Nearly 500 wounds care experts from the VA, IHS, DOD and the private sector, as well as hundreds of dedicated men and women from the wound care industry, met in the Arizona desert once again to advance the strategies, techniques and technology of modern podiatric wound care. The Indian Health Service expanded their annual participation with a full day of education for their members. The 6th Annual Paul Brand Award for excellence in wound care outside the U.S. was received this year by the world-renowned thought leader and author on the diabetic foot, Luca Dalla Paola, MD of Maria Cecelia Hospital in Cotignola, Italy.

Desert Foot 2016 Abstract Poster Winners

First place winners in the Abstract/Poster Competition were: Jaminelli Banks, DPM et al of the Carl T Hayden VAMC in Phoenix, AZ, for the study, An Automated Home Monitor for the Early Detection of Diabetic Foot Ulcers, and Daniel Packert, DPM et al of Barry University, Miami Shores, FL for the Non-Resident Category, for the study, Nitric Oxide, a Potential New Treatment Modality in Diabetic Wound Care.

Residency Category

• 1st Place $1500 Prize
  - Jaminelli Banks, DPM; Robert Frykberg, DPM, MPH; Edward Tierney, DPM; Jaclyn Marino, DPM; Arthur Tallis, DPM - Carl T Hayden VAMC, Phoenix, AZ
  - Follow this link to view the winning abstract: An Automated Home Monitor for the Early Detection of Diabetic Foot Ulcers


• 2nd Place $750 Prize
  - Cynthia Luu, DPM - Tuscon Medical Center; Jerome Steck, DPM - Southern Arizona Orthopedics
  - Follow this link to view the winning abstract: Wound Healing Complications in Diabetes After Total Ankle Arthroplasty


• 3rd Place $500 Prize
  – Tyler Wishau, DPM; Jesse Wolfe, DPM; Matt Van Natta, MPH; Allen Jacobs, DPM; Sundeep Das, MD; Robert Fischer, MD; H John Visser, DPM - SSM Health DePaul Hospital, St Louis, MO
  – The winning abstract: A Retrospective Study on Lower Extremity Amputation Levels Following Endovascular Reperfusion: An Institutional Review of Podiatric Management in the Limb Salvage Team

Non-Resident Category

• 1st Place $1500 Prize
  – Daniel Packert, Jeff Jensen, Chris Miller, Gerhild Packert - Barry University, Miami Shores, FL
  – Follow this link to view the winning abstract: Nitric Oxide, a Potential New Treatment Modality in Diabetic Wound Care


• 2nd Place $750 Prize
  – Payam Rafat, DPM, CPed; Sameer Khan, DPM, MPH; Dae Y Lee, DPM; Nidhi Nayyar, DPM; Poovasit Klinoubol, DPM - Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital, Mt Vernon, NY
  – The winning abstract: A Newly Available Customizable Multi-Density Insole for Offloading of Plantar Diabetic Foot Ulcerations: A Case Series


• 3rd Place $500 Prize
  – Charles Andersen, MD; Mario Ponticello, DPM; Nicole Byerley, DPM; Valerie Marmolejo, DPM - Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA
  – Follow this link to view the winning abstract: The Rooke® Boot: Providing Offloading Protection and Enhanced Skin Perfusion

Workshop Passport $500 Winners

• Wednesday's Winner – Elizabeth Sanders, DPM - Boston Medical Center - Boston, MA
• Thursday's Winner – Robert Brewer, DPM - VA Medical Center Hampton VA - Chesapeake, VA
• Friday's Winner – Rajnish Rammohan, DPM - Southern Arizona VA Health Care System - Tuscon, AZ
• Exhibitor Passport iPad Winner – Kara Brock - Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery - Des Moines, IA