Lee Rogers (podiatrist)


Lee Christopher Rogers is an American podiatrist from Los Angeles, California. He is most known for his work preventing amputations in diabetes and treating Charcot foot and he has helped define the qualifications of doctors of podiatric medicine and the privileging process for hospitals and surgery. He was the Democratic nominee for US Congress in California's 25th district in 2012, and lost in California's top-two primary in June 2014. Rogers is also known as a film producer.

Biography

Early life and education

Rogers was born in Elgin, Illinois to George Robert and Madelynn Jean Rogers and moved to Gallatin, Missouri at a young age. He attended primary and secondary school in Gallatin. He was awarded the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship and spent his senior year in Uetersen, Germany.
Rogers attended Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri from 1996–2000. He graduated with a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine in 2004 where he was president of the student body. He completed a residency in podiatric medicine and surgery at Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in New York, NY and then later a fellowship in limb salvage and research with David G. Armstrong at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, IL.

Des Moines, Iowa

Following his fellowship, Rogers founded and directed the Amputation Prevention Center at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. While in Iowa, Rogers described the 6 steps to preventing amputations and published a reduction in major amputations by 72%. Rogers won first place for outstanding research from the American Podiatric Medical Association in 2007 for mesenchymal stem cell research on wounds and 2009 for hi-tech wound measurement techniques. He proposed simple measures to reduce costs of amputations in the healthcare system.

Los Angeles, California

Rogers was recruited to Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles in 2009 to co-create the Amputation Prevention Center. In December 2013, Rogers became the executive medical director of the Amputation Prevention Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. He created a unique inpatient and outpatient facility which greatly improved upon existing limb salvage and wound healing rates by using a team approach with the most modern tools and techniques. In 2014, a medical director of Valley Presbyterian Hospital claimed that Rogers was fired as medical director, which Rogers disputed and he later sued the hospital for breach of contract which led to an undisclosed monetary settlement to Rogers. He founded the , while medical director of Paradigm Medical Management, a trademark now owned by RestorixHealth, Inc, where he currently serves as . Rogers served as co-director of the Global Diabetic Foot Conference from 2010 to 2013.

Academic work and recognition

Rogers is an Assistant Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. has authored more than 150 published articles, books, or book chapters on the lower extremity complications of diabetes, their costs, and health policy. He has delivered more than 500 speeches and his work has brought him to all 50 states and more than 30 countries.
In 2009, he became Chair of the Foot Care Council of the American Diabetes Association and his most noted accomplishment was the creation of consensus guidelines for the treatment of Charcot foot which took place at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, France. The guidelines were jointly published in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association and Diabetes Care and is the most frequently referenced paper on the syndrome. He received the Rising Star Award from the APMA in 2011 for outstanding national accomplishments. In 2013, he received the Master's Award from the . Rogers was named by as One of America's Most Influential Podiatrists in 2017. He was one of fewer than 20 American podiatrists ever selected as a Fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2017.
After serving several years on the exam committee, Rogers was elected as a board member of the , where he founded the . The exam was first offered by the Board in 2017. Rogers founded the in 2019, which is the first board exam offered to podiatrists outside the United States.
Rogers has been instrumental in defining the role of podiatrists on the healthcare team and within health systems. He co-authored the and the published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery. He also authored working in hospitals, supervising hyperbaric oxygen treatment, and the ABPM's position statement on hospital and surgical privileges for podiatrists.
Rogers or his work has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, the Washington Post, CBS News, and many medical specialty magazines.

Political endeavors

Rogers, a Democrat, ran for US Congress in California’s 25th district. He lost after giving incumbent Congressman Buck McKeon a strong challenge. After speculation that Congressman Buck McKeon will retire in 2014, Rogers announced his candidacy for the seat again and was endorsed by the Los Angeles Times. Two Republicans edged out Rogers in California's new top two primary for the run off in the June 2014 election. Rogers endorsed Republican Steve Knight over Republican Tony Strickland which drew criticism from the Democratic Party, but Rogers stated, "I didn’t create the rules and I care too much about our district to let it fall to a dishonest carpetbagger who is interested only in himself, like Tony Strickland." He later withdrew his endorsement of Knight over his refusal to ban the sale of the Confederate Flag in the California Capital.
He has been highly critical of the American healthcare system and the pharmaceutical industry for their focus on profits over patient care.

Filmography

In 2015, Rogers became a producer of films after one of his patients, Stephen Furst, introduced him to the industry. He has made a cameo in some of the films he has produced.