Alumni Profile- Dr. Derek Anselmo

 

 

In this edition of Strides, we had the wonderful opportunity to interview Dr. Derek Anselmo, a graduate of the TUSPM Class of 2017. Currently Dr. Anselmo is the Chief Resident at Tower Health Systems in Phoenixville, PA. 

 

Dr. Anselmo always knew he wanted to be a doctor, and he spent time shadowing doctors in different fields. He has three family members that are podiatrists, and he wanted to learn more about what his cousins did in their jobs. Once he met with and shadowed them, he understood the job and noticed the patients were able to be healed. Dr. Anselmo chose to go to TUSPM, a choice he loves as the Podiatry school is hands-on.

 

At the Goldfarb Conference this November, Dr. Anselmo was a recipient of the Residency Award for contributions to further the podiatry profession. He worked on a data research project for arthritis procedures and utilized pre- and post-operative x-rays and scores as data. The patients that underwent the 20-minute soft tissue procedure, as opposed to a lengthy arthritis procedure, were able to successfully walk directly after the procedure. The soft tissue procedure is easy to perform and less expensive for the patient. Dr. Anselmo’s study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery.

 

Dr. Anselmo loved his time at TUSPM; his favorite memories occurred in the 3rd year, which included rotations, clinical time, and visiting lots of patients every day. He also enjoyed his off-service rotations, such as practicing Orthopedics at Temple Hospital. Dr. Anselmo prefers hands-on work as a form of learning as opposed to memorization from a textbook.

 

Dr. Anselmo advises students in Podiatry School to start at the end-goal and work backwards. It is important for students to educate themselves about the options and opportunities in advance, such as training and employment opportunities. A lot of students would better understand the possibilities from their training with constant education about the profession. Dr. Anselmo also advises students to first start working with patients because it is important to have experience talking to people and developing a trusting relationship with patients is an integral part of being a Podiatrist. Patients should be educated during all steps of every visit so they can understand why they are being done.

 

Dr. Anselmo’s proudest accomplishment is being the father of 2-year old twin daughters. He says that being a father, having a family, and being a Resident is hard to balance, but he has great mentors with him along the way. Everyone is willing to help and offer advice. Balance takes a lifetime to master. “There are certain times in life when there is no balance, and times in life when sacrifices are made so that you do not have to work as hard later.”

 

Dr. Anselmo currently is planning for employment, and would love to work in a private practice, become Board Certified, and help heal people.