APMA News - January/February 2025 - 7

Brooke A. Bisbee, DPM, will be installed
as APMA president by Past President Lloyd
Smith, DPM, on March 15 during the House of
Delegates meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Bisbee
brings a rich background of leadership, advocacy,
and dedication to podiatric medicine. Her
decision to enter the field was sparked by handson
experiences in vascular surgery and podiatry
during college, shaping her interest in surgical
care and long-term patient relationships. A
graduate of Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine,
she completed her residency at the Tucson VA
and has since become a strong voice in APMA
governance, health policy, and DEI initiatives.
Dr. Bisbee's presidency will focus on advocacy,
strengthening membership, and advancing parity
for podiatric physicians, reflecting her deep
commitment to collaboration and modernization
within the association.
What inspired you to become
a podiatrist?
I worked for vascular surgeons when I was in
college, thinking I was going down that path.
A podiatrist (Dr. Alan Gitersonke) began utilizing
their space one day per week, and one day
I ended up filling in for his [medical assistant]
while he did an ingrown toenail procedure. I
started shadowing him as I liked what I was
seeing and hearing from his patients when they
were in the office. Through my discussions
with Dr. Gitersonke and his staff, I realized that
podiatry would afford me the ability to do a vast
array of surgical procedures and also develop
a primary care type of relationship with many
patients and even specialize if I so desired. I
was especially drawn to the lifestyle podiatric
medicine provided, as I witnessed the vascular
surgeons I worked for constantly missing out on
family events and sleeping in the office (attached
to the hospital) overnight because they had been
at the hospital all night.
Tell us about your podiatric education
and residency training.
I attended Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine,
graduating in 1999, after which I headed to the
desert Southwest and completed a two-year residency
based at the Tucson VA.
How did you get involved with your
state association?
Serving in the political arena has always been of
interest to me-beginning in junior high when I ran
for my first club officer position. I continued being
involved politically at Scholl where I served as class
president one year, and then moved on to the student
body positions, eventually serving as [Illinois
Podiatric Medical Students' Association] president.
As for my state association, we have very few
podiatrists in Arkansas-far less than 100-so if you
want to serve in the association, there is always a
place available. When I moved home, I attended
our state meetings, and within a couple of years
I volunteered to serve on committees, eventually
serving two years each as state vice president
and then president. After serving as president, I
ran for and won election to the one delegate seat
Arkansas has in the APMA House of Delegates
[HOD]. I served as a delegate for 10 years before
running for the APMA Board of Trustees.
You have been closely involved with
many of our Health Policy and Practice
committees. Talk about the impact
these committees have had on you.
I actually became very involved with the HPP and
Coding committees through my involvement with
the [American Medical Association's RVS Update
Committee or RUC], where I began serving as an
alternate liaison for APMA the year before I was elected
to the APMA BOT. The sheer amount of detailed
work the HPP and Coding committees undertake is
unfathomable for most members. The members and
staff who serve on these committees are by far some
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APMA News - January/February 2025

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