APMA News - May/June 2024 - 8

Dr. Taubman, you and Dr. Cicchinelli
have worked closely during the transition.
What do you think the profession
can expect from PICA as he takes on
the role of chief medical director?
At PICA, we have always had leaders who don't
come from insurance. The beauty of the new arrangement
is that Luke has that outside perspective,
but we're also getting someone in Margaret who
knows insurance. Margaret's experience in the field of
medical malpractice is extensive. We always worked
together in a collaborative way to leverage each
other's expertise for the benefit of PICA and our policyholders.
Luke and Margaret are building this same
dynamic of partnership in ways that will ultimately
benefit PICA as a company and our policyholders.
Luke has had such diverse experiences throughout
his career as a practicing podiatrist, as well as
an educator teaching podiatrists and orthopedic
surgeons throughout Europe, Asia, and South
America. He speaks Spanish fluently. He didn't
come from the world of podiatry politics. So, Luke
brings a whole different skill set to PICA in the chief
medical officer position. Now he is learning more
[about] the insurance world, and I'm really excited
about what comes next. If Margaret and Luke do
their jobs the way I know they will, PICA will continue
to evolve with the profession and support the
next generation of podiatric medical physicians.
Dr. Taubman, what advice would you
give to Dr. Cicchinelli in his new role?
Think about your vision for the future and what you
would like to see. Listen to the people around you
who have been doing it for a while and get their input.
Change comes by consensus and by working
with other people. People generally want you to
hear what they have to say, so be a good listener,
consider what people have to say, and then make
the best decisions you can. There is no failure;
there are successes and lessons to be learned.
Dr. Taubman, you mentioned a vision
for change, and you spoke about that
during your opening session address
at the APMA Annual Scientific Meeting
last year, as well. How do you think
you accomplished that during your
time at PICA?
When I first came to PICA, Dr. [Jerry] Brant was
retiring. Dr. Brant was a founder who had been
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MAY/JUNE 2024
there for 37 years, and that change in leadership
was daunting. People in the profession were starting
to think about being in groups, but 95 percent of
our policyholders were still in practices of one or
two people. That has clearly evolved over time; that
number is closer to 50 percent now. In the past five
or six years, private equity and other owners have
entered the market, and navigating that sea change
is something I'm really proud of. We still have the
market share of podiatrists as policyholders, so if
you use that as a yardstick, then we did okay!
You can look at change as a challenge, but
also as opportunity. Leaders are supposed to
chart a vision for what's coming next, and it's
what I enjoy doing and have throughout my career.
The only thing constant is change, and you
can embrace it positively.
Dr. Cicchinelli, what have you learned
from working with Dr. Taubman
during the transition period?
Ross and Betsy as a couple have been tremendous
leaders. They have made incredible contributions
to the profession. I've known Ross for about 12
years, and I've always admired his leadership style.
I appreciate his vision about how organizations
need to keep evolving; society will not stand still,
and Ross 100 percent gets that. You can't just
continue to do things the way you have always
done them and keep current in an ever-changing
world with technology and artificial intelligence
and social media. Ross has done an incredible job
of keeping himself up to date. He likes to say that
leadership has a shelf life; I agree with that. Ross
has said many times that leaders need to learn to
step aside and let the next folks in line come in and
create diversity of lived experiences and thoughts
and visions.
Dr. Cicchinelli, what interested you in
the position at PICA?
We were PICA policyholders for 30-plus years,
and rather than stagnate, we thought, why not
put energy into the profession back at home? We
could contribute our experiences that are definitely
unique, working overseas, teaching Spanish orthopedic
surgeons, and applying all the diversification
of our career, and continue to learn new things
and broaden our perspectives.
In many ways, it's like APMA. APMA does all
sorts of stuff that people either have no idea
APMA News - May/June 2024

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