Following a historic 41-year career dedicated to podiatric medicine, education, and leadership, Allan M. Boike, DPM, FACFAS, has announced his retirement as dean and chief executive officer of Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine (KSUCPM). Boike, one of KSUCPM’s first leaders following Kent State’s acquisition of the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 2012, will wrap up his 12th and final year as dean on June 30, 2026.
It was the desire for a career change that led Boike to what would become a four-decade affiliation with KSUCPM. After graduating from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy with high distinction, Boike felt his passion pulling him in a different direction, and launched his career in podiatric medicine. Though he graduated KSUCPM in 1982, departing for a surgical residency at the New Berlin Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin, his heart never left. Boike returned to KSUCPM in 1985 as a course coordinator and lecturer in the Department of Surgery, and remained as a member of the faculty through the decade, rising to the rank of associate professor in 1992.
Off campus, Boike’s earliest career moves included private practice, and as Residency Director at the Cleveland Foot Clinic. He has served as section head of podiatric medicine and surgery at the Cleveland Clinic’s Orthopaedic and Rheumatology Institute, where he practiced from 1997 to 2014, and has held appointments in several hospitals and surgery centers across greater Cleveland.
Taking on the role of dean in 2012 was the culmination of years dedicated to the heart of his work, and the common thread of his experiences - mentoring and raising the next generation of foot and ankle physicians and surgeons. As the first official dean and chief executive officer following the transition from a privately run to state-funded institution, Boike was key in establishing and solidifying CPM as a part of the Kent State University brand.
Boike’s impact on the profession spans beyond campus and across the world on stages as a frequent lecturer; a published author of peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters; and in leadership roles with the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery, as well as the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine. Boike is a member of the KSUCPM Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Pennsylvania Education Foundation—recognition of both his professional accomplishments and his enduring influence as an educator and leader .
While his daily presence on campus will be missed, Boike’s impact on Kent State University and the broader podiatric community will endure for years to come. We know we’ll see the glow of the torch that he carries for podiatric medicine from anywhere in the world that he ventures to next!