Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Jose Concha, '96
By: Mary Kate Rauchut, Major Gifts Officer
Dr. Jose Concha graduated from TUSPM in 1996. By 2008, Dr. Concha had received the Temple Gallery of Success award for his accomplishments in podiatry and dedication to TUSPM. Prior to attending Temple, Dr. Concha served as a Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy for 6 years. This role encouraged him to pursue a degree in medicine.
While stationed at the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, Dr. Concha was ready to start the path to becoming a doctor in internal medicine. Then four young doctors at the hospital recommended that he pursue podiatry because you can do medicine, surgery, and have a more flexible life to spend time with family. Dr. Concha found this suggestion insightful, so he took their advice and applied to Temple.
Dr. Concha is originally from Lima, Peru and grew up in Long Island, New York. Dr. Concha has frequently traveled back to Peru on medical missions. His most recent mission was in 2015 where he was joined by doctors from different specialties. They traveled to the outskirts of Lima and Cusco to serve the needs of people, offering them everything from primary care to podiatry and minor surgical procedures.
Dr. Concha and his former TUSPM classmate, Dr. Richard Johnson ’96, own The Coastal Foot and Ankle Wellness Center in Saint Augustine, Florida. Coastal Foot and Ankle Wellness Center has been serving the people of Saint Augustine for over 24 years. They have been voted best Med Spa for the last 7 years. Dr. Concha is extremely proud of the fact that their practice has just reached its 18th year in a row with zero amputations and zero hospitalizations on any of the diabetic patients who follow their protocols. At Coastal Foot and Ankle Wellness Center patients will enjoy a modern Florida feel. After walking into an office painted with colors that give off that Florida relaxation vibe, the scent of tea tree oil and relaxing music playing in the background, patients are greeted by their friendly office manager, Amy Smith, who has been with them for over 20 years. Dr. Concha and Dr. Johnson do their best to make sure patients are completely relaxed before their examination by putting a lavender infused hot towel on their feet while they wait on a massage chair. Creating a Med Spa experience for their patients was important to both Dr. Concha and Dr. Johnson to give their patients a unique experience and separate themselves from competition.
Dr. Concha enjoyed his time at TUSPM learning from all the professors and working in the clinic. He enjoyed being able to walk to many of the local Philadelphia restaurants and landmarks. When asked if Dr. Concha had any advice to share for current students or recent graduates he stated “always keep an open mind that not everything you learn is written in stone because when you go into practice you will see that there are many variables and variations. Something different is always going to be coming into the exam room so don’t set yourself in your ways because variations in patient pathology is immense”.
Dr. Concha enjoys spending his free time with his wife and three daughters. Dr. Concha and Dr. Johnson’s families have become close friends and often travel together for vacations. There are no plans to retire right now as Dr. Concha says he enjoys coming to work every day seeing new patients and being presented with new challenges to help people feel better.
Dr. Jose Concha created Tea Tree Ultimate FungaSoap Cleansing to give people a product that is easy to fit into their daily routine. FungaSoap gives effective 24-hour protection against fungus, bacteria, and viruses. Dr. Concha has seen a major decrease in the amount of pathology cases in his office from using this soap. FungaSoap is available at https://www.pedifix.com/p-110-tea-tree-ultimates-fungasoap-p3071p3072p30...
