The Diabetic Foot – Surgeon to Microbiologist to Podiatrist

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StewartWalsh 383x460Professor Walsh is the Chair of Vascular Surgery at NUI Galway and a Consultant Vascular Surgeon at Galway University Hospital.  He was previously Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Limerick. He specialises in the management of arterial and venous disease.

He graduated from University College Dublin in 1997.  From 1997 until 2010, he trained in the United Kingdom.  From 2005 until 2010, he undertook vascular research and vascular surgical training at the internationally-renowned Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

 

Professor Walsh is speaking Friday March 24th @ 11.30am Hogan Suite

Clinical Interests – He has extensive experience in the management of varicose veins, thread veins and lower limb ulceration, with particular expertise in the use of minimally invasive ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy and minimally invasive venous surgery.

He gained considerable expertise in managing the vascular aspects of diabetic foot ulceration whilst in Cambridge.  He is now the vascular lead for Galway University Hospital’s multidisciplinary diabetic foot team, working closely with colleagues from diabetology, podiatry, infectious diseases and orthopaedics.

Professor Walsh provides rapid-access carotid endarterectomy for patients with symptomatic carotid disease, in addition to interventions for asymptomatic carotid stenoses.  He is trained in the management of patients with aneurysms of the thoracic and abdominal aorta. He has wide experience of managing patients with peripheral vascular disease and claudication, using both endovascular and surgical approaches.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he is actively involved in the promotion of healthcare through research. He is particularly interested in evaluating methods to reduce complications following vascular interventions, by means of randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews.  To date, he has co-authored over 140 scientific articles in leading journals together with two surgical textbooks. He is currently leading a major multicentre trial of a novel technique to reduce complications following vascular surgery, which involves six Irish hospitals and is funded by the Health Research Board (www.preconditioningsaves.com).  He is an Editor for the Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Disease Group

 

Dr Karen Burns graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2000. She works as a Consultant Clinical Microbiologist at the national centre for surveillance of infectious diseases, HSE-Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) and in Beaumont Hospital, where she leads the Hospital’s busy outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) programme, with a special interest in treatment of complicated diabetic foot infection.

She is a member of the HSE’s National Taskforce on healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the RCPI’s Clinical Advisory Group for HCAI & AMR. Research interests include:  surveillance and epidemiology of infection; antimicrobial stewardship; infections in critical care patient; carbapenem resistance in Enterobacteriaceae (CRE); Clostridium difficile infection; influenza and antimicrobial stewardship.

Dr Burns is speaking Friday March 24th @ 1.30am Davin Suite

Tina Clarke graduated from NUI Galway with a first class BSc (Hons) Podiatry in 2012. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree she  worked as a diabetes podiatrist in both acute (Mullingar and Galway) and primary care. Currently she has taken the role of senior diabetes podiatrist in Roscommon HSE CHO Area 2 where she is developing a new diabetes podiatry service and also runs her own private podiatry service.

Previously Tina worked as a RGN in cardiology at the Mater Misericordiae hospital,community RGN in Dublin where she developed Leg Ulcer clinics and practice nurse in Roscommon.

Tina has completed several post graduate studies which include a diploma in Tissue Viability and Wound Management from RCSI, a certificate in Clinical Primary Care NUI Galway, Vascular Disease Management Edgehill University, UK and recently trained as a Casely-Smith MLD therapist, managing lower limb lymphoedema.

She is a member of the Western Vascular Interest Group, dedicated to promoting and developing best practice in the management of vascular disease.

Tina is carrying out a foot risk assessment & HSE WEST Vascular Referral Pathways workshop Friday March 24th Davin Suite Following Dr Burns presentation.

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