About Us - New - Diabetes Feet Australia

We are the peak national clinical and research body for diabetes-related foot health and disease

Diabetes Feet Australia (DFA) was established in 2015 as a key initiative of the Wound Management Innovation CRC, with the goal of ending avoidable amputations within a generation in Australia. On the 1st July 2018, we joined the Australian Diabetes Society’s (ADS) as a division. And in December 2020, we took the important step of re-branding the organisation from Diabetic Foot Australia to Diabetes Feet Australia.

DFA is the peak national clinical and research body for diabetes-related foot health and disease. Led by a national steering committee, our committee is comprised of a broad range of clinical, research and industry experts from disciplines including endocrinology, vascular surgery, podiatry, nursing, epidemiology, infectious diseases, and clinical research. Members also bring a wealth of experience by being representatives on international, national and state diabetic foot groups, including the ‘International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot’ and former national diabetic foot ulcer group the ‘Australian Diabetic Foot Network’.

A/PROFESSOR BYRON PERRIN

DFA CHAIR

Byron is the Associate Dean- Academic Partnerships for the La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University and Chair of Diabetes Feet Australia. From a clinical foundation of managing a high-risk foot service in a major regional hospital, he continues to devote his research and advocacy activities to the prevention of lower limb amputation in people with diabetes. He has undertaken research investigating the scope of diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) in regional Australia, the psychological and behavioural aspects of DFD and more recently the use of technology to assist with the prevention of DFD. The aim of the future research of Dr. Perrin is to develop effective interventions to prevent DFD in at-risk people with diabetes. He is also supervises Master, Phd and Professional Doctorate students.

DR EMMA HAMILTON

DFA VICE CHAIR

Dr Emma Hamilton is an Endocrinologist at Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals, Clinical Senior Lecturer at UWA and Clinical Lead of the Multidisciplinary Diabetes Foot Unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital, an NADC accredited Centre of Excellence High Risk Foot Service. Emma completed her Endocrinology training in Western Australia before moving to Melbourne to complete a PhD “Control of Musculoskeletal Function and Body Composition by Androgens in Males” under the supervision of Professor Jeffrey Zajac and Dr Mathis Grossmann at the University of Melbourne, Austin Health. Since returning to WA, Emma continues to pursue her clinical and research interests in androgens, diabetes, osteoporosis and diabetes-related foot complications as well as a long term research collaboration with Professor Tim Davis and the Fremantle Diabetes Study team. Aligning her research priorities with her clinical work, Emma was awarded a Raine Clinician Research Fellowship to further her research in diabetes-related foot disease, with the aim of improving outcomes for people living with diabetes and foot complications. Emma serves on a number of national diabetes-related foot disease projects and committees including the NADC Diabetic Foot Network working party, NADC interdisciplinary High Risk Foot Service accreditation committee, the Foot Forward Executive Advisory team, the DFA Australian Research Priorities project, DFA Australian guidelines Wound Classification group and is also a member of the IWGDF Wound Classification guideline group.

PROFESSOR JON GOLLEDGE

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Jonathan is Professor of Vascular Surgery at The Townsville University Hospital and James Cook University. He works as a vascular surgeon at the hospital and senior academic at the university. In his clinical position, he has noted the substantial increase in the burden of foot disease during his tenure at a regional vascular center. He directs a collaborative research group, named the Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, that focuses on improving understanding and management of vascular diseases, including diabetes-associated foot disease. The research has contributed to over 400 publications including laboratory and clinical research. He currently holds an NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship.

PROFESSOR VIVIENNE CHUTER

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Dr Vivienne Chuter is a Professor at Western Sydney University. She leads a clinically based research program focusing on prevention and management of diabetes-related foot disease for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and for non-Indigenous Australians. Developed as a living lab model encompassing clinical, research and education elements, Vivienne’s research focuses on macro and microvascular complications of diabetes, including improving diagnosis of peripheral artery disease through more targeted clinical testing, as well as reducing risk of foot complications through conservative therapy and physical activity interventions.

Committed to improving health and well-being for First Nations Australians, Vivienne provides academic leadership and clinical service provision to co-designed, community-led diabetes-related foot complications prevention and management services and research. This includes research relating to development and implementation of culturally safe care provision and strategies to develop cultural capability in new graduate practitioners.

PROFESSOR STEPHEN TWIGG

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Professor Stephen M. Twigg, MBBS(Hons-I), PhD, FRACP, is a physician-scientist translational researcher, Kellion Professor of Endocrinology and Stan Clark Chair in Diabetes, in the Sydney Medical School, and Charles Perkins Centre, the University of Sydney; plus Head of Dept of Endocrinology and Medical Head of the Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Laboratories, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sydney.

Stephen also continues as medical Chair of the NSW DoH Agency for Clinical Innovation in Diabetes/Endocrinology (2011+), and as inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the educational journal, Endocrinology Today, plus an editorial Board member on the scientific Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling, and the Journal of Diabetes and its Complications. He is member of 4 national Pharma advisory boards in diabetes. Internationally, he has served on JDRFI Diabetes Research Complications Grant Panel in NY 2003-2010, and is 1 of 6 Australian Delegates to the International Diabetes Federation General Assembly (2011-present).

PROFESSOR ANTHONY RUSSELL

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Professor Anthony Russell(MBBS PhD FRACP) has been Director of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Alfred Health, Melbourne and Professor of Medicine with the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University since Jan 2022. Prof Russell was previously the Director of Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane from 2005 to 2021. In Queensland, Prof Russell completed a 4 year term as Co-Chair of the Qld Statewide Diabetes Clinical Network and in this role provided advice and implemented strategies to assist in the management of patients with diabetes. Professor Russell has lead innovative projects to provide new models of care for people with diabetes. He has implemented the “Beacon” practice model, providing integrated care for patients with complex Type 2 diabetes in the community with up-skilled GPs and performed a proof-of-concept of eConsultations. He has initiated a Telehealth service, delivering diabetes services to rural and remote indigenous and non-indigenous communities across Qld.

Prof Russell has been on the advisory group for the “IDEAS” project which increased rates of retinal screening and treatment of retinopathy in indigenous people with diabetes across Qld. Professor Russell has been a Chief Investigator on two NHMRC research projects and more recently CIB on a MRFF grant. He has been Chair of the Diabetes Australia Research Trust grant review panel and previously a Sub-editor (Endocrinology) for the Internal Medicine Journal. Prof Russell was on the expert advisory group for the NHMRC guidelines on the Management of Type 1 diabetes and a member of the Expert Group for Therapeutic Guidelines.

HAYLEY RYAN

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Hayley has almost 20 years experience in nursing and has worked in wound care over this time. Hayley has a passion for healing wounds as a Clinical Nurse Consultant across Australia and New Zealand in private practice with her own company WoundRescue.

Hayley has a wide range of postgraduate experience in wound management, while also completing a Master of Business Admin (MBA). Hayley is currently completing her PhD.

Hayley has presented at national and international conferences and has a proven track record of providing advanced wound care and aged care education. Hayley also lectures at Universities and has been appointed as an adjunct fellow at the University of technology Sydney.

Hayley is also chair of the board for Wounds Australia.

DR LAURENS MANNING

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Laurens Manning (BSc, MBChB, DTM&H (London), FRACP, PhD) is an infectious disease physician and clinical researcher at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH), University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute. An active ‘foot’ physician, he has developed the MDFU in-patient and outpatient services at FSH. He has a diverse research portfolio that includes design and implementation of clinical trials in diabetic foot infections, penicillin reformulation for rheumatic heart disease, peri-prosthetic joint infections and epidemiological studies of lower leg cellulitis in Australia. Elsewhere he leads clinical trials, observational and pharmacological studies in young PNG children with malaria and severe infections. In addition to a strong track record in research activities, he has extensive links with global health community, in particular as a researcher, teacher, external examiner and clinician in PNG. His role as an opinion leader is evidenced by his role in formulating national guidelines, drawing directly on his own research as in the case of writing the PNG Standard Adult Treatment Guidelines and in distilling and interpreting the literature for Therapeutic Guidelines Expert Writing Groups (Antibiotics/Dermatology). He has been appointed to the ASID Clinical Research Network steering group to facilitate collaborative studies in infectious diseases across Australia and New Zealand and the TGA advisory committee for biologicals which is creating the regulatory framework for faecal transplantation.

He has published a total of 90 papers in the past 10 years and 8 book chapters, supervises 4 PhD students and been the recipient of >$5M in tier 1 grants in the last 5 years including an MRFF Emerging Leadership Fellowship (2021-25).

NATALIE WISCHER

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Natalie Wischer is the Chief Executive Officer for the National Association of Diabetes Centre (NADC). She has been working in the area of diabetes for over 20 years. She has also worked extensively in both management and clinical roles across acute, aged care and community health settings. She is involved in a number of journals and publications, sharing her in-depth knowledge through regular articles. Natalie is also regularly invited to speak on diabetes and technology at national and international meetings.

DR JOEL LASSCHUIT

DFA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Dr Joel Lasschuit (BMedSc, MBBS Hons, FRACP, PhD) is an Endocrinologist and clinical researcher who is determined to improve outcomes for people with diabetes-related foot complications. He is a Staff Specialist in the Department of Endocrinology at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney where he co-leads the High Risk Foot Service (HRFS), accredited by the National Association of Diabetes Centres (NADC) as a Centre of Excellence.

Joel undertook his PhD at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and University of New South Wales, where he now holds appointments as a Visiting Scientist and Conjoint Senior Lecturer, respectively. He coordinated Australia’s first randomised controlled trial for people with active Charcot foot, investigating use of a novel therapeutic across nine public teaching hospitals. He has presented his research at national and international meetings.

As the ADS/NADC HRFS Database Manager he is overseeing implementation of a standardised national registry, attracting interest from over fifty services. He is also involved in NADC HRFS Accreditation. On invitation from Diabetes Feet Australia
he co-authored the Australian guidelines on prevention of foot ulceration and is a member of the diabetes-related foot disease National Strategy Working Group.

Joel co-founded and convenes the Sydney Diabetic Foot Interest Group (SyD FIG), which brings together clinicians from a breadth of institutions and disciplines nationally to discuss complex cases.

TASH PURCELL

DFA OPERATIONS MANAGER

Tash Purcell has been the DFA Operations Manager since 2018. With 15+ years experience managing small to large scale projects across health, government, e-commerce and not-for profit sectors, her focus is on driving the DFA strategic direction, project and systems management, developing partnerships and achieving deliverables to help DFA achieve the important goal of ending avoidable amputations within a generation.

A/PROF SOF ANDRIKOPOULOS

AUSTRALIAN DIABETES SOCIETY (ADS)

A/Professor Sof Andrikopoulos is currently the CEO of the Australian Diabetes Society and has previously served as President, Treasurer and Chair of the Program Organising Committee of the Society. During this time the ADS has revitalised the National Association of Diabetes Centres, acquired Diabetes Feet Australia, developed the Living Evidence Guidelines in Diabetes as well as a number of position and consensus statement, educational webinars and live panel discussions that are provided on a dedicated platform. In collaboration with Diabetes Australia and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association the ADS has advocated for the CGM subsidy, Diabetes and Schools Program and is responsible for the Foot Forward Program. Prior to this Dr Andrikopoulos was the Head of the Islet Biology and Metabolism Research Group at the University of Melbourne Department of Medicine (Austin Health), which conducted discovery research in the genetic and biochemical mechanisms of islet beta cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. Dr Andrikopoulos was awarded a NHMRC Award for Research Excellence and a Diabetes Australia Research Trust Millennium Award. Dr Andrikopoulos has published more than 140 research articles in the etiology and management of type 2 diabetes.'

Diabetes Feet Australia is a division of the Australian Diabetes Society (ADS)

Our primary objectives

OPTIMISE

national diabetes-related foot disease evidence-based clinical practice

STIMULATE

national diabetes-related foot disease research

REDUCE

Australia's diabetes-related amputation rate

EMPOWER

Australia to become a leading nation in diabetes-related foot disease management