New department at VA kicks off with DMU doc at helm

(Des Moines, IA) – With the support of Des Moines University, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Central Iowa Health Care System created a department of podiatric medicine. Formerly under the umbrella of the orthopedic department, the new foot and ankle division will be headed by section chief Dr. Scot Freschi, D.P.M., FACFAS, assistant professor of podiatric medicine at Des Moines University (DMU).
“I hope this appointment will benefit both the Des Moines VA Hospital and Des Moines University,” Dr. Freschi said. “Through the VA, our students are introduced to a wide variety of conditions not seen in the private sector. We treat veterans of World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Gulf War. They all have interesting histories and complex diagnostic issues.”
Through an agreement with the VA system, physicians from DMU’s Foot and Ankle Institute and DMU students treat veterans.
A 1998 graduate of the Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine, Dr. Freschi also treats patients in the Foot and Ankle Institute at 3200 Grand Avenue. He is board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and a fellow in the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.