Footnotes - Winter 2023 - 14

FROM
Podiatrist of the Year
TO
GUATEMALAN COFFEE FARMER
AND " BONE DOCTOR "
BY DANICA PRATTA
TUSPM CLASS OF 2025
The Journey of
Dr. William Boegel, a top
podiatric surgeon in the
Seattle area who,
through faith, served to
heal thousands of
children and a
community in rural
Guatemala
A far cry from the safety of his secure position as a podiatric surgeon in his home of
Seattle, William Boegel DPM faces a road blocked by three vehicles and angry men
with weapons in rural Mexico. Dr. Boegel was transporting thousands of dollars of
donations to his medical clinic and school named Opal House, which he and his wife,
Diane, opened over 10 years ago in the rural highlands of Guatemala. Stopped in the
road, he is faced with the decision of his life, or the resources that would provide
education for students and care for patients throughout Western Guatemala.
Originally a Los Angeles, CA native, William Boegel attended school in Bethesda,
Maryland, and always had an interest in medicine even during his high school career.
Boegel joined the National Institutes of Health as a high school student and through
college, where he continued to contribute to advance medicine through research
and had the opportunity to co- author six publications by the time he graduated.
Author Danica Pratta (right) and Dr. William Boegel (left)
14
FOOTNOTES
Footnotes - Winter 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Footnotes - Winter 2023
