Making It Happen

I’m at the Academy meeting this week, and while I never really know what I’m going to write about until the words come, I would’ve never guessed this would be my “thing” right now. I truly love this profession of O, P, and P. It can frustrate the heck out of you, but the rewards are incredible.

As I sit here reconnecting with some truly wonderful people, it hits me again: what makes this profession thrive is you—well, at least some of you.

I just stepped off the stage at the Pedorthic Footcare Association Symposium at the Academy meeting. If you know the backstory, you understand how unlikely that is! It’s taken years of perseverance and steady dialogue to get here. The relationship between the Academy and the Pedorthic profession hasn’t always been… warm. But the ice started breaking when the Board for Certification in Pedorthics decided to turn certification responsibilities over to the American Board for Certification in O&P.

Back then, I was a staff member at ABC, leading the Facility Accreditation program. That role introduced me to some incredible people and gave me a front-row seat to understanding the clinical aspect of footcare (not to mention prosthetics and orthotics). In the time since I left ABC, I have had the privilege to serve on a variety of boards and committees—OPAF, Pedorthics, AOPA, and others.

In my early days, I became a champion for clinical professionalism. As Director of Facility Accreditation, I helped rewrite the Standards of Accreditation—we needed to raise the bar. Those standards are still foundational to what professionalism in O&P means today.

Back then, the term professionalism wasn’t exactly popular. Now, two decades later, it’s the word I hear most often—and that’s not about me. It’s about telling a compelling story, finding the right audience, and helping shape meaningful ideas.

Which brings me back to the meeting. At the symposium, something pretty special happened. As a longtime board member and treasurer of the Pedorthic Foundation, I was part of a decision last year to dissolve the Foundation and donate more than $100,000 to the O&P Foundation. Our goal was to fund research into pedorthic clinical efficacy, create scholarships, and promote professionalism in pedorthic care as an integral part of O&P. ABC matched that gift, doubling the impact—and I couldn’t be prouder.

The other moment that got me was when my friend, Dennis Janisse, received the PFA Founders Award—a lifetime achievement recognition that couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person.

So here’s my point: if you love taking care of patients, or simply being part of this profession, get involved. Volunteer. Speak up. Shape the future instead of watching it unfold around you. Entropy is real; without constant care and attention, things decay.

This profession will be exactly what we make of it. Disruptors are essential to vitality. The work can be a grind, but the rewards? Absolutely worth it.