2025 Conference Chairs
Chairman
Robert Lee, DPM
Chief of PodiatrySanta Monica-UCLA Medical Center
Santa Monica, California
Robert K Lee, DPM is a board-certified podiatric surgeon who offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for ailments affecting the foot and ankle. He has performed over a thousand surgical foot and ankle procedures, including common foot conditions such as bunions, neuromas, and hammertoes, as well as specializing in diabetic limb salvage, Charcot foot reconstruction, tendon repairs, foot and ankle arthritis, and ankle arthroscopy. He is also the current Chief of Podiatric Surgery at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. Dr Lee graduated with honors from California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco. He continued his training at a three-year surgical residency in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery at the INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Northern Virginia before completing his training with a Lower Extremity Diabetic Limb Salvage Fellowship at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington DC. Dr Lee is currently Assistant Clinical Faculty within the David Geffen-UCLA School of Medicine and has been involved with the training of residents and fellows at UCLA Medical Center. He has also lectured for various conferences and seminars on multiple topics. In addition to being a Diplomate of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, and a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, Dr Lee has also attained the highest level of board certification offered by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. This certification in Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle Surgery has been awarded to less than five percent of podiatrists nationally.
Co-Chair
Harold Schoenhaus, DPM, FACFAS
Surgical Editor for PRESENT e-LearningPenn-Presbyterian Medical Center
Philadelphia, PA
Harold Schoenhaus, DPM, FACFAS is a board-certified foot, rearfoot, and reconstructive ankle surgeon by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery. He is a past president and current fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He holds staff appointments and operating privileges at the University of Pennsylvania Presbyterian Hospital and Chestnut Hill hospital. Dr Schoenhaus' research and clinical interests are in biomechanics, pathomechanics and reconstructive surgery, including joint replacement surgery and pediatric podiatric surgery. Moreover, Dr Schoenhaus is the surgical editor for PRESENT e-Learning Systems, an online medical education and networking resource dedicated to improving the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals throughout the world. He is a nationally recognized lecturer and pioneer in the field of lower extremity pathomechanics and reconstructive surgery. Dr Schoenhaus has authored several landmark articles in peer-reviewed journals and books. In 2015 Dr Schoenhaus was the recipient of the Gallery of Success Award from Temple University.
2025 Faculty
Marc A Benard, DPM, FACPM, FFPM RCPS (Glas)
President and Co-DirectorOperation Footprint/ Baja Project for Crippled Children
Los Angeles, CA
Chair, International Service, RI District 7690
Chair, Global Grants Committee, RI Distrrict 7690
Marc A. Benard, DPM, FACPM, FFPM RCPS (Glas), is the President and Co-Director of Operation Footprint Inc, located in Los Angeles, CA. Over the past 44 years this 501C3 organization has had over 30,000 patient visits and performed over 3,000 major surgeries on children and adults with congenital and acquired neuromuscular conditions of the foot and ankle, at its locations in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and India. In the process the project’s directors have trained several hundred podiatric residents, as well as orthopedic and general surgeons in the host countries. Dr Benard is also the former Executive Director and Examination Chair for the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. In addition, Dr Benard currently serves as Director of International Service for Rotary District 7690 and chairs its Global Grants Committee. He is certified with both the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and lectures nationally in the areas of pediatric and adult biomechanics and surgery.
Robert G Frykberg, DPM, MPH, MAPWCA, FRSM, FFPM(Glasg)
Honorary Professor of Podiatric MedicineUniversity of Galway
Adjunct Professor
Midwestern University
Phoenix, AZ
Robert G Frykberg, DPM, MPH, MAPWCA, FRSM, FFPM (Glasg), is a graduate of the California College of Podiatric Medicine in 1976. Dr Frykberg went on to complete his residency training at the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston. He served as the President of the Massachusetts Podiatric Medical Society and a Member of the Board of Registration in Podiatry. From 1992 to 1994, he attended the Harvard School of Public Health and graduated with a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in quantitative methods. After 21 years of private practice, Dr Frykberg accepted the position as Clinical Dean of the Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery prior to moving to Phoenix. After 15 years of dedicated service to our Veterans, Dr Frykberg has decided to retire from his role as Chief of Podiatry at the Phoenix VA Medical Center and as Director of the Phoenix VA Medical Center Podiatric Residency Program. He continues to hold the academic rank of Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and Adjunct Professor, Midwestern University Program in Podiatric Medicine. His research and writing interests have included all facets of lower extremity disorders, but are specifically focused on diabetic foot ulcers, infections, Charcot foot, and wound care. The author of nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications, he has also been the Editor of two textbooks: The High-Risk Foot in Diabetes Mellitus (1991) and the Diabetic Charcot Foot (2010). His expertise in the Diabetic Foot translated into hundreds of speaking invitations nationally and internationally with numerous lecture engagements in China, India, Russia, South America, the UK, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Italy, and across Europe.
Gabriel J Halperin, DPM, FACFAS, FAENS
President and Medical DirectorCalifornia Wound Healing Medical Group
Los Angeles, CA
Gabriel J Halperin, DPM, FACFAS, FAENS, is the president and medical director of California Wound Healing Medical Group located in Los Angeles, California. Dr Halperin graduated from the California College of Podiatric Medicine and went on to do his residency at Western Medical Center. He is the past president of the Los Angeles County Podiatric Medical Association and was a board member of the California Podiatric Medical Association. He is presently a member of the Carrier Advisory Committee of Noridian Medicare, and on the Medicare Committee of CPM.
David A Pougatsch, DPM
PresidentLos Angeles County Podiatric Medical Association
Los Angeles, CA
David A. Pougatsch, DPM is a fellowship-trained Podiatrist specializing in advanced wound care, diabetic limb salvage, and reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. He is the author of numerous publications and has been involved with various clinical research studies. Dr. Pougatsch is active in mentoring Podiatric residents and students by serving as a Clinical Instructor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA and is on the attending teaching staff for the Podiatric Surgery residency program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Pougatsch co-founded a multi-specialty private outpatient wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy center in Southern California and is a key opinion leader on all things lower extremity wound care, including billing and coding. Dr. Pougatsch currently runs a consulting service for hospital-based and private-office wound clinics, as well as for physicians and wound care patients. Dr. Pougatsch currently serves as President of the Los Angeles County Podiatric Medical Association.
Bhavesh Shah, DPM, MBA
Surgical Consultant - Total PodiatrySan Antonio, TX Co-Director Operation Footprint Co-Director/Moderator - CFAR virtual lecture series
Bhavesh Shah, DPM, MBA, is a board-certified podiatric physician and surgeon in practice since 2002 and Co-Director of Operation Footprint. Dr Shah received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois in Chicago and then attended Dr. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in North Chicago, IL, where he received a Doctorate of Podiatric Medicine in 1998. In 1999, Dr Shah interned at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and completed a three-year residency at the Foot and Ankle Institute of Monrovia, California, in 2002. Dr Shah is board-certified in Foot Surgery with the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and is board-certified by the American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery, the American Professional Wound Care Association, and the American College of Foot and Ankle Pediatrics (ACFAP). As the Co-Director of Operation Footprint, a non-profit global organization that provides free surgical care to indigent children in India, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras with genetic or acquired conditions of the foot and ankle, Dr Shah performs life-changing surgeries. Under the auspices of Operation Footprint, he also trains local surgeons in complex deformities to help make a lasting difference in the communities they serve around the globe. To learn more about the charitable work Dr. Shah and Operation Footprint do worldwide, please visit operationfootprint.org. He is also a Co-Director and moderator of the Complex Foot & Ankle Reconstruction (CFAR) virtual lecture series. He has finished his M.B.A. and is pursuing his doctorate in education with an emphasis on adult teaching and learning.
Jarrod Shapiro, DPM, FACFAS, FACPM
Private Practice Associate, Empire & Ankle CenterPomona and Riverside
Professor and Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs
Western University of Health Sciences, College of Podiatric Medicine
Director, Chino Valley Medical Center
PMSR/RRA Podiatric Residency
Jarrod Shapiro, DPM, FACFAS, FACPM is a Board-Certified podiatric foot and ankle physician and surgeon who has been in practice for almost 20 years. He is also a fellow with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and the American College of Podiatric Medicine. Dr Shapiro has taught at Western University for the past 13 years and is a full professor and associate dean of clinical affairs. He is the residency program director at the Chino Valley Medical Center PMSR/RRA program in Chino, California. Dr Shapiro's training includes a 3-year foot and ankle residency at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, Michigan after graduating from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco, CA in 2003. After completing his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree at the California College of Podiatric Medicine, he did his 3-year postgraduate training at Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills, Michigan from 2003 - 2006. He is also the Editor of PRESENT's Practice Perfect. Curriculum Vitae
Laura Shin, DPM, PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical SurgeryKeck Medicine at USC
Program Director of the Limb Salvage Podiatric Fellowship
Laura Shin, DPM, PhD, is a reconstructive surgeon and physician-scientist who specializes in podiatry, including foot and ankle deformities, Charcot neuroarthropathy, limb salvage, wound care and diabetic feet and ankles. Her interest in stem cell biology and the potential for using stem cells to repair diabetic wounds, along with her passion for patient care, led her to pursue a dual PhD and DPM degree. In her clinical and research pursuits, Dr Shin is dedicated to preserving and restoring mobility, which she believes is crucial to quality of life. She has a special interest in patients with diabetes and other high-risk conditions. Her research focuses on stem cell regeneration and the body's capacity for healing. In particular, she is examining tissue and stem cell repair in older adults, people with diabetes and people whose immune systems are compromised.
Wenjay Sung, DPM, FACFAS
Dr Wenjay SungUSC Arcadia Hospital
Arcadia CA
Wenjay Sung, DPM, FACFAS, practices in the Greater Los Angeles, Pasadena, Arcada, CA area.. He completed his advanced surgical fellowship at the ACFAS recognized Weil Foot-Ankle and Orthopedic Institute (2011, Chicago, IL) after graduating as chief resident from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2010). He is board certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He has been heavily involved in Special Olympics International Healthy Athletes and served as an international Clinical Director during the World Summer Games in Shanghai, China (2007) and Los Angeles (2015). Currently, he serves on the board of the Convalescent Aid Society (Pasadena, CA), a non-profit that provides free medical equipment for those in need and the Miss Asian North American Organization. More recently, due to the unexpected passing of his youngest brother David Wen Sung, his family is establishing a scholarship fund and not-for profit organization that aims to build awareness and acceptance for mental health issues in Asian American communities.