NUI Galway Appoints Head of Podiatry as Students Accept Places on New Course

Monday, 1 September 2008

NUI Galway is pleased to announce that Dr Caroline McIntosh has been appointed as Head of Podiatry. Dr McIntosh will manage the School of Podiatry at the University, which offers the first undergraduate programme available in the State leading to a BSc (Hons) in Podiatry. Over 20 students have been accepted onto the popular new course and will qualify in four years as healthcare professionals specialising in the management of disease and disorders of the lower limb and foot. Dr McIntosh joins NUI Galway from the Division of Podiatry at the University of Huddersfield, UK, where she taught a range of subjects since 2003, including research methods, medicine, vascular assessment, diabetes and wound care. Prior to her tenure at the University of Huddersfield, Dr McIntosh worked with the NHS as a Senior Podiatrist with Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust in North Yorkshire. Speaking about her appointment, Dr McIntosh said, "With an ageing population, increasing diabetes and obesity, there is a growing demand for podiatrists in Ireland. Podiatry plays a critical role in managing patient health and quality of life. This is an extremely exciting position for me personally and for this area of the healthcare profession in Ireland." Throughout her career, Dr McIntosh has been involved in a number of research studies including two clinical trials investigating the effect of honey dressings on wound healing following toe-nail surgery. She has also contributed to a large multi-centre study investigating different treatments for verrucae. Her PhD, which she completed in 2007, focused on the need to build and disseminate evidence-based wound care. Dr McIntosh has published a number of papers in the field of tissue viability, particularly on the diabetic foot, and has presented at national and international conferences. She recently co-edited the text book 'Lower Extremity Wounds; A Problem-Based Approach'. Dr McIntosh is also a member of the Editorial advisory board for Wounds UK Journal. Plans are currently underway for a Podiatry Clinic which will be developed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) located in the Merlin Park campus of Galway Regional Hospitals but will primarily provide services to community based patients. The Clinic will work in partnership with the University's School of Podiatry to provide for the clinical education and training components of the programme. Dr McIntosh is originally from Cramlington in Northumberland, UK. For more information about NUI Galway's BSc (Hons) in Podiatry visit www.nuigalway.ie/podiatry
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