Alumni Profile: Dr. Mark Mendeszoon
Dr. Mark Mendeszoon, TUSPM ’93, is a runner, a podiatrist, and a business owner. He is involved with the track and field community as an athlete, a coach, and a doctor. Dr. Mendeszoon specializes in sports medicine, the diabetic foot, and total reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle for pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients at his practice. He owns and operates a store called Achilles Running Shop, with three locations in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and he is hoping to franchise in the future with other podiatrists.
Time at TUSPM
In college, Dr. Mendeszoon ran track and field on a scholarship at Miami University where his events were hurdles and sprints. He learned about podiatry and went on a road trip with a friend to attend an open house, but the car broke down on the way, so the pair missed the event, which led to Dr. Mendeszoon to learning about another podiatry school, TUSPM. He also ran with University of Pennsylvania’s track and field team while learning podiatric medicine, and he was voted “Most Likely to Make it to the Olympics” by his classmates at TUSPM. Dr. Mendeszoon remembers his time at Temple fondly: spending time with friends, running every day, and learning about the field all while living in Philadelphia. He also thanks Dr. Palamarchuk for mentoring him in biomechanics and the running world. After TUSPM, he completed his residency at Harvard Medical School- New England Deaconess Hospital- Joslin Diabetes Center, where he focused on surgical training. He completed a two year orthopedic and lower extremity foot and ankle surgery fellowship at Precision Orthopaedic , where he has been a partner for the last 25 years.
At the Achilles running shop
Dr. Mendeszoon focused on biomechanics of the human body, and ties biomechanics in with track and field at his running shoe store Achilles Running Shop. When athletes choose sneakers for their sports, it is important to not only pick the proper type of shoe but to also wear a shoe that is specific to the person’s body and foot type. Dr. Mendeszoon explained that when wearing running sneakers every day and training in them, by the end of the week there are millions of pounds of pressure put on the shoe. Thus, the type of shoe an athlete wears is imperative for their performance and for injury prevention. At Achilles Running Shop, all of the employees are specially trained to analyze the customer’s gait patterns and type of feet, and then they recommend shoes specifically for the person. He has gained customers from his practice, and some customers from the store also go to his office for podiatric visits. Dr. Mendeszoon thinks that all of his employees are like a family- Dr. Mendeszoon coached his manager at his store in track and field in childhood, and he has seen him grow up into a bright adult at the store being an effective leader. Some of the employees also followed in Dr. Mendeszoon’s footsteps and attended medical school. One of Dr. Mendeszoon’s current goals is to franchise his store by involving more podiatrists all over the United States and opening more locations with specialists in the field.
Track and field
Dr. Mendeszoon is well-known in the track and field and sports community. He has been team doctor at Chardon High School for 26 years. This year, Chardon won the Ohio Division 3 Football State Championship in a Hollywood ending, come from behind 14-point deficit and won in double overtime. He shared the moment with his son who was team captain and his daughter who was a student trainer.
Dr. Mendeszoon is currently coaching the track and field team at Chardon High School in Ohio, where he is known as “Doc” by his athletes. His two children Myles and Marijke will graduate high school in the spring and attend Iowa State University on a football and academic scholarship respectively. Dr. Mendeszoon and his wife, Kristen, are proud of their children and are looking forward to watching them grow and seeing all of their accomplishments. Dr. Mendeszoon also loves teaching and lecturing. He hopes to lecture at TUSPM about running, biomechanics, and specialty athletic shoes and technologies.
Writing for men’s Health
He also recently wrote two articles for Men’s Health about shoes and podiatry. One of Dr. Mendeszoon’s colleagues is involved with Men’s Health and approached him with ideas to write these articles. Since Dr. Mendeszoon loves educating people about his specialty, he wrote the articles, and they were featured in Men’s Health. One of his passions is running, and another goal is to write for the popular running magazine called Runner’s World.
Since starting his surgical fellowship, he has been doing more scientific writing and publishing. He has a fellowship for young professionals at his practice, Precision Orthopaedic Specialties, where the doctors not only focus on techniques in medicine and surgery but are also required to research and write scientific papers. In addition, Dr. Mendeszoon tries to impart everyday life lessons to his fellows, residents and students.
We wish Dr. Mendeszoon the best successes with his career and his goals.
Click on these links below to read his stories for Men’s Health and to learn more about Achilles Running Shop:
14 Best Pairs of Shoes for Standing All Day
Best Running Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis