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ABOUT DR. ZAPF 
Podiatrist Dr. Michael Zapf has been practicing a
full range of foot care for adults and children in Agoura Hills since 1985 and Thousand
Oaks since 1989. He is a native of Southern California and received his undergraduate
degree in Microbiology from California Statue University at Long Beach and Master of
Public Health from U.C.L.A. (Go Bruins!) specializing in Infectious and Tropical Diseases.
He received his Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Degree (D.P.M.) from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco.
His surgical residency was completed at a general hospital in San Jose, California. He
currently lives in Oak Park with his wife and son.
Knowing how important it is to document your
qualifications, Dr. Zapf earned Board Certification by BOTH The
American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics and Primary Care
Medicine and The American College of Foot an Ankle
Surgeons. To become Board Certified he had to document a level of experience that
qualified him to sit for both a written and oral examination in all areas of podiatric
medicine and surgery. These two Boards are the only two approved by the
educational arm of the American Podiatric Medical
Association. The initials after his name, FACFAOM, indicate that he is a Fellow of the American College of Foot
and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine
and Medicine and
FACFAS means that he is a Fellow of the American College
of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. These are prestigious honorary educational association
open only to those who have earned Board Certification. He is on the Active Staff of Columbia - Los Robles Hospital and the Los
Robles SurgiCenter in Thousand Oaks, the
Thousand Oaks Surgery Hospital
and
the West Hills Surgery Center. He is a member of the American
Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. Since
1984 he has been an active member of the
American Running and
Fitness Association - Professional Member.
Believing in the adage that you only know something once
you teach it, Dr. Zapf has been teaching podiatric medicine and surgery since he
graduated. He is a past professor on the faculty of the California College of Podiatric Medicine. He
was a constant volunteer teaching residents and students at the “southern campus” of
the school at the Los Angeles County – University of Southern California (LAC/USC)
Medical Center. This is the largest Medical Center in the Western United States and one of
the largest in the country. (But he is still a Bruin!)
Believing in International Good Will he has been involved
in the Baja Project for Crippled Children.
Featured on National Television, this project has enabled thousands of impoverished
children in Mexico receive clubfoot and other surgery free of charge by Southern
California podiatrists. The project is also a training ground for students, residents and
other podiatric surgeons.
More recently he was
instrumental in getting the Rotary Club of Westlake Village and the Baja Project
together to work with a hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Dr. Zapf has
participated in a week long club foot surgical mission in Hondruas every January
since 2001. For pictures of the latest venture see: Honduras.
Community Involvement
Dr. Zapf is an active member, and currently
serving on the Boards of the Rotary Club of
Westlake Village Sunrise, the Conejo Free Clinic and,
formerly, the Triunfo YMCA. The Rotary Club
is actively involved in providing local and international scholarships, aid to the D.A.R.E. program, Wellness Community and other local charities. The Free Clinic provides
free medical care and legal services to people from Camarillo to Calabasas who cannot
otherwise afford them. Dr. Zapf served as president of the
Board of the Conejo Free Clinic between 1999-2001. See the
Congressional Certificate
he received for his work with the Free Clinic.
A great program of the
Westlake Village Sunrise Rotary was a Junior Achievement program for the Ms.
Faith David's 3rd grade class at Red Oak Elementary School in Oak Park,
California. To see copies of the
beautifully illustrated Thank You Notes from
this visit see this hyperlink:
Junior Achievement.
Click the highlighted names
for:
The
Trashbuster Award and the Conservation Award
The Thousand Oaks
High School Lancer Band and Color Guard Award
Interface. Here he provides free medical care to women and children of the
area who cannot otherwise afford them.
He is a past member of the Board or Trustees for the Conejo
Future Foundation, The Agoura Chamber of Commerce, The Rotary Club of Agoura Hills and the
Los Angeles County Podiatric Medical Association. Here is his
Certificate of Appreciation for serving on the
LACPMS Board.
Since 1988 he has been a member of the American
Society of Podiatric Dermatology --> Click here -->
Also from 1988 is my first
newspaper interview and with the no longer in print Conejo Valley Weekly -->
click here -->
A letter:
I Dear Dr. Zapf,
I would like to tell you how very pleased I am with your practice. I have been
to two [other doctors] prior to you for my foot pain. Obviously because I am now
your patient, they did not alleviate the pain I was having in my foot. I was
recommended to you by my internist. Hesitantly, I made an appointment with your
office, knowing that the problem would probably not be fixed.
I was very impressed with your bedside manner and the friendliness of your
staff. You, along with them, could not have made me feel more comfortable. When
explaining my pain to you, I told you that I constantly aggravate my condition
due to the continuous physical strain placed on my feet. You told me that I
should not have to give up any of my current activities.
I am very pleased with the results. The pain I had been experiencing in my foot,
for the past five years, is virtually gone. I will be happy to recommend your
practice to anyone who cares to inquire and you may use this letter as you see
fit, if it will help you with prospective patients.
Thank you,
Ronda H. | 
