Chairs
Lawrence A. Lavery, DPM, MPH
Professor
University of Texas Southwestern
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Lawrence A. Lavery, D.P.M., M.P.H., is a Professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is also the Medical Director of the Diabetic Limb Salvage (DLS) program at Parkland Memorial Hospital and works as part of the DLS team at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital. Dr. Lavery’s clinic and research interests involve diabetic foot complications, infections, and wound healing.
Dr. Lavery completed his undergraduate studies at Indiana University and then earned his medical degree at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Dr. William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago. He completed a residency in podiatric medicine and surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where he also earned a Master in Public Health.
He is board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons (Glasgow).
Prior to joining UT Southwestern in 2010, Dr. Lavery was a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Scott and White Medical Center in Temple, Texas; the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio; and Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. He has also served as a staff podiatrist at VA hospitals in San Antonio and Maywood, Illinois.
Dr. Lavery’s research group has published over 320 peer reviewed scientific paper and textbook chapters. His H-index is 91. They have received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, American Diabetes Association, Veterans Administration, Qatar National Research Foundation, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, American Podiatric Medical Association, and private industry.
Lee C. Rogers, DPM, FFPM, RCPS
Chief of Podiatry
Associate Professor/Clinical
Louis T. Bogy, DPM Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
Department of Orthopedics, University of Texas Health San Antonio
- President, American Board of Podiatric Medicine
- Associate Editor, Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association
- Fellow Faculty of Podiatric Medicine, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Dr. Lee Rogers is a fellowship-trained podiatric surgeon who specializes in diabetic foot ulcers and lower extremity complications of diabetes. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and delivered more than 500 lectures in all 50 states and 30 countries. Dr. Rogers is the President of the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. He is a Fellow Faculty of Podiatric Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He was named as one of America's Most Influential Podiatrists by Podiatry Management Magazine.
Faculty
Dr. Armstrong is Professor of Surgery with Tenure at the University of Southern California. Dr. Armstrong holds a Master of Science in Tissue Repair and Wound Healing from the University of Wales College of Medicine and a PhD from the University of Manchester College of Medicine, where he was appointed Visiting Professor of Medicine. He is founder and co-Director of the Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA).
Dr. Armstrong has produced more than 615 peer-reviewed research papers in dozens of scholarly medical journals as well as over 100 books or book chapters. He is founding co- Editor of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot, now entering its fourth edition.
Dr. Armstrong was selected as one of the first six International Wound Care Ambassadors and is the recipient of numerous awards and degrees by universities and international medical organizations including the inaugural Georgetown Distinguished Award for Diabetic Limb Salvage. In 2008, he was the 25th and youngest-ever member elected to the Podiatric Medicine Hall of Fame. He was the first surgeon to be appointed University Distinguished Outreach Professor at the University of Arizona. He was the first podiatric surgeon to become a member of the Society of Vascular Surgery and the first US podiatric surgeon named fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow. He is the 2010 and youngest ever recipient of the ADA’s Roger Pecoraro Award, the highest award given in the field.
Dr. Barrett is Director of the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at the Crozer Health System in suburban Philadelphia. He is a surgically trained podiatrist and certified wound care specialist with 20 years of experience developing and managing centers for advanced wound management, amputation prevention and hyperbaric medicine.
In addition to his administrative role, Dr. Barrett’s focus is collaboration with his nursing and physician staff members to optimize outcomes using sound, evidence and experience-based interventions and value-based decisions. He is an invited speaker and presenter at national and international wound care conferences; sharing insight and experiences using established and emerging wound care therapies to improve outcomes. He sits on the Board of Directors for the American Professional Wound Care Association and in 2021 was awarded the Master designation for contributions to the society and wound care advancement. He has co-authored peer-reviewed consensus documents with other wound healing thought leaders to help guide clinicians in their treatment choices.
Rodica Busui (Pop-Busui) MD, PhD, is the Larry D. Soderquist Professor of Diabetes, and a recognized international leader in the field of diabetes and diabetes complications. She is the Vice Chair for Clinical&Health Outcomes Research in the Department of Internal Medicine, Director of Clinical Research the Caswell Diabetes Institute at the University of Michigan, and the President-Elect Medicine and Science of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Her research interests involve chronic complications of diabetes (diabetic neuropathy, diabetic foot, diabetic kidney disease, and cardiovascular complications), use and implementation of diabetes technologies for all people with diabetes, and the design and conduct of traditional and pragmatic clinical trials in diabetes and diabetes complications. She has been PI and member of the Steering Committee in many landmark diabetes clinical trials funded by NIH or Pharma including: ACCORD, DCCT/EDIC, PERL, BARI- 2D, GRADE, REPLACE-BG, WISDM, T1D Exchange, DEVOTE, MOBILE. She designed and led several investigator-initiated studies funded by NIDDK and Pharma to unveil disease modifying agents for diabetic neuropathy and other chronic diabetes complications, is the corresponding principal investigator and member of the Executive Committee of the NIDDK Diabetes Foot Consortium, and one of the principal investigators of the JDRF Center of Excellence at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Busui has published more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, mentored numerous early-career faculty, fellows, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and students, and successfully mentored many physician-scientists in their career developments She had received awards from the Fulbright Foundation, the ADA, and the University of Michigan.
Dr. Evans has been a podiatrist for 37 years and is in private practice in southeast Michigan. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Pharmacy degree and received his DPM from the Temple University College of Podiatric Medicine. He is board certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (Foot and Ankle), and by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. He is Chief of Podiatry at Beaumont Hospital and Medical Center in Dearborn, MI, and has been since 2000.
He is Chair-Emeritus of the APMA Health Policy and Practice Committee and has served as a Medicare Carrier Advisory Committee (CAC) representative for over 20 years. He has been active with the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery for 28 years, including 8 years on their Board of Directors, and presently is Chair of their Communications Committee. He is the 2018 recipient of the APMA Award of Excellence.
Dr. Evans is a nationally recognized speaker on a variety of topics including Peripheral Arterial Disease, the Diabetic Foot, Limb Salvage, Physician Burnout, Dealing with the Difficult Patient, and Mindfulness in Medicine. Presently he serves as a podiatric representative to the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
Robert G. Frykberg, DPM, MPH, FFPM(Glasg) is the Medical Director of DM Prevent Diabetic Foot and Wound Centers, and former Chief of the Podiatry section at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds Faculty ranks as Adjunct Professor, Midwestern University Program in Podiatric Medicine as well as Honorary Professor of Podiatric Medicine at NUI Galway.
A former Chair of the Foot Care Council of the American Diabetes Association and Past President of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, Dr. Frykberg was the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Roger Pecoraro Award from the Foot Care Council of the American Diabetes Association.
He received his Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1994 with a concentration in quantitative methods.
Dr. Frykberg’s research and writing interests have included all facets of lower extremity disorders, but specifically focused on diabetic foot ulcers, infections, Charcot foot, Surgery, and Wound care. The author of over 100 peer reviewed publications and textbook chapters, he has also been the Editor of two textbooks: The High Risk Foot in Diabetes Mellitus (1991) and the Diabetic Charcot Foot (2010). Prof. Frykberg is currently a Director of the Association of Diabetic Foot Surgeons, a Fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and a Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine.
He has served in both public and private universities known for clinical and research excellence, including the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and Western University of Health Sciences. He has held many important leadership roles that have afforded him an expansive range of experiences in academic medicine. Interim Dean University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Podiatric Medicine Professor of Surgery School of Medicine UTRGV
Founding Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus, College of Podiatric Medicine Western University of Health Sciences.His research program has been interprofessional and collaborative in nature, and he has built upon a team approach to further scientific discovery. His research has focused on Amputation Prevention in Diabetes and wound healing, and global Podiatric public health, for which he has received numerous grants and awards. He has impacted the entire arena of diabetic foot, including the development and validation of wound and risk stratification models. The risk and wound classification systems have provided the taxonomy which allows clinicians to communicate worldwide improving patient centered outcomes and reducing the impact of health care costs.The American Diabetes Association awarded Dr. Harkless the Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award. Hailed as “the father of diabetic foot care,” he, served on scientific advisory panels for industry and government (CDC,FDA, HHS, NIH, VA).2001, the American Diabetes Association awarded Dr. Harkless the Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award. Hailed as “the father of diabetic foot care,” he, served on scientific advisory panels for industry and government (CDC, FDA,HHS, NIH, VA).
Ammar Hashmi, MD is a trained vascular surgeon. He has expertise in both open and endovascular surgery. His areas of expertise include limb salvage, aortic surgery, carotid intervention and venous disease.
Crystal Murray Holmes, DPM, is a podiatry specialist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She graduated from Kent State College of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Holmes is currently a Clinical Associate Professor with University of Michigan Health System. She founded the Michigan Medicine Podiatry program in 2006 and still serves as the Program Director. She also has an active role in the training program for the University of Michigan Podiatry Research Fellowship in Limb Preservation, Wound Care, and Diabetes Related Lower Extremity Complications. The fellowship involves emphasis on research and patient populations at risk for limb loss. Dr. Holmes has had numerous leadership roles in national and international organizations such as chairperson on the scientific meeting planning committees at the International Working Group Diabetic Foot: Charcot, American Podiatric Medical Association and American Diabetes Association, and is a past president of the Michigan Podiatric Medical Association. She has research interest in diabetes limb preservation and has grant funding from the NIH/NIDDK and serves as a principle investigator in the Diabetic Foot Consortium.
Michael Fishman, MD, MBA is a double board-certified Anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain Specialist at the Center for Interventional Pain and Spine (CIPS), where he also serves as Director of Research. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA and subsequently completed an internship in General Surgery at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynewood, PA. Thereafter, he earned a Master in Business Administration at Drexel University before returning to clinical medicine and completing residency in Anesthesiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. During residency he developed a particular interest in Pain Medicine and neuromodulation, which he pursued fellowship training in at the Stanford Pain Management Center. Since then he has practiced comprehensive pain medicine utilizing neuromodulation, medications, medical cannabis, and a host of other therapies to restore function and improve quality of life in his patients. He believes in synergy between modalities, and thinks ‘outside the box’ when designing treatment plans for his patients.
Dr. Fishman has designed and/or participated in over twenty-five clinical trials in the field of pain medicine and neurostimulation. Dr. Fishman has authored more than sixty peer-reviewed abstracts and publications in the scientific literature and has presented his work at numerous local, regional, and international society meetings. The wide-ranging nature of pain care and pain treatments is reflected in the diversity of research being performed in his clinic.
Dr. Warren S. Joseph is a specialist in the treatment of lower extremity infectious diseases. He received his podiatric degree from the Wm. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago. Dr Joseph completed his postgraduate training in podiatric medicine/surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Hahnemann University School of Medicine, both in Philadelphia. He is currently an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine at Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ.
Dr Joseph is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and sits on the IDSA Diabetic Foot Infection Guidelines Committee and the International Working Group for the Diabetic Foot. He is also certified by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine, and currently serves as Editor of the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. Dr Joseph lectures extensively and his presentations have focused on the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections of the lower extremity. He has authored close to 100 publications in the field of lower extremity infections.
Javier La Fontaine, D.P.M., M.S.:
• Dean and Professor, UTRGV School of Podiatric Medicine
• Professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Plastic and Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, Dallas, TX
• Associate Professor at Texas A & M College of Medicine, Temple, TX
• Former, Chief, Podiatry Section, Central Veterans Medical Center, Temple, TX
• Master’s in Clinical Investigation (MS) in December 2006
• Former, Associate Professor, Chief and Director of Podiatry Residency Training, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas
• Doctorate, Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, Cleveland, OH
• B.S. Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
• Born Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Dr. Napolitano is a double board-certified podiatrist and wound care specialist physician. He is the Director of Wound Care and Healing with OrthoNeuro, a multispecialty medical practice based in central Ohio. He is also an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Specialty Medicine at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio. Dr. Napolitano is a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and a diplomate of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and the American Board of Wound Management. He was the first podiatrist in the state of Ohio to earn the board certification Certified Wound Specialist Physician (CWSP). He remains active publishing and lecturing locally and nationally on wound care and healing. In 2018, Dr. Napolitano was the only podiatrist in the world to have an article accepted into the Cureus Journal of Medical Science’s publishing competition on negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell utilizing novel dressings. In 2019, during a limited commercial release, he was the first clinician in North America to trial DERMATAC™, an accessory to NPWT systems. When not practicing medicine, Dr. Napolitano loves nothing more than spending time with his wife and their two children. His broad interests include music, golf, fishing, and mountain biking. Of particular interest is jazz music. His main instrument is the trumpet. Over the years he has studied, performed and recorded with members of The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, The Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Saturday Night Live Band.
Coming Soon!
Dr. Collin Pehde graduated from Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in 2002 as Graduate with Distinction. He completed a 1 year podiatric medical residency at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania followed by a 2 year podiatric surgical residency at West Houston Medical Center in Houston, Texas, which included a 2 month internship in limb deformity correction at The Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Pehde has practiced in academic and private practice settings with an interest in teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. He currently holds an academic position as Clinical Assistant Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Dr. Pehde has spent his career focused on treating diabetic foot pathology, ranging from preventive diabetic foot care to extensive reconstructive surgery for limb preservation utilizing orthoplastic techniques and external fixation.
George Pliagas, M.D. FACS FRCSC is a board-certified general vascular surgeon. His vascular interests include hybrid techniques to facilitate peripheral revascularizations and endovascular treatment strategies for critical limb ischemia and pedal access. His three decades of expertise extends across the field of endovascular abdominal aneurysm repair to peripheral endovascular experience which stems back to 1992. His first endovascular aneurysm repair was performed in 1999.
Dr. Pliagas earned his medical degree at University of Patras, Greece, and completed his general surgery and vascular surgery training at University of Western Ontario, Canada. In 1989 he completed an additional year of vascular training at U.W.O.
Throughout his career Dr. Pliagas, has trained fellow colleagues and industry partners and served as course director, faculty member for many courses in the United States and Europe. He has served as principal investigator for clinical trials and has authored publications. In addition, he has presented his work at national and international symposia including VIVA, and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care where he helps organize the peripheral vascular program, AMP, the European Endovascular & Interventional Cardiology Conference and a course co-director for the 2nd Interventional Cardiology Skills Enhancement.
His commitment and passion for limb salvage and his ongoing interest in the development of endovascular and hybrid techniques to battle critical limb threatened ischemia has led Dr. Pliagas to join Advanced Cardiac and Vascular Centers for Amputation Prevention founded in Grand Rapids Michigan by Dr. J. Mustapha and Dr. F.Saab .
Dr. Prasad graduated from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He completed Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at the University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas. He then completed an Interventional Cardiology and an Endovascular Fellowship at the University of California San Diego. He then joined the faculty at UC San Diego and after three years moved back to Texas to join the UT Health San Antonio. He is currently a Professor of Medicine and holds the Freeman Heart Association Endowment in Cardiovascular Disease. He also is the Director of the Advanced Diagnostic Center Catheterization Laboratories at University Health System. His clinical interests are centered on the endovascular treatment of PAD, TAVR, and high risk percutaneous coronary interventions.
He is the Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program. Dr. Prasad is the primary investigator on both investigator initiated, and industry sponsored clinical trials. His areas of interest include novel approaches to therapy for limb salvage and acute kidney injury following CV procedures He is also involved with efforts to understand vascular disease in minority populations. His research career has led to over 120 publications. He has served on numerous national committees and editorial boards.
The intersection of his research and clinical interests has led to the creation of the largest cardio renal symposium in the United States: Cardio Renal Connections. As cofounder of this meeting, Dr. Prasad has worked to bring together diverse individuals to address the challenges in management of patients with concomitant heart and kidney disease. Cardiorenalconnections.org
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Dane K. Wukich MD is Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He holds the Dr. Charles F. Distinguished Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery as well, and serves as Orthopaedic Medical Director of UT Southwestern Medical Center's Clements University Hosptital. Prior to relocating to Dallas, Dr. Wukich was Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UPMC in Pittsburgh. He is the recipient of the American Diabetes Association's Roger Pecoraro Award and Lectureship (2017), Desert Foot Dr. Paul Brand Memorial Lecture (2019), MedStar Georgetown Distinguished Achievement Award in Diabetic Limb Salvage (2022), and the Dr. J. G. van Baal Lecture (Almelo, Netherlands 2022). Dr. Wukich received a Master of Science Degree in Leadership and Organizational Development from the Naveen Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas, with a concentration in Transformational Leadership. Currently, Dr. Wukich serves as Chair of the IWGDF Working Group for Charcot neuroarthropathy, and this consensus statement will be released in May of 2023 at the IWGDF quadrennial meeting in The Hague, Netherlands. Dr. Wukich actively treats patients at Clements University Hospital, Parkland Memorial Hospital, and the North Dallas Veterans Medical Center.
Innovation Theater Faculty
Dr. Harper received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and completed post-doctoral fellowships in cancer biochemistry and cell biology at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California and the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. He has over 40 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and his principal areas of research interest are extracellular matrix biochemistry, tissue regeneration, and wound healing.
Matt has over 14 years of experience in all aspects of clinical management, patient care management, education and training. He is a certified wound, ostomy, and foot care nurse. Matt is an expert in advanced wound care, dressing selection, diabetic foot management, ostomy care, and creative solutions to problematic wounds.
As a physician Board Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology for Anesthesiology and Pain Management, I have completed residencies in Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology and as well as a fellowship in Interventional Pain Management.
My training began in New Jersey, where I completed a full residency in Internal Medicine at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center. That experience allowed a deep understanding of the complexities of the human condition that I would face throughout my career.
While at the famed Cook County Hospital in Chicago, I was faced with the challenges of a busy, exciting operating room. Trauma, complex cases, and the opportunity to train with a world class health care team helped shape the type of physician I am today. I completed my fellowship there taking care of patients from all walks of life and circumstances, under very challenging conditions. I learned dedication, resilience, and perseverance.