I. Overview of the Collection
II. Historical note
Barry University opened the School of Podiatric Medicine in 1985 with twenty students enrolled, even before of the inauguration of the School of Graduate Medical Sciences. Accreditation from the Council on Podiatric Medical Education followed in 1988, becoming the first fully accredited university in the U.S.A. with a School of Podiatric Medicine. The degree required four years of study. The first two years devoted to basic medical sciences and the last two concentrated on clinical science. Dr. Chester A. Evans, Dean of School of Graduate Medical Sciences, coordinated the academic activities of the program. In July, 2008, the School of Podiatric Medicine and the Physician Assistant Program moved from their temporary quarters on NE 116th Street to the new Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine at 320 NW 115th Street.
The Barry Foot and Ankle Institute was established in 1986 as part of the clinical training component for the doctoral program in podiatric medicine at Barry University. The clinics provide a center of excellence for teaching and research for students and residents of Podiatric Medicine. High quality, ethical and personal care is the standard for all clinics, regardless of the patients ability to pay.
In September, 1988, Barry University undertook the "Let Someone Fill Your Shoes" drive, under the sponsorship of the then School of Podiatric Medicine. The purpose was to collect thousands of shoes for the homeless men, women, and children in Dade County. Letters were sent from Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin, President of Barry, to prominent members of the south Florida community asking them to donate a pair of shoes to the cause. Collection boxes were placed in several Fire Departments and other prominent locations, and with the generous cooperation of businesses like Southern Bell, Florida Power and Light, Burdine's, etc., thousands of shoes were collected and distributed to the homeless.
III. The Collection
The collection includes correspondence, fact books (1991-2005), information about funding efforts, self studies, the AACPM Annual questionnaires 1993-1995, various school projects, a set of the publication Podiatric Quaterly, and information about Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cedars Hospital and the Barry Foot and Ankle Institute (Box 4).
The collection also includes materials of Shoes Drive "Let Someone Fill Your Shoes", such as memoranda detailing how the drive originated, the letter of Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin and the list of notables to whom she sent the request, flyers and correspondence relating to the project, and several reprints of newspaper articles about this type of project sponsored by the College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago.
IV. Container list:
Box Title
V. Administrative Information
Acquisition Information: Transfer, President's Office, 2001, 2009
Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research
Processed by: Sister Arnold Benedetto, 2009. Revised by Ximena Valdivia, 2012
Preferred Citation: Records of School of Podiatric Medicine, Barry University Archives and Special Collections, Miami Shores, Florida
