Council on Podiatric Medical Education

The RRC is responsible for determining eligibility of applicant institutions for initial on-site evaluation of residencies and fellowships, approval of resident transfers, authorization of requests for additional residency and fellowship positions, and for recommending to the Council approval of residency and fellowship programs. The RRC reviews applications, reports of on-site evaluations, applications for increases in positions, requests for transfers, progress reports, and other information submitted by sponsoring institutions. (Ch. 5, Sec. 6.C. of the CPME bylaws)

The RRC holds at least two in-person meetings a year. Additional meetings or e-ballots may be called by the chair of the Committee or by a majority of Committee members when necessary. Such additional meetings are subject to the approval of the Council chair. A list of meetings and submission deadlines can be found on the CPME website.

A podiatric fellowship is an educational program that provides advanced knowledge, experience, and training in a specific content area within podiatric medical practice. Fellowships, by nature of their specific content concentration, seek to add to the body of knowledge through research and other collaborative scholarly activities. Podiatric fellowship education is a component in the continuum of the educational process, and such education occurs after completion of an approved specialty residency.

The ever-increasing body of medical knowledge necessitates the development of fellowships to facilitate the ability of highly trained professionals to continue the search for innovative and improved methods to prevent disease, promote health, and more effectively manage foot and ankle pathology.

The Council has been authorized by APMA to approve institutions that demonstrate and maintain compliance with the standards and requirements found in CPME 820, Standards and Requirements for Approval of Podiatric Fellowships. Podiatric fellowship approval is based on programmatic evaluation and periodic review by the Council and the Residency Review Committee (RRC). For more information on the RRC, please see above.