DFA launches Inaugural "What's New in DFU" Event

Diabetes Feet Australia’s acclaimed inaugural event brought together national and international leaders in diabetic foot disease

“What’s News in DFU”, held on April 19th 2016, was a sell-out event at QUT‘s Room 360 in Brisbane. Delegates included allied health professionals, medical specialists and researchers, all excited to hear the latest from a number of DFA’s vast network of experts. With thanks to Acelity Australia, guests enjoyed canapés and drinks with a stunning view of the city skyline. The opportunity to network with international and national speakers was very well received. Feedback has been overwhelming, with resounding support for an engaging evening of high quality, informative presentations. Our Industry partners, who supported the event, were pleased to engage with new customers and contacts at their trade displays and enjoyed the selection of quality speakers.

Program overview:

Mr Peter Lazzarini, Co-Chair of DFA, was the Master of Ceremonies and provided an introduction to Diabetes Feet Australia and our vision of ending avoidable amputation in a generation.

The first international speaker introduced was Dr. Jaap van Netten. He presented “what’s new” insights on the new IWGDF Guidance (http://iwgdf.org/guidelines/), from both a clinical and a research perspective. As scientific director of DFA, he discussed their new work on research translation and the minimum dataset. Finally, he took the audience along in the technological advancements that are being made in automated telemedicine and the development of smart materials for prevention and treatment of foot ulcers.

Mr Jason Warnock followed with the launch of the Queensland Health High Risk Foot LINK Partnership. This exciting new project includes setting up partnerships between public and private practice podiatrists, advancement of high-risk foot clinical skill development and an improved emphasis on the patient journey in North Brisbane.

Mr Matt Malone discussed the clinical significance and treatment of biofilms in diabetic foot ulceration. Dr Pat Aldons presented a case study of a remote Queenslander with a critically infected foot planned for amputation. Instead, persistent clinical intervention resulted in successful closure in 10 months.

Our second international speaker was Prof Keith Harding. He discussed new developments in the management of diabetic foot disease, including new insights on the economic and social burden, the improvements that can be made following setting up the Welsh Wound Innovation Centre. Prof Harding concluded with critical reflections on the current knowledge of treatment of foot infections and wound healing interventions.

To finish the night, Ms Sara Ford presented a counter intuitive model on wound healing and hyper hydration, diving deeper into the relation between wound exudate and the healing process.

Please view our gallery above to see some of the evening’s action.

Due to high demand, DFA is planning to repeat this event in capital cities around the nation. We have plans to extend this to support our rural and remote partners in the near future.  We look forward to sharing with you the next events – watch this space!

With thanks to our event sponsors: