APMA News - September/October 2023 - 7

thoughts from the ceo
Honor the Past, Embrace
the Future
In May of this year, it was 40 years since I graduated from podiatric medical school in
1983. That seemed to be an exceptional year, as many graduates from the then seven
schools of podiatric medicine went on to make incredible contributions to our profession.
My classmates included Mike Downey and Scott Malay. From other schools that
year some notables included Kevin Kirby, Ross Taubman, Seth Rubenstein, and Jim
Stavosky-to name a few.
I started private practice in Maryland in 1985 after being fortunate enough to do two
years of surgical residency training, with my second year at a major teaching hospital on
the orthopedic service. Despite my training, Maryland did not have an ankle law in 1985.
We were able to get hospital privileges because of the hard work of those who preceded
me into practice. But we were not on the medical staff; we were on the affiliate staff.
My peers and I were encouraged by our leaders to work on these issues and eventually
gained full medical staff privileges with our own podiatry sub-section under the department
of surgery. We passed an ankle law in 1993.
My point in all this is that I was encouraged to pursue leadership positions as a young
physician. As a result, I was president of my state society, eventually on the state licensing
board, and was a delegate from Maryland to the APMA House of Delegates (HOD)
from 1990 until I came to work for APMA in 2005. I was appreciative of all that my predecessors
and mentors had done, but they also gave me the opportunity to help move
the profession forward.
As we consider the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion, I can't help but reflect on
our member leadership. When I look at the APMA HOD today, I still see many of the
faces that were there when I was a delegate. I don't see enough faces that represent the
profession of the future. It is time for our generation to step aside and support our students
and young physicians as they lead us forward-just as our predecessors did for us
We need to embrace the diversity that our profession represents, particularly our more
recent graduates of podiatric medical school. Our leadership at the local, state, and national
level should look like our membership-embracing all the various viewpoints that
each unique member represents. We must reach out and engage our members so that
they feel welcome to pursue leadership positions and have an opportunity to shape their
profession for the better.
We have made remarkable progress over the past 40 years, and we should remember
and honor those who contributed to our outstanding advancement. But we also must
recognize when it is time to allow the next generation of leaders to step forward and
embrace the contributions they can make.
James R. Christina, DPM
Executive Director and CEO
APMA.ORG
apmanews
7

http://www.APMA.ORG

APMA News - September/October 2023

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