Dr. Phyllis Ragley has been working as a podiatrist for the last 30 years. She explains that she’s never seen a pair of ugly feet.

Over the past 30 years Phyllis Ragley has handled thousands of feet. She says she’s never seen an ugly one.

“You need to be nice to your feet and treat them well,” she says.

No, Ragley doesn’t have a foot fetish.

She’s a board-certified podiatrist, foot specialist and lawyer.

She was born in Fairport Harbor, Ohio.

“It was a wonderful place to grow up,” Ragley recalls. “We spent summers swimming and boating on the lake and skating on the frozen water in winter.”

It’s also where she first encountered podiatry.

“I had a wart removed when I was a youngster, and the experience and doctor was great,” she explains. “A few years later I met a man who was attending podiatric medical school, and I learned more about it from him.”

Ragley graduated from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in biology and from Cleveland’s Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 1978 with a DPM. She completed her residency at Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka, volunteered to help with Kansas University’s women athletes and opened her own Lawrence practice in 1980.

Among her many achievements, Ragley is a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, the American Society of Podiatric Surgeons, American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine and the American Professional Wound Care Association. She’s on the active medical staff at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the Wound Healing Center and Lawrence Surgery Center, and she still finds time to provide medical services for Health Care Access and lecture to local and national physician organizations.

In the mid-’80s Ragley observed the shift taking place in the relationship between insurance companies and the practice of medicine; more requirements, guidelines and more overseeing of how medicine was practiced.

“I thought having a law degree would benefit my practice when dealing with these matters,” she explains. “The law held an intellectual fascination for me, but I never wanted to practice it. Washburn University had an excellent part-time program, so I saw patients for 25 hours a week and attended law school.”

Ragley graduated with a juris doctorate in 1989 and passed the Kansas Bar examinations in 1990.

“While I’m licensed to practice law, I’ve chosen not to,” she says. “I use my knowledge to help me better understand health legislation and related issues.”

One of her biggest challenges is the impact caused by the diabetes explosion and its ramifications on foot health.

“It’s well-known that every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, a diabetic is having an amputation,” Ragley says.

But there’s good news.

“Years ago there was the misconception it was OK for your feet to hurt because everyone’s feet hurt,” she explains.

“Today more patients are well-read and are more tuned-in and proactive about seeking medical care for their feet if some things they try don’t help. I remind people the foot bone is connected to the head bone.”

Ragley remains passionate about podiatry.

“It’s a wonderful profession. I’m privileged to be part of it,” she says. “My patients, staffs and colleagues are the best.”