President's message

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Your ACFAS has changed tremendously over the past 5 years. The College began as a small organization, when a few innovators had gotten together and started a journal. Now the few have grown to 5,400+ members. Sometimes a function of moving forward is stopping for a moment to look backward and appreciate what preceded us ... all those individuals who have volunteered their time, our thought leaders that moved our profession forward, and those individuals who began with small steps. Collectively and combined with their colleagues and peers, these small steps became giant leaps.

We as a College continue to build on the essentials... the pre-eminent Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, and the redesign of the ACFAS web site with a variety of resources including marketing, practice management tools, the latest research, and a monthly scientific abstract. All of these are available to members 24/7. There are 15+ educational programs to chose from, professional advocacy with Clinical Practice Guidelines, and an insurance coalition headed by our executive director to name a few more. I must stop and thank our professional staff, the glue that keeps our structure together, lead by a highly skilled executive director and a Board of Directors with vision for the future. I can't forget our talented and dedicated journal editor.

By nature of our organization the College is both democratic and imperial in our governance and ownership. We are democratic in that everyone who is a member owns the College. On the other hand, the critical decisions of stewardship are made in tightly focused, highly centralized ways. That is the imperial piece of it. That is why the Board and staff of ACFAS came to you last year with a 3-pronged market research initiative and you responded. You told us what you value, what you do, what you need now, and will want in the future.

Although you may think a small contribution of your time and talent makes little difference, it is important to remember that without the many small steps taken by members in the past, we would not be here today. Your Board of Directors appreciates the involvement, however great or small, of all members in College activities. Each of us has different talents and different interests and varying amounts of time to give; all are important to the success of our organization and to the growth of our profession. If you are not already actively involved in the ACFAS, I encourage you to think seriously about becoming an active member of your organization.

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• Bruce R. Werber, DPM, FACFAS

I have found that my efforts and dedication to the ACFAS have given me great pleasure. The members of the College are among the best and the brightest in our profession. My involvement in ACFAS has provided me with the opportunity to meet and talk with many of our members who have stimulated me to think differently, to look out of the box, and to grow in my profession and as a person. This has in turn led to better outcomes for my patients. I often think that I have gotten more than I have given. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity.