APMA News - September/October 2021 - 36

APMAPAC Update
By Debra Gibson, DPM
APMAPAC Champion Jean Chen-Vitulli, DPM
The APMAPAC board has selected Jean Chen-Vitulli, DPM,
current member of the APMA Legislative Committee, as its
newest 2021 APMAPAC Champion in recognition of her advocacy
leadership and her continued promotion of the podiatric
profession.
Dr. Chen-Vitulli was born in Taiwan, and her parents immigrated
to the US to ensure she had the freedom and ability
to pursue a career in medicine. Since she was fi ve, she wanted
to be a doctor. In Taiwan at that time, students' scores on
college admission exams determined their careers. " My mother
tested well and could have been a doctor, but being female,
she was sent into nursing instead, " said Dr. Chen-Vitulli.
Dr. Chen-Vitulli grew up in Euclid, OH, and received a BA
in Biology from Cornell University. She earned an MS in
Natural Sciences from SUNY at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer
Institute. Her interest was focused on molecular biology and
aspects of T-cell leukemia research. She attended the Ohio
College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM, now Kent State
University College of Podiatric Medicine), where she had a
special interest in diabetes. She founded and became president
of the Podiatric Association for Diabetes at OCPM.
Through this group, she began her career advocating for patients,
and thanks to her hard work, OCPM students were
able to rotate through the wound care center at Richmond
Heights Hospital. Her mentor, Dr. Byron Hoogwerf, an endocrinologist
at the Cleveland Clinic, invited her to attend hospital
rounds in the summer, where he introduced her to complex
cases of diabetes, including those caused by psychiatric
medications, Cushing's disease, and other factors.
During residency, she had the opportunity to train under
Peter Sheehan, MD, at the Hospital for Joint Diseases Wound
Care Center. Following residency, she worked in hyperbarics
and wound care. " In the beginning of residency training, I
spent most of my time doing house calls to care for homebound
patients, " said Dr. Chen-Vitulli, noting that many of
these patients were neglected and needed signifi cant care.
" Getting care can be challenging at times, so I enlisted my
local congressional offi ces for help. I was also introduced to
other social services available in my county to help my patients.
Eventually, I was invited to participate as a member of
the Seniors Advisory Group for my US congressman, Rep.
Sean Maloney (D-NY), to discuss issues faced by seniors. I
also contributed time to his re-election campaign as well to
further solidify my relationship with him. "
Dr. Chen-Vitulli's career choice was infl uenced by an experience
she had in college. She worked as a hospital aide
36 APMA News September/October 2021
on the surgical oncology fl oor. " I have never forgotten this
woman who developed a foot ulcer, and her surgeon did a
below-knee amputation. The patient cried because she
would never be able to go square dancing, her favorite hobby,
again. It was heart-wrenching, and I wanted to commit
my life to preventing as many lower extremity amputations
as possible. "
Dr. Chen-Vitulli has served in different positions with the
Mid-Hudson Division of the New York State Podiatric
Medical Association (NYSPMA). She has served on different
committees of NYSPMA and is now in her third term on
APMA's Legislative Committee. " I am so blessed to be able
to serve on the Legislative Committee of APMA and experience
the complexities of lobbying for podiatry and being a
patient advocate, " she said. " I am grateful the committee has
allowed me to take my passion for speaking up for patients
with diabetes, in particular advocating for lower insulin and
medication prices, and allowed me to form a subcommittee
on this issue. "
Dr. Chen-Vitulli offered advice to her colleagues who may
not feel that donating to APMAPAC, becoming politically
involved, or engaging in legislative efforts for podiatry are
necessary or worthwhile activities: " We are a small profession.
When we go to a legislator's offi ce, the fi rst thing they
want to know is how many members are in the organization
and whom do we represent. If we want APMA to continue
to move forward, we need to ask non-members to join the
organization. The more there are of us, the louder our voice
when speaking to policymakers. When APMA asks all of us
to advocate to our US senators and representatives, it is vital
that we all participate. Each congressional offi ce keeps track
of how many times a constituent emails or calls about something,
and if only one or two people email or call, the issue
gets placed aside. However, if a whole bunch of people from
the same district call or send emails, then they will start
paying attention. "
Dr. Chen-Vitulli also believes in the power of forging
relationships with other health-care professions. " Our profession
has a bright future, but we have to let other medical
specialties know more of what we do. It's wonderful
that we have a vascular alliance and are now working towards
an endocrine alliance. I believe if more podiatrists
become versed in diabetes [and] cardiac and transplant
medicine, we will be further integrated into a vital partnership
and ensure the future of our profession. That's what I
want to accomplish. " n
APMA News - September/October 2021

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