Podiatry Hive Member Profile – Mark Heard

  • Member Profile

    Name: Mark Heard

    Name of Clinic: Footmed Foot & Ankle Clinics

    Where do you operate: 2 practices Woodville & Hazelwood Park, Adelaide, S.A.

  • How long have you been in business?

    Practicing for 22 years, business owner for 15 years

mark-heard

  • What attracted you to Podiatry?

    My mum had foot pain & was seeing a local Podiatrist. He was a Podiatric surgeon who was generous with his time & allowed me to spend school holidays observing him work. I was able to see the broad scope of work a Podiatrist could assess & treat.

  • What‘s the funniest thing that’s happened to you in the clinic?

    I walk in to the treatment room, only to find a male patient for the first time – He is sitting in the chair with only his underpants on. Right.
    I can’t help but ask, “Why are you only wearing your underpants?” to which he replies, “I always take my pants off when I sit down so I don’t crease them”.

    Hmm. I sit down a lot during the day too, but I put up with the creased pants rather than scare my patients away!

  • What are your interests outside Podiatry?

    My son plays quite a bit of school & club basketball so I love supporting him with that. I’m manager of his two teams. I also enjoy helping with his training & he motivates me to keep fit as he runs regularly to improve his fitness. My wife & I also helped establish an orphanage (www.aidindonesia.org.au and House of Hope) in Sumatra, Indonesia after the Tsunami in 2004/2005. I have made four trips up there & we now have 50 children in care & have recently commenced the building of a school. We play a small part in making a difference in some beautiful kids lives.

  • Share what you love about your family, pet/s or hobbies?

    I love my wife & son. We share a lot with his basketball activities. My wife has a big involvement in our business & I rely a lot on her. I have a big loveable Labrador who loves to run. Work currently takes up a lot of time as I work on developing the business to allow me some greater flexibility in my work schedule. I would like rather to spend time focusing on our work overseas.

  • If you held a dinner party and could invite 9 guests (alive or dead) who would they be? :

    1. Winston Churchill (I love war history & he helped guide the world through some very dark days)
    2. Mother Theresa (selfless person who sort no personal recognition)
    3. Martin Luther King (inspirational & courageous)
    4. Nelson Mandela (how did he keep his humanity after being in jail for 30 years)
    5. Barack Obama (one of the best speakers I have heard)
    6. Mahatma Ghandi (another person who stayed the course)
    7. Edward “Weary” Dunlop (surgeon, WW2 POW, inspiring life)
    8. Bill Gates (using his wealth to make a massive difference)
    9. Bono (love the music & uses his position to make a difference in the world)
    10. I cheekily added number 10 for my dad (he died last year & I wish I’d had more time to talk about his life & let him know how much I love him & he’d love to spend a night with these people)