The UAB Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy is expanding its podiatric surgical services and introducing a new podiatric fellowship – the first of its kind in Alabama.
Holistic Care through UAB’s Advanced Limb Preservation Clinic
The Advanced Limb Preservation Clinic at UAB will play a vital role in improving the lives of patients with complex, chronic conditions.
Clinical Associate Professor Kyle Mauk, DPM, FACFAS, ABPM, who specializes in podiatric foot and ankle surgery, spoke on a recent episode of UAB MedCast about the future of podiatric care and training at UAB.
“Now is a great time to be a podiatrist in Alabama,” Mauk said. “We can really treat almost every condition of the foot and ankle. I think that provides a whole lot of expansive options for patients when they’re looking to receive foot and ankle care.”
The Advanced Limb Preservation Clinic at UAB has been designed to meet the needs of a large diabetes population: nearly 15% of Alabamians live with diabetes. The program will address severe complications of diabetes, such as foot ulcers, infections, and potential limb loss. The podiatrists will also treat bunions and hammertoes, traumatic foot and ankle fractures, tendon and sports injuries, and will be able to perform arthroscopic surgery.
As in other clinical areas across UAB, this program will have an integrated, multidisciplinary approach: podiatric surgeons work alongside colleagues in vascular surgery, infectious disease, and wound care, ensuring that all providers involved in the patients’ care are on the same page, making it easy to coordinate treatment and monitor progress. Mauk says this approach will ensure patients receive “holistic” care that is “second to none.”
“Being able to send a referral to another doctor within the UAB Health System is so easy for patients and providers alike,” Mauk said. “Everybody is working towards the same goal. Everyone is able to see what the other providers have written in their chart. And so, the team approach is really of value for these patients that are extremely complex.”
Introducing the Advanced Podiatric Limb Salvage and Reconstruction Fellowship
This year, the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy is launching the first-of-its-kind fellowship in Alabama – the Advanced Podiatric Limb Salvage and Reconstruction Fellowship, directed by Mauk.
Mauk says this new training opportunity will be unique in that it is at a large academic teaching institution, allowing fellows to gain experience with complex pathologies and comorbid conditions, as well as the resources, cutting edge technology, and multidisciplinary team approach that sets UAB apart. He looks forward to training aspiring podiatric surgeons, many of whom he hopes will stay in Alabama.
“The UAB program stands out because it’s integrated within a larger academic medical center, giving our fellows access to a range of resources and expertise that aren’t available in smaller community-based programs,” Mauk said. “UAB is an excellent institution to train in – we’ve seen that across multiple specialties for years. And now, it’s nice that we podiatric surgeons can be included in that mix.”