carl kihm, dpm, facfas

Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
Board-Certified in Foot Surgery and Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle Surgery by the American Board of Foot and Ankle SurgeryFellow, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (FACFAS)
Diplomate, American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery
Board of Directors, The Podiatry Institute
Attending Surgeon, Norton Audubon's Kentucky Podiatric Residency Program (Louisville, KY)
Co-Leader, Opal House - Rotary Medical Mission, at the Hospital Obras Sociales de Monsignor Gregorio Schaffer in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala.

Dr. Carl Kihm has treated hundreds of patients with clubfoot deformity while serving on 15 surgical mission trips across the world. “To help children, born into poor circumstances, with the most devastating congenital conditions allows me to have a great impact. In turning around a foot, I can turn around their life and this is so rewarding to me. Experiencing the third world has been life-changing for me as a surgeon and as a human, in general. We are all blessed.”

ABOUT ME:

Kihm. The "h" is silent. The Kihm name comes from Switzerland. My mother is 100% Italian. I was born and raised in Middletown, Pennsylvania which is just outside of Hershey. Most of my family still live there.

Why I chose to be a Podiatrist. I broke my ankle playing soccer in high school. We were really good and on our way to the PA state tournament as this happened. The local news cameras were actually filming our practice as my world came crashing down. The silver-lining of this then life-changing experience was that it opened my eyes to podiatry. A local podiatrist treated me but the following summer I chose to shadow my uncle who is a podiatrist in Atlanta (Dr. Craig Camasta). At that time he shared photos of his recent surgery mission trip to Vietnam. As I looked at his photos (back then they were prints), of children before and after his clubfoot surgery, I was inspired. His impact was life-changing for them. I then stood over his shoulder and observed his patients thank him for their life-changing surgery. He has had an impact for so many and also for me. I knew at 17 years old what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. From then onwards, I devoted myself toward 11 years of post-graduated education, my profession and truly my future patients.

My Path. Bachelors of Science @ Juniata College (Huntingdon, PA) --> Doctorate of Podiatric Medicine @ Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (Philadelphia, PA) --> Residency @ DeKalb Medical Center / Emory Medical (Decatur, GA) --> Private Practice with Village Podiatry (Douglasville, Canton and Marietta, GA) --> Private Practice with Lousiville Foot & Ankle Specialists (Louisville, KY); Attending Surgeon at Norton Audubon's Kentucky Podiatric Medicine Residency Program.

Balance. Outside of work, I’m still working. We train 6 surgical residents at Norton Audubon Hospital. I co-organize medical mission trips to Guatemala, serve on the Podiatry Institute Board of Directors, am a Rotarian, and a Christian.

I enjoy time with my family as much as possible. My wife and I enjoy traveling, good wine, great food and making the most of each opportunity. We love our daughter so much and she is such a blessing in our lives. I also enjoy photography, woodworking and data analytics. I enjoy learning about bourbon country, cryptocurrency and advancements in medicine. As a surgeon, I enjoy new development and design solutions for real-world problems we face in the OR, in attempt to improve patient outcomes. I genuinely care for my patients and love what I do!