The Western Pennsylvania Hospital: Education/Research

Podiatric (Diabetic Limb Salvage)

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital sponsors:

a 3-year Podiatric Surgical Residency Program,
a Podiatric Primary Care Residency Program, and
a unique Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship Program.

Mission of Podiatry Training Programs at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
The mission of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Podiatric Training Programs is to foster, promote, support, augment, develop, and encourage investigative knowledge of the medical and surgical care of the foot and ankle in children, adults, and the elderly. It is the goal of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Podiatric Training Programs to provide a sound academic and clinical educational foundation for all podiatric residents matriculating at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Podiatric Residency Training Programs have been developed with special emphasis on an interdisciplinary approach to lower extremity disorders.

The second goal of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Podiatric Residency Training Programs is to provide practitioners who have a dedicated interest in foot and ankle disorders with exposure to new knowledge, skills, and techniques that can optimize patient care. Therefore, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Podiatric Residency Training Programs will serve as an educational resource not only through residency training, but also to physicians, allied health professionals, and ancillary medical personnel. These goals are met through continuing medical education seminars, various types of symposia, abstract presentations, radiology reviews, weekly grand rounds, and various types of educational exhibits.

Podiatric Surgical Residency Program

Three residents are selected each year to participate in the three-year Podiatric Surgical Residency Program at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital. In addition to the curriculum activities listed below, residents will attend weekly grand rounds, annual seminars and courses, and travel abroad to enhance their education. They will also be involved in laboratory and/or clinical research projects related to podiatric medicine and surgery.

Podiatric Surgical Residency Program Curriculum Overview

Year	Specific Assignment	Months
Year I
	Foot and Ankle Surgery/Podiatric Medicine	3
	Anesthesiology	1
	Dermatology	1
	Emergency Medicine	1
	Infectious Disease	1
	Internal Medicine	1.5
	Surgical Critical Care	1
	Pathology	.5
	Radiology	1
	Research and Writing	1
Year II
	Foot and Ankle Surgery/Podiatric Medicine	6
	Orthopedic Surgery	1
	Plastic Surgery	1.5
	Vascular Surgery	2
	Burn Trauma Center	1
	Research and Writing	.5
Year III
	Foot and Ankle Surgery/Podiatric Medicine	7.5
	Burn Trauma Center	1
	Plastic Surgery	1.5
	Vascular Surgery	1
	Research and Writing	1

Podiatric Surgical Residency Program Seminars/Outside Rotation

European rotations
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Seminar
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Annual Meeting and Scientific Seminar
American Orthopedic/ASIF instructional course

Podiatric Surgical Residency Program Core Faculty
The following individuals, all members of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital's Division of Podiatric Medical/Surgical Services, serve as core faculty for the Podiatric Surgical Residency Program:

Robert W. Mendicino, DPM, FACFAS, Chief, Division of Podiatric Medical/Surgical Services
Alan R. Catanzariti, DPM, FACFAS, Director, Podiatric Residency Training Programs
Steven Conner, DPM, FACFAS, JD
Jordan Grossman, DPM, FACFAS
Mark Hofbauer, DPM, FACFAS
Edward Kernick, DPM, DABPO
Eric Leonheart, DPM, FACFAS
James Marks, DPM, FACFAS
David Puleo, DPM, FACFAS
Karl Saltrick, DPM, FACFAS
Lisa Watters, DPM, FACFAS

Podiatry Primary Care Residency Program

Podiatrists are selected each year to participate in The Western Pennsylvania Hospital's Podiatry Primary Care Residency Program. Residents in this program attend weekly grand rounds and other seminars and lectures in addition to the curriculum activities listed below.

Podiatry Primary Care Residency Curriculum Overview

Specific Assignment	Months
Radiology	1
Dermatology	.5
General Medicine	1
Geriatrics	1
Emergency Medicine	1
Psychiatry	.5
Vascular Medicine	1
Foot and Ankle Medicine	6

Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship

Diabetes mellitus has been diagnosed in an estimated 14 million people in the United States, and the incidence of this disease is expected to increase as our population ages. Despite advances in research, 15 percent of those with diabetes will develop foot ulcers and approximately one fourth of those with ulcers will require hospitalization for treatment. More than 40,000 major amputations are necessitated by complications of diabetes each year, accounting for more than half of all nontraumatic amputations in the United States. The cost of diabetic lower limb disease and amputation to the patient, family, and society in morbidity, mortality, and time lost from work and family is enormous.

Specialized diabetic foot centers where care is managed by an interdisciplinary team have been highly successful in decreasing the rateof amputation among the populations they serve. Such centers have also significantly decreased morbidity and financial burdens to the patient, their family, and the healthcare system. The Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital provides podiatrists with the education and experience needed to take an interdisciplinary approach to diabetic limb salvage.

Fellowship Faculty
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is uniquely suited to sponsor a fellowship program in care of the diabetic lower limb. The chief of the Division of Endocrinology heads a large faculty of specialists and serves as medical director of the Joslin Center for Diabetes at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, through which staff and patients have access to state-of-the-art information and participation in research into the most advanced techniques for diabetes management.

Medical staff in the Division of Nephrology participate in the care of diabetic patients with renal complications,playing a key role for those who require hemodialysis. Faculty in other Department of Medicine divisions, such as the Division of Infectious Diseases, also have extensive experience and expertise in care of the patient with diabetes mellitus and are members of the multidisciplinary care team.

The Division of Podiatric Medical/Surgical Services at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital supports one of the finest podiatric surgical residency programs in the nation. Faculty for this residency program also serve as faculty for the Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship Program, providing expertise in the areas of routine care of the diabetic foot, prescription of orthotics, and surgery to manage infection, amputation, and reconstructive surgery.

Other surgical specialists on the faculty of the Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship Program include members of the divisions of Vascular Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Blood supply to the lower extremities may be assessed in The Western Pennsylvania Hospital's Peripheral Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory. The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery specializes in soft tissue reconstructive procedures for diabetic limb salvage.

Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship Program Curriculum
The curriculum would include these assignments

Specific Assignment
Vascular Surgery
Plastic Surgery
Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery
Vascular Laboratory
Endocrinology
Nephrology
Wound Care Center
Joslin Center for Diabetes

External Rotations

Center for Locomotion Studies -- Penn State Unniversity
Surgical Rotation
Pedorthotics
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Seminars and Conferences
Fellows will attend the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Annual Meeting and Scientific Seminar and subspecialty meetings and conferences as appropriate.

Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship Program Core Faculty
The following members of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital medical staff serve as core faculty for the DiabeticLimb-Salvage Fellowship Program:

Robert W. Mendicino, DPM, FACFAS, Chief, Division of Podiatric Medical/Surgical Services
Jordan P. Grossman, DPM, FACFAS, Coordinator, Diabetic Limb-Salvage Fellowship Program
Alan R. Catanzariti, DPM, FACFAS, Director, Residency Training
Steven Conner, DPM, FACFAS, JD
Mark Hofbauer, DPM, FACFAS
Edward Kernick, DPM, DABPO
Eric Leonheart, DPM, FACFAS
Karl Saltrick, DPM, FACFAS
Steven A. Leers, MD, Chief, Division of Vascular Surgery
Thomas Reifsnyder, MD, Division of Vascular Surgery
E. Douglas Newton, MD, Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Training Facilities and Resources

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital and The Foot and Ankle Institute of Western Pennsylvania, located at the Hospital, offer outstanding facilities and staff to provide podiatrists in training with exposure to the full spectrum of lower limb disorders and with opportunities to learn the most advanced techniques for patient care.

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital's state-of-the-art inpatient facilities include the new Patient Care Tower, dedicatedin July 1995, where services are brought to the bedside for maximal patient comfort and convenience. A number of clinical centers at West Penn Hospital provide multidisciplinary assessment and treatment to meet a variety of healthcare needs.

The Joslin Center for Diabetes at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, an affiliate of the internationally known Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, recently received the American Diabetes Association's prestigious three-year Certificate of Recognition for the Center's Diabetes Self-Management Program. The Center offers the most comprehensive program in the tri-state area for the care and education of patients with diabetes mellitus. The interdisciplinary team includes endocrinologists and diabetes educators who perform medical evaluation and treatment and help patients learn to manage their diabetes and reduce complications through weight manage-ment, stress management, and recognition and management of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital - Harmarville Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, located conveniently on the Hospital campus,provides physical therapy and other rehabilitative services on an outpatient basis. The Center complements the Hospital's excellent inpatient physical therapy services in meeting patients' needs for rehabilitation and providing pedorthotic devices such as special shoes, inserts, and braces to prevent the development of ulcers and protect the lower leg after surgery.

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital - Vintage Community Care for Seniors encourages health awareness, healthy lifestyle changes, and early identification of disease in adults 55 and older. Comprehensive geriatric healthcare services provided through this program include health screenings and consultations and access to urology, podiatry, and other specialty services.

The Foot and Ankle Institute of Western Pennsylvania -The Foot and Ankle Institute of Western Pennsylvania a large, multispecialty podiatric medical/surgical practice located at TheWestern Pennsylvania Hospital, offers podiatrists in training programs at West Penn Hospital unparalleled opportunities to learnabout and participate in the care of patients of all ages and with a wide range of conditions affecting the lower leg. Podiatrists in all three training programs serve core rotations at The Western Pennsylvania Foot and Ankle Institute as well as The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.

Application Process

To obtain an application for The Western Pennsylvania Hospital's Podiatry Training Programs click here or for more information, please contact:

Beth Sheedy, Residency Training Coordinator
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
4800 Friendship Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Telephone: (412) 688-7578
Facsimile: (412) 681-9676

The following support documents are required for your application to be reviewed by the Resident Selection Committee:

Podiatry college transcript
Class rank
National board scores
Three (3) letters of reference
Photograph

You will be notified by mail if you are invited for an interview by the Resident Selection Committee. Interview days are arranged to suit your schedule.