecting professional and personal lives. “I had known Dr. Klombers while I was a student leader at NYCPM,” said Dr. Gastwirth. “I was president of my student body in New York as well as president of our national student association. [He] knew my desire to become more involved in the profession once I completed my training.” That was not the only connection the two shared. They had another one of a more personal nature. “Dr. Klombers first came in contact with my father in his Baskin Robbins store in Long Beach, NY,” said Dr. Gastwirth. “It was only the second Baskin Robbins store on the east coast of the US. My father was an extraordinary man. He was very outgoing and always spoke to his customers. As soon as Dr. Klombers said the word ‘podiatry,’ they were off to the races talking about everything imaginable. Of course, my father spent a good deal of time talking about me.” Each executive director hopes to leave a lasting mark on APMA, and Dr. Klombers is pleased with the work he did while in charge. “One of the things I take a tremendous amount hrough a century of growth, evolution, and change, there is one area in which APMA has served as a model of stability. During its long history, APMA has been shaped by the steady hands of the seven men who have served in the capacity of executive director. Starting with William J. Stickel, DSC, who assumed the role of executive secretary of the National Association of Chiropodists and editor of the Journal of the National Association of Chiropodists in 1941, through the appointment of Glenn B. Gastwirth, DPM, as CEO and executive director of APMA in 1998, the position has been pivotal in the development of the organization and the course of the profession. As APMA matured as an organization, so did the need for full-time stewardship. Early on, the organization could manage with members serving in part-time leadership positions, but over time a dedicated support system became necessary. Dr. Stickel oversaw three employees, but today APMA has a staff of 60. With two exceptions, executive directors have been trained podiatrists who made the choice to give up practice to serve Norman L. Klombers, DPM the profession full time. The transition is not always easy. “I loved practice. I had a great relationship with my patients. They were so good to me and my family,” said Norman L. Klombers, DPM, APMA executive director 1980–1989. “I stopped practicing when I became an executive for the New York State [Podiatric Medical Association], but I still taught at the [New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM)]. It was difficult to give up that as well and come down to Washington, but it was a professional goal of mine, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Were the job not so interesting, I would have been terribly disappointed.” Dr. Klombers graduated from NYCPM in 1944 and practiced in New York, where his patients included many recognized international figures, as well as the Radio City Music Hall Ballet Corps. He came to APMA in 1978 as director of Scientific Affairs and heir-apparent to long-serving APMA Executive Director Seward Nyman, DPM. When Dr. Nyman passed away two years later, Dr. Klombers stepped into the executive role. “There were three candidates for the position: myself, Irv Kanat, and Larry Lefler. Drs. Kanat and Lefler were friends and, at the time, the previous two APMA presidents,” said Dr. Klombers. 40 APMA News November/December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - November/December 2012

APMA News - November/December 2012
President’s Message
Contents
United States of Diabetes
Corporate Partners and Members: A History of Generosity
Tradition of Leadership: APMA Executive Directors Move Podiatric Medicine Forward
100 Years of Chiropody History in the UK: A Personal View
Annual Scientifi c Meeting Registration Form
2012 Podiatric Practice Survey: Age and Gender by Practice Arrangement Type
APMA By the Decade: 2002–2012
Reimbursement
Federal Advocacy Forum
Cosponsors to the Equity and Access for Podiatric Physicians Under Medicaid Act
APMAPAC Contributions in the 2011–12 Election Year
APMAPAC Chair Report
IT Consultant
Website Wisdom
Technofi
Small Business 101
CPME Update
APMA All Stars
Resolutions Deadlines
In Short
Worthy of Note
Affi liates Corner
Insurance Advisor
New Members
Death Notices
APMAPAC Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions
Your APMA

APMA News - November/December 2012