Lawrence B. Harkless, DPM

Georgetown University Hospital Conference on the Team Approach to Diabetic Limb Salvage is pleased to present the 2008 Georgetown Distinguished Achievement Award in Diabetic Limb Salvage to Lawrence B. Harkless, DPM.

Dr. Harkless has been a mentor to many hundreds of podiatric residents and interns, a pioneer in integrating podiatric medicine into mainstream medicine, a dedicated diabetes educator and diabetic foot researcher, and now, at the peak of his career, has accepted the challenge of becoming the dean of a new college of podiatric medicine in Southern California.

“Legions of young residents and interns developed their skills under Dr. Harkless’ tutelage, but more than that, for many of us Dr. Harkless was instrumental in our developing a lifelong interest in medical education,” said John S. Steinberg, DPM, co-chairman of the Georgetown DLS conference. “In my own case, I owe much of my passion for education to Larry Harkless,” Dr. Steinberg said. Dr. Steinberg was a fellow at UTHSCSA during Dr. Harkless’ tenure and later served on the faculty there.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Harkless directed the podiatric residency program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he earned a national and international reputation as a leading expert on diabetes and the diabetic foot. He was a professor in the department of orthopaedics and the Louis T. Bogy professor of podiatric medicine and surgery. While at UTHSCSA, Dr. Harkless founded one of the first symposia on the diabetic foot, Diabetic Foot Update.

In 2007, Dr. Harkless accepted a new challenge as Dean of Western University of Health Sciences College of Podiatric Medicine. The new podiatry college, along with Western University’s colleges of dentistry and optometry, will first offer classes in 2009. As Dr. Harkless works to hire faculty and establish the school, his stated goal is to fully integrate podiatric medicine in an academic health science center, earning the respect and admiration of the other health disciplines, with an emphasis on diabetes, the disease that Dr. Harkless says will enable podiatry to continue to grow as a part of the larger medical system.

Dr. Harkless in 1987 established the Foot Care Council for the American Diabetes Association. He has served as a member of the ADA board of directors and has chaired the Texas Diabetes Council. Dr. Harkless was named the ADA’s Diabetic Educator of the Year in 2001. A recipient of the American Podiatric Medical Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Citation, he also served as secretary-treasurer of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Dr. Harkless is the author of textbooks on foot care, including Handbook of Common Foot Problems and Foot and Ankle Secrets. He also has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in professional journals. A graduate of the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco, Dr. Harkless completed his internship at UTHSCSA and his residency in podiatric surgery at Atlanta Hospital and Medical Center in Atlanta. Dr. Harkless and his wife of 27 years, Gerry, have two children, a son, Lawrence, Jr., an architect with Clark Construction in Maryland, and daughter Erin, who works for Goldman Sachs on Wall Street.

2007 Award Recipient: David G. Armstrong, DPM, PhD