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This was announced on 8 Jan - only just picked it up now:
Quote:
News Release Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Lawrence B. Harkless, DPM, as the Founding Dean for the College of Podiatric Medicine, which the University anticipates opening in 2009. The recommendation to add a College of Podiatric Medicine emerged from WesternU's strategic plan as a logical progression of expansion and is supported by the president and accepted by the University's Board of Trustees. The University has entered the initial planning phase of development and will be applying for accreditation with the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) and with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
"Dr. Harkless is well known and widely respected in podiatric medicine and throughout related health care professions," said Dr. Pumerantz, founding President of Western University of Health Sciences. "His professional expertise will be key as we move forward in our podiatric program development." "I relish the opportunity and challenge to develop a school of podiatric medicine in an academic health science center," said Dr. Harkless. "This will allow the integration and collaboration of podiatric medicine across schools, better preparing all health care students in foot care especially with respect to diabetes."
Dr. Harkless enters his deanship at WesternU, from University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), where he is currently a professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and the Louis T. Bogy Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery.
Harkless has chaired the Medical Faculty Assembly, and served as Director of the Podiatric Residency Training Program at UTHSCSA, where he oversaw at least five faculty members, two fellows, and fifteen residents. Over the course of his 29-year career, Dr. Harkless has trained roughly 1000 students and 165 residents, solidifying his status as one of the profession's best educators. Harkless also operated his own private practice, The Alamo Foot Clinic, for 16 years.
In 2001, the American Diabetes Association, the nation's largest and leading voluntary health organization in the fight against diabetes, awarded Dr. Harkless the Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award, which is presented annually to one distinguished health professional who has made outstanding educational efforts in the field of diabetes. Hailed as "the father of diabetic foot care," Dr. Harkless has educated hundreds of students, residents, and physicians about the complexities of diabetic foot complications and the importance of routine foot care for people with diabetes.
"Dr. Harkless has built quite a notable career in podiatry and in diabetic foot care," said Dr. Benjamin L. Cohen, executive vice president for Academic Affairs and chief operating officer for Western University of Health Sciences. "His distinguished career accomplishments are a strong indication of the success we can expect for the College of Podiatric Medicine and the graduates it will yield."
Dr. Harkless is the recipient of the APMA's Distinguished Service Citation, which is the highest honor given by the profession; the President's Excellence Award in Teaching, given to him by UTHSCSA (1998), the Lifetime Achievement Award and Hall of Fame by Podiatry Management Magazine (2002), and a place on the Wall of Honor at the Texas Diabetes Institute (2003.)
A native Texan, Dr. Lawrence B. Harkless is a graduate of the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. He completed his internship at UTHSCSA and his residency in podiatric surgery at Atlanta Hospital and Medical Center in Atlanta, GA.
Dr. and Mrs. Harkless will celebrate twenty-seven years of marriage this year. They have two children: a daughter, Erin Paige, and a son, Lawrence Bernard, Jr. Erin is a 2005 magna cum laude graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, with a degree in finance, international business, and English Literature. She currently works in New York City for Goldman Sachs as a financial analyst. Bernard is a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is an architecture major with urban planning and philosophy minors and is set to graduate in May of this year. Gerry Harkless, the wife of Dr. Harkless, currently teaches part-time in the Allied Health Department of St. Phillip's College, a part of the Alamo Community College District. Another important member of the Harkless family is Cosmo, their ten-year-old Cairn Terrier.
Dr. Harkless is the second of three newly appointed deans who will each spearhead their respective programs. These new colleges are the College of Dental Medicine, the College of Podiatric Medicine and the College of Optometry.
For information on the newly appointed deans, the University Strategic Plan or Western University of Health Sciences, please visit www.westernu.edu.
Larry Harkless, DPM, is the ideal selection to serve as the founding dean of the new podiatric medical school in the growng academic health center at Western University of the Health Sciences in Pomona. His long career heading the podiatric medical program in the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio provided him the opportunity to work in a complicated, interdisciplinary, and world class environment where he headed one of the finest comprehensive and most sought after podiatric medical residency programs in the nation where he also provided an environment for training students from many of the colleges of podiatric medicine. This new school represents another step towards bringing podiatric medical education into universities with academic health centers that have medical schools (both allopathic and osteopathic) and other health professional programs. I still remember when as dean I interviewed him for admission to the then California College of Podiatric Medicine prior to his entrance in 1971 and how even then he performed as one of my most exceptional students that I have had in my career as an academic. Indeed he has made me feel personnaly proud and I wish him and the new school great success.
Leonard A. Levy, DPM, MPH
Associate Dean for Education, Planning and Research
Professor of Family Medicine/Professor of Public Health
Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Larry Harkless, DPM, is the ideal selection to serve as the founding dean of the new podiatric medical school in the growng academic health center at Western University of the Health Sciences in Pomona. His long career heading the podiatric medical program in the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio provided him the opportunity to work in a complicated, interdisciplinary, and world class environment where he headed one of the finest comprehensive and most sought after podiatric medical residency programs in the nation where he also provided an environment for training students from many of the colleges of podiatric medicine. This new school represents another step towards bringing podiatric medical education into universities with academic health centers that have medical schools (both allopathic and osteopathic) and other health professional programs. I still remember when as dean I interviewed him for admission to the then California College of Podiatric Medicine prior to his entrance in 1971 and how even then he performed as one of my most exceptional students that I have had in my career as an academic. Indeed he has made me feel personnaly proud and I wish him and the new school great success.
Leonard A. Levy, DPM, MPH
Associate Dean for Education, Planning and Research
Professor of Family Medicine/Professor of Public Health
Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Dr. Levy:
Why do we need another podiatry school in the United States when most of the podiatry schools are having a difficult time filling their classes with top-notch students? Nothing against Dr. Harkless since he has a great reputation and I'm sure his name may attract some students to this new school. However, I don't understand the need to add yet another podiatry school when most of the respected podiatrists that I speak to around our country do not think that we need more podiatry schools, but that we do need more quality students to fill the currently existing podiatry schools.
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Sincerely,
Kevin
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Kevin A. Kirby, DPM
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Applied Biomechanics
California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt College
Dr. Kirby I am sure is among many DPMs who feel that there are too many podiatric medical schools when voicing what I am sure is his sincere conceren about the new school under development in Pomona. However, one of the reasons for relatively few applicants to podiatric medical schools is the lack of a critical mass of schools in our profession. Not too long ago osteopathic medicine only had five schools and, because of the relative invisibility of DOs, few students thought about applying to become part of that profession. Today the number of DO schools is approaching 30. But besides that, we have a rapidly growing aging population in this nation and a growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes that now has even extended its spectrum to children. In addition, as a result of successes in biomedical science and health care, there also is a huge and continuing growing increase in the prevalence of chronic disease in the nation, so many of which have significant manifestations in the pedal extremity. While many if not most poditric physicians may not agree and while it may be a parodox, we need more not fewer podiatric medical schools in carefully selected areas of the country. Furthermore, these schools need to be integral parts of academic health centers. While this may be difficult to see now, I believe that this will prove to be true for the foreseeable future. You can also be sure that the leadership at Western University for the Health Sciences in Pomona, a very successful health science education operation, were very much aware of these phenomena when making the decision to invest in establishing the new podiatric medical school.
Leonard A. Levy, DPM, MPH
Asociate Dean for Education, Planning and Research
Professor of Family Medicine/Professor of Public Health
Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
New Podiatry School in California
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