The podiatric profession stands at a crossroads. Where we go from here depends entirely on the strength of our leadership and resolve. On the one hand, the rise of managed care has created a tightening market for our services. Many managed care plans severely restrict the number of participating podiatric physicians and provide only limited podiatric benefits for their members. At the same time, podiatric schools have been producing increasing numbers of graduates.
Many urban markets are oversaturated.
Still, we believe there is great potential for podiatric medicine. America s aging population will continue to experience higher rates of diabetes and foot problems. And despite the oversupply of professionals in most major markets, thousands of smaller communities are underserved. During the past year, the University and the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery have undertaken a number of initiatives to help resolve these issues and create new opportunities for our graduates. We have voluntarily reduced the size of our incoming classes to maintain the highest quality students in the face of a reduced applicant pool.