Giving Back: Fellowship Training, Education and Humanitarian Outreach

Everyone has a purpose in life and a unique talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals. -Kallam anji reddy

St. Petersburg Innovative Foot & Ankle Fellowship

The St. Petersburg Innovative Foot & Ankle Surgery Fellowship at Alexander Orthopaedic Associates was established to enhance the education of graduates from advanced podiatric surgical residencies who seek additional training in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, gain an increased understanding of product design and intellectual property development, and strive for advancement and leadership in their profession.

This new 2019 fellowship was founded by Dr. Adam D. Perler who was one of the founding members of the American Health Network Foot and Ankle Fellowship program in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Perler is currently a member of Alexander Orthopaedic Associates in St. Petersburg, Florida and has teamed up with several local community surgeons to host this fellowship which is designed to give back to the profession and create a bridge between residency training, professional employment, and leadership within our profession.

The curriculum is fellow-first and fellow-motivated, with a myriad of available learning opportunities through surgery, clinic, product development, research, and private practice management. For more information click here.

Annual Mission Trip to Chulucanas, Peru

Dr. Perler serves as the foot and ankle surgical specialist for Global Health Volunteers (GHV) surgical mission trip to Chulucana, Peru, an area of great need nestled in the foothills in Morropón Province, Piura Region, Peru. It lies in the Piura Valley just north of the confluence of the Charanal River with the Piura River.

GHV seeks out the most impoverished areas and collaboratively works with Peruvian partners as well as in-country volunteers who connect the mission teams with patients that are most in need of health care. These vital relationships allow for continued care in the form of medicine or treatment throughout the year, in a collaborative effort to maintain healthy communities.

Dr. Perler has applied for and received multiple grants/donations from the orthopaedic industry and has been able to get over a half a million dollars of donated equipment to date. The mission trip takes place every October. If you would like to make a donation or are interested in volunteering for one of the GHV missions, please visit the Global Health Volunteers website.

St. Petersburg Podiatry Camp Homeless Healthcare Initiative

Honored to be in a position to help others in need. Dr. Geetha Kamath, an amazing oncologist and her husband Jay, a gastroenterologist, who founded the "Foot Camp" for the homeless of the St. Petersburg area organize and annual Foot Camp that takes place in October of each year. We are typically able to see over 200 patients with 8 providers and about 80 volunteers who feed, wash and provided shoes and socks to each patient. While the ability to stand and walk is important to all of us, it is critical for survival for those of us who are without a home. Thank you Geetha for leading on this critical mission. Also, a thank you goes out Dr. Anthony Rusher, our Alexander Orthopaedic Associates Foot & Ankle Fellow, who also set aside time to service those in need.

The Creative Cure – Childhood Cancer Awareness

Inspired by the memories and legacies of two childhood cancer heroes, Joey Keller and Leah Wasson, Dr. Perler and his wife, Stacey participated in many childhood cancer outreach projects in the Indianapolis area. He rode for Team Joey and made Joey his cycling coach in 2012 when he qualified for and placed 8th at the master’s Nationals in velodrome cycling.

Joey, who was battling a brain tumor, founded Team Joey which collected Lego sets and delivered them to children in the hospital in an effort to take their minds off their treatments. Inspired by Joey’s legacy of giving back, Dr. Perler founded and Chaired the Indiana Ballet Conservatory’s Pointe to the Cure project which raised over $60,000 for local childhood care outreach programs a funded local cancer research.

During that journey he had the opportunity to connect with Leah Wasson and her family, who were battling Leukemia. She became a professional artist when a painting that she made sold at the first Pointe to the Cure event, and was later appointed the CCEO (Children’s Creative Executive Officer) of the first Create 4 the Cure program the following year.

There were over 40 art submissions from Indiana youth (including 20 cancer warriors) depicting their definition of what a cancer hero was. All items were displayed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and then auctioned at the second annual Pointe to the Cure event in 2014. Unfortunately, Leah passed away before the event, but not before inspiring other children to seek the “creative cure”. It is Dr. Perler’s hope to recreate this initiative in the St. Petersburg area in the coming years.