Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Practice Perfect Editor
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Podiatric Medicine,
Surgery & Biomechanics
College of Podiatric Medicine
Western University of
Health Sciences,
St. Pomona, CA

Announcing Western University College of Podiatric Medicine Accreditation

This week I'd like to take a point of privilege to announce positive news. No, I'm not talking about the results of the presidential election (that obviously depends on your political leanings).

What I am talking about is the full accreditation of podiatry school number 9, the Western University College of Podiatric Medicine. See below the press release from Western University's website.

As a member of the faculty of this new college, I am very excited about the positive direction of the College and what this says about our profession as a whole. I know many podiatrists do not see the utility of another school. However, I think there are many positives to this development, and I look forward to discussing and debating this issue on eTalk!

Announcing Western University College of Podiatric Medicine Accreditation

POMONA, Calif. - 11/02/2012 —

The Council on Podiatric Medical Education has granted the College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM) at Western University of Health Sciences initial full accreditation through October 2016.

"A special thanks to the entire University, the Board of Trustees, CPM Dean's advisory council, administration, faculty, students and staff for their support and commitment to excellence in attaining this milestone," said CPM Founding Dean Lawrence Harkless, DPM, who received the notification Nov. 2. "We remain committed to excellence as we continue to develop and grow the College of Podiatric Medicine."

The Council on Podiatric Medical Education is an autonomous accrediting agency for podiatric medical education. Deriving its authority from the House of Delegates of the American Podiatric Medical Association, the Council is empowered to develop and adopt standards and policies as necessary for the implementation of all aspects of its accreditation, approval, and recognition purview, according to the Council's website.

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The accreditation committee conducted a site visit to Pomona in August, and reported no potential areas of noncompliance, with the eight standards, six commendations and 12 recommendations, at its meeting in New Orleans on Oct. 17, Harkless said.

The College of Podiatric Medicine will celebrate its first Commencement ceremony for its inaugural class in May 2013. These students were risk takers who wanted to be part of something new, creative, innovative and different, Harkless said.

"They had a different attitude and spirit about them. They are not people that can't deal with uncertainty," he said. "They had to have faith and hope, as I did, that what we wanted to do made sense, that we had a good plan and the appropriate people that were committed to that plan and willing to work hard and be patient, and allowed to grow and develop."

Comment by PRESENT:

"On behalf of the staff and management of PRESENT e-Learning Systems, I would like to extend our most heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Harkless, Drs. Shapiro, Nouvong, Lobovitz, Satterfield, and the entire faculty of the Western University College of Podiatric Medicine. We can't even imagine the amount of hard work and dedication that this tremendous achievement required. This milestone is among the most important in the history of podiatric medical education.

Alan Sherman, DPM, CCMEP
CEO, PRESENT e-Learning Systems