Recognising professional dedication, engagement to D-Foot or to the fight against the diabetic foot.
D-Foot has created merit awards to recognise people or teams who have made a special contribution to D-Foot International at global and regional levels or made a special contribution to the fight against the diabetic foot.
D – Foot Awards
Michael Edmonds
Board Commendation Award
Board Commendation Award to Professor Michael Edmonds for Global Advocacy for Prevention of Lower Limb Amputations and Education of Health Care Professionals in Diabetic Foot Care. Professor Michael Edmonds is the founder of the Diabetic Foot Clinic at King’s College Hospital. Two years after the establishment of the clinic in 1981, the Foot Service achieved a 50% reduction in major amputations. This standard was adopted by the World Health Organisation and International Diabetes Federation in the St Vincent Declaration in 1989 to improve the outlook of diabetic patients.
Board Commendation Award to Professor Michael Edmonds for Global Advocacy for Prevention of Lower Limb Amputations and Education of Health Care Professionals in Diabetic Foot Care. Professor Michael Edmonds is the founder of the Diabetic Foot Clinic at King’s College Hospital. Two years after the establishment of the clinic in 1981, the Foot Service achieved a 50% reduction in major amputations. This standard was adopted by the World Health Organisation and International Diabetes Federation in the St Vincent Declaration in 1989 to improve the outlook of diabetic patients.
Over the last 40 years, in King’s College Hospital’s Diabetic Foot Clinic, a further reduction in major amputation has been achieved and a very low amputation rate has been steadily maintained. The King’s Foot Clinic led by Professor Edmonds is widely accepted as the ideal model of care and has been duplicated in many diabetic foot clinics in the UK and Europe. The Clinic has a strong educational role, receiving visitors from many parts of the world including Bulgaria, Greece, USA, Germany, Turkey, Czech Republic, Austria, Sudan, Norway, Slovenia, Denmark, Poland, Romania, Sweden, India, Japan, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Malta, Egypt, Libya, Canada, West Indies, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Slovenia, Lithuania, Tunisia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Tanzania.
The main form of teaching is practical patient-based teaching which is carried out whilst patients are treated in the Foot Clinic. The Foot Team teaches national and international healthcare professionals who attend training in diabetic foot care to enable them to set up their own diabetic foot clinics or improve their services.
Over the years, Professor Edmonds has acted as a mentor to many healthcare professionals globally offering them support, advice, encouragement, as well as praising their work. In the last two years, Mike actively supported D-Foot International Diabetic Foot Awareness Week and delivered a pivotal lecture on “The role of the multidisciplinary diabetic foot clinic to prevent lower limb amputations”, He was instrumental in the development of a decision tool on diabetic foot care during the COVID-19 pandemic, a practical resource available on the D-Foot website.
Professor Edmonds and the team at King’s are now actively involved in the development of an online short course entitled “King’s Diabetic Foot: Principles and Practice” as part of a postgraduate training programme from King’s College London which will be launched in October 2021. This 6-week distant learning programme aims to provide a practical approach to the management of the neuropathic foot, Charcot foot and ischaemic foot using visually rich resources including videos and images taken in clinic featuring patients from King’s College Hospital.
Hermelinda Pedrosa
Board Commendation Award
The 2021 D-Foot International Board Commendation Award goes to Dr Hermelinda Pedrosa from Brazil. Dr Pedrosa is the Coordinator of the research at the Diabetes Unit of the Federal District Health Department of Brazil. Linda has been a very active leader and participant in D-Foot International projects over many years. Currently, she is one of the two Chairs of South America Central America Region of D-Foot. She is a powerful advocate for people with diabetic foot disease and preventing lower limb amputations due to diabetes in Brazil.
The 2021 D-Foot International Board Commendation Award goes to Dr Hermelinda Pedrosa from Brazil. Dr Pedrosa is the Coordinator of the research at the Diabetes Unit of the Federal District Health Department of Brazil. Linda has been a very active leader and participant in D-Foot International projects over many years. Currently, she is one of the two Chairs of South America Central America Region of D-Foot. She is a powerful advocate for people with diabetic foot disease and preventing lower limb amputations due to diabetes in Brazil.
Dr Pedrosa has been at the forefront of diabetes research, she is an excellent team leader and role model for the establishment of specialist treatment centres for people with diabetes and diabetic-related foot disease not only across Brazil but around the world. In the past year, her role has been made even more difficult by the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic on the Brasilian population. Her published research on the impact of Covid-19 on people with Diabetes in Brazil leads the pioneering research in this area. The Board of D-Foot congratulates Linda for this award which is extremely well-deserved.
Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva
D-Foot SACA Regional Chair Nomination Award winner
Life in the Brazilian Amazon region is tough: rivers instead of roads, few qualified healthcare professionals and disorganised public service. More than half of the estimated 280,000 people with diabetes have foot problems. Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva qualified as a stomatherapist nurse with a special interest in people with diabetes and diabetic foot. Her dedication is widely recognised. Within the challenging Amazonas Unified Public System, she set up several training courses for nurses to improve their skills on how to treat diabetic foot patients.
Life in the Brazilian Amazon region is tough: rivers instead of roads, few qualified healthcare professionals and disorganised public service. More than half of the estimated 280,000 people with diabetes have foot problems. Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva qualified as a stomatherapist nurse with a special interest in people with diabetes and diabetic foot. Her dedication is widely recognised. Within the challenging Amazonas Unified Public System, she set up several training courses for nurses to improve their skills on how to treat diabetic foot patients.
There are no podiatrists in Brazil. Instead, in the 1990s, to overcome this void, the Save the Diabetic Foot Project—in 2012 continued by the Step-by-Step programmes—started training and qualifying nurses to look after people with diabetes. The Brazilian Diabetes Association supported this initiative. Today, however, accredited podiatry clinical courses in nursing curricula are still a distant dream. In 2018, the Amazonas State University introduced accredited podiatry clinical courses in the nursing curriculum, to be completed in July 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis hit particularly hard in the Amazonas region and delayed graduation of the first promotion until October 2020.
Eliana’s decisive action in the midst of sheer chaos and live classes being replaced by virtual learning greatly motivated nurses in training to continue taking the courses, often in difficult professional and financial circumstances. But progress is being made. Recently, the Integrated System of Attention to the Diabetic Foot was implemented. The Public Federal Ministry partnered with the Health Secretariat to regulate patient access to care. Implementation of the IWGDF Guidelines, first presented in Manaus in 2019, will hopefully help reorganise the Amazonas Unified Public System.
To recognise her work and relentless dedication to people with diabetic foot and the many nurses taking care of them in the Amazonas, the D-Foot International SACA Regional Chair, supported by the D-Foot National Representatives in Brazil and the Grupo Brasileiro de Neuropatias e Pé diabético (BRANSPEDI), nominate Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva for an award. Hermelinda C Pedrosa (Brasília) Regional Chair, D-Foot International SACA Region President, Diabetes Department of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Alexandre Leme Godoy dos Santos (São Paulo), Ana Cristina Ravazzani (Curitiba), Luiz Clemente Rolim (São Paulo), Maria Saraiva Lucoveis (São Paulo) Brazilian Representatives for D-Foot International Eliana’s voluntary commitment and perseverance have inspired the D-Foot Board to launch a new initiative: The Regional Chair Nomination Award for outstanding individuals or teams to thank them for going above and beyond the call of duty. We announce Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva as the first recipient of the D-Foot International SACA Regional Chair Award!. Thank you, Eliana!
Nurse Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva is a professor at the State University of Amazonas (UEA). She graduated in Nursing from the Faculty Nilton Lins do Amazonas in 2004 and obtained her Master in Health Sciences (MSc) degree at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). She did a Postgraduation in the area of Stomatherapy at USP. She is currently a professor, researcher, coordinator of the Stomatherapy Research Laboratory at the UEA, coordinator of the specialization course in Nursing in Clinical Podiatrics at the University of the State of Amazonas (UEA) and also coordinates the ENFERCLIN Company (Pioneer in the State of Amazonas) in the area of Stomatherapy. She has also implemented the University Extension Project, entitled Telestomatherapy, to reach more health care professionals (HCP) in the Amazonas, where the rivers play a role of roads and the boats the automobiles, while 53% of the state population live in the capital, Manaus.
She holds a master’s degree in Health Sciences Teaching from UNIFESP (Federal University ofSão Paulo), a postgraduate degree in stomatherapy from USP (University of São Paulo) and Intensive High Complexity Nursing from Gama Filho-University of Rio de Janeiro and Graduation in Nursing by University of Nilton Lins, in Manaus, Amazonas State. She is currently a professor, researcher, coordinator of the Stomatherapy Research Laboratory at the State University of Amazonas State (UEA), coordinator of the specialization course in Nursing in Clinical Podiatrics at UEA and Scientific Coordinator of the ENFERCLIN Company (Pioneer in the State of Amazonas) in the area of Stomatherapy. She is also an idealizer of the UEA Extension Project, entitled Telestomatherapy and Mentor of the Project Angels of Health. She has experience in the area of Stomatherapy (Stomas, Wounds, Urinary and Anal Incontinence), Podiatry, Home Care, Intensive Care.
Simone McConnie
Board Commendation Award
Podiatrist trained in the UK, working in Barbados since 1994 Degree in Podiatric Medicine and an MBA from Durham University in 2011 Regional Chair of the D-Foot International NAC Region Founding member and former Trustee of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation.President of the Barbados Association of Podiatrists Simone’s mantra is “Ten toes, two feet”
Nalini Campillo Vilorio
Board Commendation Award
Diabetologist and clinical nutrionist Regional Chair of the D-Foot International SACA Region Coordinator of the Diabetic Foot Group of the Latin American Diabetes Association (ALAD) President of the Dominican Society of Diabetic Doctors Professor of the National Residence of Endocrinology and Nutrition Professor of the Residences Programme of the College of Medicine at Intec and Unibe, Dominican Republic
Mateo López-Moral
Board Commendation Award
Doctor in Podiatric Medicine from Complutense University of Madrid PhD Student in therapeutic footwear Podiatrist staff of the Diabetic Foot Unit at Complutense University of Madrid
Marta García-Madrid
Board Commendation Award
Doctor in Podiatric Medicine from Complutense University of Madrid PhD Student in osteomyelitis and foot surgery Pre-doctoral thesis grant of the 20 best PhD students at Complutense University of Madrid Podiatrist staff of the Diabetic Foot Unit at Complutense University of Madrid
International Awards
Prof. David G. Armstrong
Karel Bakker Award for Limb Preservation
The Karel Bakker Award recognises and honours scientists and clinicians who have made exceptional contributions to diabetic foot and limb prevention on a global scale. The prize was conferred at the 9th International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot in The Hague on 10th of May 2023 by Nicolaas C Schaper, Symposium Chair in the presence of Karel Bakker, founder, and former Chair of the International Working Group of the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) Dr. Armstrong is Professor of Surgery 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 595 peer-reviewed research papers in dozens of scholarly medical journals as well as over 100 books or book chapters. He is co-Editor of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot, now in its third edition.
The Karel Bakker Award recognises and honours scientists and clinicians who have made exceptional contributions to diabetic foot and limb prevention on a global scale. The prize was conferred at the 9th International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot in The Hague on 10th of May 2023 by Nicolaas C Schaper, Symposium Chair in the presence of Karel Bakker, founder, and former Chair of the International Working Group of the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) Dr. Armstrong is Professor of Surgery 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 595 peer-reviewed research papers in dozens of scholarly medical journals as well as over 100 books or book chapters. He is co-Editor of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot, now in its third edition.
Armstrong is Director of USC’s National Science Foundation funded Center to Stream Healthcare in Place (C2SHiP) which places him at the nexus of the merger of consumer electronics, wearables, and medical devices. 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 into 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. Armstrong is past Chair of Scientific Sessions for the ADA’s Foot Care Council, and a past member of the National Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association. He sits on the Infectious Disease Society of America’s (IDSA) Diabetic Foot Infection Advisory Committee and is the US appointed delegate to the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF). Dr. Armstrong is the founder and co-chair of the International Diabetic Foot Conference (DF-Con), the largest annual international symposium on the diabetic foot in the world. He is also the Founding President of the American Limb Preservation Society (ALPS), an interdisciplinary medical and surgical society dedicated to eliminating preventable amputation in the USA and worldwide.
Dr Hermelinda Pedrosa
Diabetic Foot Medal of Honour
The Diabetic Foot Medal of Honour is a quadrennial award for a clinician who has made outstanding and innovative contributions to the detection, treatment, and prevention of diabetic foot disease.
The prize was conferred at the 9th International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot in the Hague on the 10th of May 2023.
Linda has been a very active leader and participant in D-Foot International projects over many years. Currently, she is one of the two Chairs of South America Central America Region of D-Foot. She is a powerful advocate for people with diabetic foot disease and preventing lower limb amputations due to diabetes in Brazil.
Dr Pedrosa has been at the forefront of diabetes research; she is an excellent team leader and role model for the establishment of specialist treatment centres for people with diabetes and diabetic-related foot disease not only across Brazil but around the world. In the past year, her role has been made even more difficult by the devastating effects of the Covid pandemic on the Brazilian population. Her published research on the impact of Covid-19 on people with Diabetes in Brazil leads the pioneering research in this area
Zulfiqarali G. Abbas and Kristien Van Acker
IWGDF Guidelines Diabetic Foot Medal of Honour
The Diabetic Foot Medal of Honour is a quadrennial award for a clinician who has made outstanding and innovative contributions to the detection, treatment and prevention of diabetic foot disease. The prize was conferred at the 8th International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot in The Hague on 25 May 2019 by Nicolaas C Schaper, Symposium Chair, in the presence of Karel Bakker, founder and former Chair of the International Working Group of the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF).
The Diabetic Foot Medal of Honour is a quadrennial award for a clinician who has made outstanding and innovative contributions to the detection, treatment and prevention of diabetic foot disease. The prize was conferred at the 8th International Symposium on the Diabetic Foot in The Hague on 25 May 2019 by Nicolaas C Schaper, Symposium Chair, in the presence of Karel Bakker, founder and former Chair of the International Working Group of the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF).
The recipient:
• is a clinician who has played a pivotal role in translating science into daily care and has contributed to the reduction of the burden of disease.
• has had a significant impact as teacher and mentor in the field of diabetic foot disease, both on a national and international level.
• is internationally viewed as a trailblazer in the field.
The 2019 Diabetic Foot Medal of Honour was awarded to two internationally well-known endocrinologists who for many years have made many important contributions to the quality of care for diabetic foot disease all over the world.
Kristien Van Acker
Kristien Van Acker, Chimay, Belgium, is the recipient of several awards. Since many years, she is renowned for her activities in diabetic foot education and organisation of care. She was responsible for setting up several multidisciplinary projects to improve the quality of care. She was the stimulating power behind national preventive and treatment programs in her country. As a representative of the International Working Group on the diabetic Foot (IWGDF), she played a major role in the ‘Step-by-Step’ and Train-the-Foot-Trainer programmes, chairing many courses around the world. She is the Founding President of D-Foot International. Dr Van Acker has been a member of many boards and committees, including the Consultative Section on the Diabetic Foot of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the Diabetic Foot Study Group of the EASD and the “Eurodiale” research consortium. She is also (co-)author of more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on diabetic foot disease.
Zulfiqarali Abbas
Zulfiqarali Abbas, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, played an essential role in enhancing the awareness of diabetic foot disease in Africa and setting up education programs for healthcare workers. This originated from his famous diabetic foot clinic that he set up in his home country. He is an active member of various committees aimed at reducing the burden of diabetic foot disease and sits on the editorial board of several international peer-reviewed journals. He chairs the Pan-African Diabetic Foot Study Group and is an executive working group member of the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF). Dr Abbas has written extensively on the epidemiology and clinical importance of diabetic foot disease in Africa and has more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals and several book chapters, including a pocketbook on diabetic foot disease for healthcare workers.
Honorary Member
Andrew JM Boulton
Honorary Member
The Nominating Committee and the Board of D-Foot International elected Professor Andrew JM Boulton as an Honorary Member of D-Foot International.
This well-deserved nomination stems from his considerable contribution to the fight against the diabetic foot. His overall achievements for the past four decades have been well recognised both nationally and internationally. He has contributed immensely to the fundamental knowledge of diabetic foot disease and has published more than 500 scientific papers and 8 books on Diabetic Foot and Diabetic Neuropathy.
He was the Founder Chair of the Diabetic Foot Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (DFSG of EASD) in 1998 and the President of the EASD between 2011 and 2015.
Professor Boulton is currently the President of the International Diabetes Federation.
Foot Soldiers
Elina Marques Gomes da Silva
Brazil
Life in the Brazilian Amazon region is tough: rivers instead of roads, few qualified healthcare professionals and disorganised public service. More than half of the estimated 280,000 people with diabetes have foot problems. Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva qualified as a stomatherapist nurse with a special interest in people with diabetes and diabetic foot. Her dedication is widely recognised. Within the challenging Amazonas Unified Public System, she set up several training courses for nurses to improve their skills on how to treat diabetic foot patients.
Life in the Brazilian Amazon region is tough: rivers instead of roads, few qualified healthcare professionals and disorganised public service. More than half of the estimated 280,000 people with diabetes have foot problems. Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva qualified as a stomatherapist nurse with a special interest in people with diabetes and diabetic foot. Her dedication is widely recognised. Within the challenging Amazonas Unified Public System, she set up several training courses for nurses to improve their skills on how to treat diabetic foot patients.
There are no podiatrists in Brazil. Instead, in the 1990s, to overcome this void, the Save the Diabetic Foot Project—in 2012 continued by the Step-by-Step programmes—started training and qualifying nurses to look after people with diabetes. The Brazilian Diabetes Association supported this initiative. Today, however, accredited podiatry clinical courses in nursing curricula are still a distant dream.
In 2018, the Amazonas State University introduced accredited podiatry clinical courses in the nursing curriculum, to be completed in July 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis hit particularly hard in the Amazonas region and delayed graduation of the first promotion until October 2020.
Eliana’s decisive action in the midst of sheer chaos and live classes being replaced by virtual learning greatly motivated nurses in training to continue taking the courses, often in difficult professional and financial circumstances.
But progress is being made. Recently, the Integrated System of Attention to the Diabetic Foot was implemented. The Public Federal Ministry partnered with the Health Secretariat to regulate patient access to care. Implementation of the IWGDF Guidelines, first presented in Manaus in 2019, will hopefully help reorganise the Amazonas Unified Public System.
To recognise her work and relentless dedication to people with diabetic foot and the many nurses taking care of them in the Amazonas, the D-Foot International SACA Regional Chair, supported by the D-Foot National Representatives in Brazil and the Grupo Brasileiro de Neuropatias e Pé diabético (BRANSPEDI), nominate Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva for an award.
Hermelinda C Pedrosa (Brasília)
Regional Chair, D-Foot International SACA Region
President, Diabetes Department of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Alexandre Leme Godoy dos Santos (São Paulo), Ana Cristina Ravazzani (Curitiba), Luiz Clemente Rolim (São Paulo), Maria Saraiva Lucoveis (São Paulo) Brazilian Representatives for D-Foot International
Eliana’s voluntary commitment and perseverance have inspired the D-Foot Board to launch a new initiative: The Regional Chair Nomination Award for outstanding individuals or teams to thank them for going above and beyond the call of duty. We announce Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva as the first recipient of the D-Foot International SACA Regional Chair Award!.
Thank you, Eliana!
Nurse Eliana Marques Gomes da Silva is a professor at the State University of Amazonas (UEA). She graduated in Nursing from the Faculty Nilton Lins do Amazonas in 2004 and obtained her Master in Health Sciences (MSc) degree at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). She did a Postgraduation in the area of Stomatherapy at USP. She is currently a professor, researcher, coordinator of the Stomatherapy Research Laboratory at the UEA, coordinator of the specialization course in Nursing in Clinical Podiatrics at the University of the State of Amazonas (UEA) and also coordinates the ENFERCLIN Company (Pioneer in the State of Amazonas) in the area of Stomatherapy. She has also implemented the University Extension Project, entitled Telestomatherapy, to reach more health care professionals (HCP) in the Amazonas, where the rivers play a role of roads and the boats the automobiles, while 53% of the state population live in the capital, Manaus.
She holds a master’s degree in Health Sciences Teaching from UNIFESP (Federal University ofSão Paulo), a postgraduate degree in stomatherapy from USP (University of São Paulo) and Intensive High Complexity Nursing from Gama Filho-University of Rio de Janeiro and Graduation in Nursing by University of Nilton Lins, in Manaus, Amazonas State. She is currently a professor, researcher, coordinator of the Stomatherapy Research Laboratory at the State University of Amazonas State (UEA), coordinator of the specialization course in Nursing in Clinical Podiatrics at UEA and Scientific Coordinator of the ENFERCLIN Company (Pioneer in the State of Amazonas) in the area of Stomatherapy. She is also an idealizer of the UEA Extension Project, entitled Telestomatherapy and Mentor of the Project Angels of Health. She has experience in the area of Stomatherapy (Stomas, Wounds, Urinary and Anal Incontinence), Podiatry, Home Care, Intensive Care.
Nalini Campillo Vilorio
Dominican Republic
During my academic training, I witnessed in the emergency room how a woman with diabetes cried together with the doctors at the news of an above-knee amputation. That episode made me become passionate for diabetic foot.
Meet Nalini Campillo Vilorio.
During my academic training, I witnessed in the emergency room how a woman with diabetes cried together with the doctors at the news of an above-knee amputation. That episode made me become passionate for diabetic foot. Meet Nalini Campillo Vilorio.
Who are you?
I am a dreamer who wanted to be a doctor to help others, knowing that my knowledge allows me to prevent or control a disorder, relieve pain or close a wound.
How do you see your role as National Representative / Regional Chair?
Although Latin America speaks the same language, the words have completely different meanings. Being a Regional Chair is a great challenge and a great opportunity. It’s a challenge because we are living in developing countries, with different governments and very poor healthcare. But it also an opportunity because the mission is to establish diabetic foot prevention programmes that have never existed before and thus contribute to avoiding unnecessary amputations in Latin America.
What challenges do you face in your daily professional life?
Illiteracy, poverty, hunger and a high rate of amputations.
If you could change one thing that would change your professional life dramatically, what would it be?
Rulers who keep their promises to change the current situation in our hospitals.
What should D-Foot do?
Educate us, walk with us until we see our primary, secondary and tertiary prevention goals achieved.
Which person do you admire the most and why?
From an early age, I admired Eleanor Roosevelt, a diplomat and human rights activist. Her motto was: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right. You will be criticized anyway; they will reproach you if you do and they will reproach you if you do not. ”
What did you want to become when you were a child?
A good doctor.
What do you see when you look into the future?
The future is uncertain and the past should not be repeated. I prefer the present. My present has been forged from the past. It’s the foundation of the future. Every tear, stumble and scar enables a human being to mature, learn and grow; in this way, my present has been forged and so the future will come … step by step.
What makes you happy?
Dancing, watching the sunset, listening to the music that reminds me of unforgettable moments and feeling the sun that paints my skin.
What was the best kiss in your life?
Three unbeatable kisses: the ones I gave each of my children when they were born and I saw them for the first time.
What’s your favourite sense?
The skin.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate.
Who should be the guests at your dream dinner?
My best friends and family.
If you could travel back into time, where would you go?
To the same places where I have been.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
The mother doctor that I am.
What’s the most important lesson that life’s taught you?
Never stop dreaming.
How would you like to be remembered?
I just wish to be remembered as a human being who was able to improve other people’s lives.
Nalini Campillo Vilorio is a diabetologist and nutritionist at the Hospital General de la Plaza de la Salud in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She is a National Representative and Regional Chair of the South America Central America Region of D-Foot International.
Elizabeth Ruth Choudhry
UAE
Whether we are working in our clinics or driving home after a long day at work, it is a little comforting to know that we are not alone in facing the current health crisis.
Meet Elizabeth Ruth Choudhry.
Whether we are working in our clinics or driving home after a long day at work, it is a little comforting to know that we are not alone in facing the current health crisis. Meet Elizabeth Ruth Choudhry. As the whole world tackles the pandemic of COVID-19 and all that it brings, we each face dilemmas and have to make un-precedented decisions every day, about the care of our patients, our colleagues and our loved ones.
The pandemic statistics are showing us that our diabetic patients are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 and so, the decisions we make could affect their future wellbeing.
When seeing a patient, I always reflect on the needs of the patient, the frequency of their visits to my clinic, their juggling other medical appointments etc. but at this time, it has never been more important than to think about the risk we are putting them under by asking them to leave their homes to attend our hospitals and clinics.
Unfortunately, the disease of diabetes does not go away, and even though we are tackling the challenges of COVID-19, we also have our existing and new patients, presenting with active diabetic foot disease that requires our urgent attention. In clinical practice, I have found it hugely beneficial to use the D-Foot International guidelines on COVID-19 and diabetic foot disease. It has helped me triage each of my patients to determine those that really need to come into the clinic; those that require admission, or those that can stay at home and be followed with regular telemedicine. Being able to prioritise our workload, is essential to ensuring we are there to provide the care we can, to those that need it most. Yes, we will continue to worry about some of our regular patients, but we must accept that we are not living in normal times, and we have to do the best we can under the current circumstances and restrictions. Patients too, require counselling about self-care and the importance of maintaining good glycaemic control, taking their medications regularly and undertaking their own wound dressings if required. I have been heartened to see family members rise to this challenge, and take an active interest in wound care and improving the diabetes management of their relatives.
Sadly, the current situation has also kept many people away from the hospitals, due to fear of contracting the virus, delaying them seeking medical attention when they do have a problem. We are finding an increased number of patients presenting with significant limb-threatening conditions including spreading sepsis, extensive osteomyelitis and gangrene. These patients then require urgent surgery, but first must be tested for COVID-19 virus.
As hospitals become full, cancellation of elective surgeries and outpatient appointments, our diabetic foot patients have less choice on where they can go to receive care and treatment. If they are admitted and have to undergo surgery, there is then the added pressure of discharging them early, to free up hospital beds. We have a duty of care, to ensure that we continue to provide care for these patients on an outpatient basis, or we have resources that we can call upon such as community clinics or other health care facilities that we can refer patients too, for ongoing wound care and management of their other co-morbidities. We must not forget that our patients are a very vulnerable group and if we are struggling to provide these services, we must make managers and health care decision-makers aware of the risk to life and limb if we forget them.
Stay safe everyone, and keep doing the amazing work you do, each and every day.
Elizabeth Ruth Choudhry is Senior Podiatrist, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi. After over 20 years working as a podiatrist in the NHS in the UK, came a telephone call asking me to go and work in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Having never visited the country before, I set off to see how my skills could help improve the foot health of the population there.
I didn’t know what to expect of the healthcare system, what resources were available or the types of people that would need my clinical expertise. I just knew that there was a high prevalence of diabetes and I was joining a busy vascular team who spent much of their time, treating patients with diabetic foot disease.
Six years later, I am still here and loving the challenge of my work, every day. Within the Middle East region, podiatry is not well known, and it took time to raise awareness of the profession amongst the public and also amongst fellow health care professionals. As the years have passed, my caseload has grown exponentially and now the service treats thousands of people with all kinds of foot problems every year. The primary problem I treat is diabetic foot ulceration, often combined with diabetic nephropathy and end-stage renal disease, multi-level peripheral arterial disease including severe intrinsic foot disease and sadly, many patients still present very late.
Simone McConnie
Barbados
At the time, there were so many general practitioners in Barbados that I thought podiatry was a wonderful branch of medicine. And that I should go and do that. Then I grew up and faced reality…
Meet Simone McConnie.
At the time, there were so many general practitioners in Barbados that I thought podiatry was a wonderful branch of medicine. And that I should go and do that. Then I grew up and faced reality… Meet Simone McConnie.
Who are you?
My name is Simone McConnie – Known by my close friends as “Si” or “Monie”.
What got you into the diabetic foot?
I overheard a speech by our then Prime Minister stating that we needed podiatrists, I listened to many general surgeons and doctors in their speeches mention the fact that we had many amputations and diabetic foot issues because we had no podiatrists. Given there was at the time so many general practitioners I thought podiatry was a wonderful branch of medicine. Then I grew up and faced reality…☺
Why do you like working with the diabetic foot, most people don’t like feet?
It is very rewarding. It is awesome to be a part of getting to teach, mould and guide a patient who is willing to change but also to see a foot that may have been slated for amputation, heal and allow the person to get back to their full life. Our feet are important and should NEVER be taken for granted. Amputations are always an option but it does not have to be the first.
Who was your first inspiration in the diabetic foot world?
I did a few months at King’s College Hospital in London after qualifying as a podiatrist. I worked under Aletha Foster and Mike Edmonds back in 1994 at the, then, first diabetic foot unit in London. It was inspiring, and I remember their humble beginnings and when I visit the facility at King’s now it’s a truly multidisciplinary team environment. I wish it were that easy to have the same in the Caribbean region.
Why Podiatry?
I chose Podiatry in general as a profession because there was a dearth of Podiatrists in Barbados and the region. We had—still have—high amputation rates, and people suffering from diabetic foot disease. I was one of the first fully trained and registerable Podiatrist in Barbados. At the time I did not see it as a pioneering profession but that is what it has turned out to be.
How do you see your role as National Representative/ Regional Chair?
Oh my, this is a really important role. As Regional Chair/National Representative it is essential to stimulate, motivate and initiate talks on limb salvage with regional practitioners, health ministries and governments that are interested, and to hopefully agitate the ones that are not understanding the urgency of the matter of saving limbs and lives. In this role, it is so important to build relationships and communications between those that are genuinely interested in the D-Foot mission which has evolved out of the needs in our countries. It takes creativity, tenacity and persistence but I have been at it for over 20 years, and I believe we will get there. Somethings just take time.
What challenges do you face in your daily professional life?
Lack of availability of resources and the ability to have easy access to a multidisciplinary team. What one thing could have changed your professional life dramatically? Staying in the UK after qualifying instead of returning to Barbados.
What are some of the things you think D-Foot should do?
D-Foot should become the one-stop-shop for the diabetic foot in the world, encouraging protocols, standards of practice as it relates to the diabetic foot; engaging and uniting the pharmaceutical industries that have products related to the diabetic foot and limb salvage to promote the work of D-Foot. We should also work towards establishing a World Diabetic foot day in a separate month to November (World diabetes day is the 14th of November) this will help to bring awareness to the diabetic foot and its many challenges.
Which person do you admire the most and why?
Anyone who stands for the truth shows integrity and genuinely loves others in all that they say and do. I believe that this is the foundation of strength and peace.
What did you want to become when you were a child?
A teacher because my mum was a teacher and her job really seemed cool.
What do you see when you look into the future?
There are many things, but as it relates to diabetes and the diabetic foot, there will be multidisciplinary teams comprising of not just the medical fraternities, but pharmaceutical companies, private companies, governments, and health ministries, working together, reducing amputations and improving the lives of people living with diabetes. For regions like the Caribbean, I can see in the future, a Diabetic foot aeroplane (D-Foot Air) fully outfitted with all the needs for the multidisciplinary team, inclusive of mobile units that drive off the plane and provide foot service to the difficult to reach areas on the islands.
Where is your happy place?
In my heart first, I am a happy person, I love to laugh and I love to have fun. Life of the party. The energizer bunny I am usually called by my friends. I find the most peace in a natural space with no one around, a mountain top, lake or oceanfront, just nature and the fresh breeze on your face.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Dark Chocolate and red wine.
What do you hold most dear?
My family and friends that over the years have become an extension of my family, without them I will be a nut case.
If you had all the money in the world where would you go?
There are many places but New Zealand for 6 weeks, Australia for 6 weeks, and Africa for 6 weeks with my family.
If you could travel back into time, where would you go?
Not so much where I would go, but I would like to hold on to the “back in time” respect for others, and loyalty that governments had for themselves, the general public and standards and values for mankind they portrayed that was something to look up to.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I am thankful to date for my family and the work I have done in the diabetic foot. The 10 k’s I have run and my first Barbados Adventure Race 2019, which has elements of “spartan”.
What’s the most important lesson that life’s taught you?
Patience and the appreciation for others in all their flaws and joys. As a Christian, we are urged to not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth, and love brings patience.
What advise would you give to anyone interested in foot care?
It is the most rewarding job there is, why don’t you just give it a try. What is one of the most difficult things you have done? Learning patience and sending my daughter off to boarding school.
What are the most interesting things you have done this year unrelated to your job?
Take part in the Barbados Adventure Race, Climb Soufriere volcano in St Vincent.
Any last words?
Diabetes and its complications are not burdens, they are challenges. The day we admit it as a challenge we will win the battle. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me and through this daily dose, I have survived 26 years of resistance to a wonderful profession Podiatric Medicine. Live, Love and Laugh. Thank you for taking the time to read all about me.
Simone McConnie is Managing Podiatrist at the Comfeet Foot Clinic in Barbados, Founder of the Save Our Soles Charitable Trust, National Representative and Regional Chair North America and the Caribbean of D-Foot International.