APMA News - March/April 2019 - 16

President Edwards' Inaugural Speech

continued from page 14

we observe a moment of silence in their memory at the close
of business.
Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen further than others, it is
by standing upon the shoulders of giants." By examining our
history, we can objectively measure our progress and growth.
A pioneer is one who ventures into unknown or unclaimed
territory to settle. I recently visited with Paul Liswood, president of the New York State Podiatric Medical Association. He
shared some history with me:
In 1895, for the first time anywhere, a group of people
who shared a common interest in treating ailments of the foot
got together and formed a professional organization. They called
it the Pedic Society. On June 3, 1895, New York Senate Bill 195,
authorizing the formation of the society and requiring state
examinations for chiropodists to be licensed, was passed, and

nizant of the present perceptions of APMA and its resources, as
well as the challenges to our sustainability as an organization.
Our greater understanding of those challenges prepares us to
plan for the future.
Our keen awareness in the present has also led us to unprecedented legislative success. A great thank you goes to Ben
Wallner and his staff, and Drs. Barney Greenberg and Patrick
DeHeer and their committees. We continue to work to ensure
full implementation of our VA Provider Equity Act after seeing it signed into law last summer.
APMA's team is always ready to leap into action, as we did
to address the CMS threat to collapse E/M codes and throw podiatry its own G code. Together, we mounted one of the strongest grassroots advocacy efforts in the history of our profession.
The result was a resounding victory and a net increase to our
bottom-line reimbursements.
The HELLPP Act is soon to be reintroduced, and we will

Our identity as an organization and a profession is a topic
that carries us from a visionary past to a mindful present.
podiatry was born. The Pedic Society still exists today, and is
now known as the NYSPMA.
How about APMA? From its English derivation dating to
1785, the term chiropodist was the commonly used in reference
for one caring for the foot. In 1912 the National Association of
Chiropodists (NAC) was formed. It was renamed in 1957 to the
American Podiatry Association. APA was legally registered, however, in 1932 by then-NAC President Joseph Lelyveld, a full 25
years before the name would change. Visionary.
It was 1984 when the current name, American Podiatric
Medical Association (APMA), was adopted.
Our identity as an organization and a profession is a topic
that carries us from a visionary past to a mindful present.
It was a year ago that I chaired a working group for APMA.
The group was tasked with evaluating our name and branding.
A broad spectrum of our association was represented in the
group, from students to life members, from large and small components, and from varied locations.
We retained the professional assistance of a nationally respected and experienced consulting firm, McKinley Advisors.
McKinley conducted extensive market research and engaged
focus groups to test concepts.
After all the information was carefully considered and thoroughly discussed, it was determined that we should retain the
APMA name with the added tagline: Advancing foot and ankle
medicine and surgery.
The process of studying our brand also made us more cog16 APMA News March/April 2019

be calling on you soon for a sustained advocacy effort. It is
your participation in efforts like these that makes a difference
for us now and for those who will follow in the future.
There is a saying: "If you're not at the table, you're on the
menu."
APMA will continue to be at the table!
I mentioned Rexann and I had pioneer ancestors who
crossed the plains, but on my Edwards side it was a sweet grandmother in the early 1900s who crossed the ocean. She and my
grandfather were raising their little family in Auckland, New
Zealand. He sadly contracted pneumonia and passed away suddenly at age 38. My grandmother now found herself widowed
and six months pregnant with my soon-to-be-born father. Along
with the new baby, she had five other children to raise. Pursuing
her religious faith, and in a pioneer spirit, two years later she
brought her family to settle in Northern Utah, where I now live.
My father was the youngest child, and he learned to work
hard at a young age. I, as the youngest son of the youngest son,
am the benefactor of that pioneering spirit and its life lessons.
Ultimately my father ended up owning and operating his
own business as a shoe repairman. I tell my patients, "I grew
up fixing shoes and now I fix feet!" My father instilled in me
a desire for independence. He marched to his own beat with
integrity and a core set of values.
After high school, I attended Utah State University for one
semester as a business major. I then left school to spend two
years in missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of

APMA News - March/April 2019

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