Western Foot and Ankle Conference continues to grow
The Western Foot and Ankle Conference continues to grow as it provides evidence-based and scientific knowledge with an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to continuing education.
The goal of the Western Foot and Ankle Conference, organized by the California Podiatric Medical Association (CPMA), is to provide the highest quality continuing education program on the foot and ankle. This is accomplished through the growth of the program’s improved scientific quality and through the improved partnerships and relationships with industries that are critical to the practice of medicine, said conference chair Jonathan Labovitz, DPM, FACFAS, College of Podiatric Medicine associate professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Biomechanics.
The latest seminar, held June 7-10, 2012 at the Disneyland Hotel and Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., celebrated the 100th year of the California Podiatric Medical Association.
“Overall this year was a huge success,” Labovitz said. “It was once again the best we have done. We provided one of our best educational programs and we exceeded our previous registration numbers with about an 8 percent growth.”
The seminar has consistently grown in the past five years to more than 1,100 registrants and more than 160 sponsoring companies filling the exhibit hall, Labovitz said. A few initiatives have helped with this transformation.
“By creating greater value for the sponsors of the four-day seminar, we have been able to create a partnership with industry to establish a more credible, more organized, and more valuable seminar for the registrants,” Labovitz said.
The other main initiative has been to develop a more evidence-based and scientific meeting with something for everyone, he said.
“We highlight tracks in biomechanics, sports medicine, medicine and surgery. We also offer hands-on workshops on topics from billing and coding to complex reconstructive surgical procedures,” Labovitz said. “In addition, we have worked to create an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to continuing education by having MD, DO, PT, prosthetists, and others lecture at the meeting. This elevation of the overall program has been one of the most rewarding in that each year more positive comments from registrants have come in noticing the success of this goal.”
The following WesternU faculty gave presentations:
Bora Rhim, DPM, faculty for hands-on workshops on flatfoot surgery and Charcot foot surgery.
Aksone Nouvong, DPM, faculty for hands-on workshop on posterior tibial tendon dysfunction.
Michael Seffinger, DO, lectured on “Osteopathic medicine and sports injuries” during the sports medicine general session.
Marcel Fraix, DO, lectured on “The role of the musculoskeletal system in fall prevention” during the biomechanics general session.
Nishita Patel, DO, lectured on “Managing MRSA in an outpatient setting” in the diabetic medicine general session.
Jonathan Labovitz, DPM, lectured on “Patient Centered Care: What does it really mean?” in the Changes in Healthcare Delivery general session.
