UT Health San Antonio Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program celebrates 50 years caring for South Texas

The Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022.  The program, which includes its clinical partner, University Health in San Antonio and its affiliated clinic, the Texas Diabetes Institute, is one of the oldest programs in the U.S.

Known around the globe as a leader in diabetic foot treatments, research and education, the  Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program – now part of the Department of Orthopaedics in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine – has achieved many firsts in the field of podiatry, including having developed the UT diabetic foot and UT diabetic ulcer classification systems.

It was also one of the first locations in the U.S. where a total contact cast was placed on a patient to heal a diabetic foot ulcer and treat Charcot’s foot.  All these and other practices are now widely used today in hospitals and clinics around the world.  And a recent International Wound Journal article ranked UT Health San Antonio as the #20 institution in the world, based on the number of diabetic foot publications and H-index from 1955–2022.

Lee C. Rogers, DPM, FFPM, RCPS

When it comes to treating disorders of the foot, Lee C. Rogers, DPM, FFPM, RCPS, podiatry division chief and associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedics, who joined the institution in 2021, said, “We come from so many different specialties, which include vascular surgeons, podiatrists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, physical therapists and many others, all working together in a multidisciplinary team approach.  This approach has been reviewed in dozens of respected peer-reviewed papers and shown to have the biggest impact in limb loss prevention.”

The future of the Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program

Rogers is proud of the historic past UT Health San Antonio has blazed in the field of podiatry.  He looks forward to the future, which includes increased space that consists of an entire floor at University Health for an in-patient unit, operating rooms, an outpatient unit and hyperbaric wound care all on the same floor.  It will be a one-stop shop for patients across South Texas to receive the quality care they need and to prevent limb loss due to diabetes.

The Division of Podiatry will host and present at the inaugural Great Debates & Updates – Diabetic Foot event, December 2 – 3, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk.  The agenda will feature a mix of clinical updates and debates on provocative scientific topics, including emerging concepts and treatment options for the diabetic foot.  Click here to view full event details and to register.



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