Podiatry Today Shaping Podiatric Practice: 25 Years of Progress
In the 25 years since HMP Global has been shepherding Podiatry Today, the journal has published countless articles from leading podiatrists on lower extremity care, highlighting important advances in patient treatments and practice management. As the profession has evolved, so has Podiatry Today. As readers have moved from paper to laptops to phones, Podiatry Today has remained committed to serving the needs of the audience and expanded to explore videos, podcasts, specialty channels, and online conference coverage.
Why do podiatrists read Podiatry Today and what keeps them reading?
“I have more physicians who approach me saying they read my Podiatry Today articles,” says Tracey C. Vlahovic, DPM, FFPM, RCPS(Glasg). “It allows me to reach the practicing physician audience who may have never heard me speak or read a hard-to-access journal article I wrote. It has broadened my audience and allowed me to write practical articles with info a podiatrist can use.”
Readers trust Podiatry Today, says David G. Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD. “They know it speaks in a clinician’s voice—informed but never pretentious, forward-looking but grounded in daily practice,” he says. “It captures the spirit of shared problem-solving that keeps our field vibrant.”
In the spirit of HMP Global’s mission of healthcare made practical, Bob Baravarian, DPM, FACFAS says Podiatry Today offers “a way to understand a topic fully and in many cases in detail.” Windy Cole, DPM, CWSP, FFPM RCPS (Glasg), adds that the articles are grounded in real-world cases and evidence-based practices.
Podiatrists read “because it speaks our language, the articles are written by colleagues who are in the trenches, not just talking about theory but showing how to apply it,” says Patrick A. DeHeer, DPM, FACFAS, FASPS, FFPM, RCPS(Glasg). “There’s credibility in that, and readers know it.”
Dr. Cole praises the journal’s range of diverse content, from surgical innovations to practice management and patient education, saying this “appeals to both academic and private practice audiences.” She adds that readers stay engaged with emerging trends like regenerative medicine, smart wearables, and interdisciplinary care models.
What Podiatry Today Has Offered Readers in the Last 25 Years
Dr. Baravarian says clinicians are sharing current and cutting-edge technology and procedures in Podiatry Today, in some cases even before peer-reviewed journals. He notes this “allows the mind of surgeons to open to new possibilities.” The journal has featured a wealth of articles over the years on innovations in technologies and procedures, some of which thought leaders reflected on in this year’s exclusive “Steps of Progress” column.
In Charcot foot, William Fishco, DPM, FACFAS, said in a July 2025 article that trends in surgical intervention over the past 25 years have ranged from deformity correction with plates and screws, to external fixation, beaming screws, and even more conservative surgical intervention such as plantar planing and tendo-Achilles lengthening.1
In 2000, total ankle replacement (TAR) implants were not what they are today, an evolution this journal has tracked. In fact, in 2026, Podiatry Today is launching a Total Ankle Replacement Specialty Channel online with Jeffrey E. McAlister, DPM, FACFAS as a Section Editor.
Due to the evolution of these TAR systems over the last 25 years, and a likelihood of continued improvement, Dr. Fishco said in the future, he feels that ankle fusion indications will become more limited, such as for drop foot, severe neurological pathology, or as salvage procedures.1 As Brian Loder, DPM, CWS, FACFAS, said in the July article, he feels that the most significant development in TAR has been the introduction of patient-specific instrumentation, predicting even more advances in materials in the future.1
The greatest value of Podiatry Today, notes Dr. Armstrong, is its ability to connect clinicians across generations and subspecialties, which he says helps translate complex science and emerging technologies into practical strategies that improve patient care. “It has consistently served as both a mirror and a compass for our profession,” he says.
For Dr. Cole, Podiatry Today is a “clinical and educational cornerstone for the profession.” She adds that the journal offers cutting-edge insights into surgical techniques, wound care, biomechanics, and diabetic foot management. Dr. Cole says this is via contributions from experts “whose contributions have helped shape the narrative around podiatric advancement and interdisciplinary collaboration.”
In wound care, Podiatry Today documented the advent of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and cellular- and tissue-based products (CTPs) and has offered clinical pearls as these treatments gained in prominence.
John S. Steinberg, DPM, FACFAS, said in an April article that NPWT has become a standard of care in limb salvage and wound care.2 “It has really become the treatment of choice, particularly between staged procedures, and when we’re looking to fill large defects or cover sensitive exposed tissues. When I was in training in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, it was very much a cutting edge, exceptional item that we used mostly in research and challenging cases.”
Lee C. Rogers, DPM, recalled that 25 years ago, CTP usage was infrequent, primarily due to cost, coverage, and materials mostly supplied as frozen.2 Since then, he noted in the April article that he has seen CTPs develop into a mainstay for indicated wounds, serving as a bridge to the next step of treatment.
Podiatry Today has given access to information to practicing physicians, says Dr. Vlahovic. She says the up-to-date information within the journal is “practical and not just academic.”
“Podiatry Today has always provided a direct connection between what we read and what we do in the OR or clinic the next day,” says Dr. DeHeer. “It takes complex topics and delivers them in a practical, evidence-based, and immediately useful way to practicing podiatrists. That accessibility has been its greatest strength.”
Evolving With Professional and Technological Changes
Given that the profession looks strikingly different than it did in 2000, and the technology readers use has taken a leap forward, how has the journal kept up?
Dr. Cole says in the last 25 years, Podiatry Today has covered advancements like 3D printing for orthotics, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted diagnostics, and minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques.
As Dr. Loder noted in a July 2025 article, MIS options in foot and ankle surgery were indeed minimal back in 2000 but now “we are seeing a whole host of old techniques being revitalized by the MIS approach including in hallux valgus, first metatarsophalangeal joint arthritis, midfoot arthritis, tailor’s bunions, insertional Achilles tendonitis and Charcot reconstruction,” he notes.1 Podiatry Today has also noted the rise of 3D printing bones and hardware specific to a patient’s needs, which Jason Miller, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, called a “game changer for both foot and ankle surgeons and patients alike” in a March 2025 article.3
Dr. Cole also notes the journal has also documented the standardization of residency training and the push for broader medical competencies within podiatric education. In a January 2025 article, Javier La Fontaine, DPM, MS, MEd, said the standardization of residency training to 3 years has been one of the most impactful changes, saying this has “raised the bar to train very well-trained podiatrists to serve the community.”
Podiatry Today started as a print publication 25 years ago but as technology has evolved, the brand has become what Dr. Armstrong calls “a dynamic, multimedia platform that bridges education, technology, and clinical insight.
“It has remained nimble, embracing digital formats, social media, and webinars—yet retaining the editorial rigor and collegial tone that have defined it from the start,” says Dr. Armstrong.
The journal has “adapted to new technologies and new ways we share information, but it’s never lost its clinical focus,” adds Dr. DeHeer. As Dr. Vlahovic says, the journal has “had to pivot as the profession and the world pivots.”
Evolving in the Next 25 Years
“If the past quarter-century has been about connecting ideas, the next will be about connecting data,” notes Dr. Armstrong. In the next quarter-century, he sees Podiatry Today becoming “an even more interactive, living platform—curating evidence in real time, amplifying voices globally, and perhaps even helping guide precision care through digital ecosystems.”
Dr. Cole feels Podiatry Today can become the leading multimedia hub for podiatrists, one that integrates podcasts, video tutorials, and interactive case studies. She foresees “a global platform for collaboration, especially as podiatry expands internationally and embraces new technologies and personalized medicine.”
“I see Podiatry Today continuing to lead the conversation in digital and educational innovation, incorporating video, social media integration, and even AI-driven clinical discussions, while keeping the same mission: to make us all better at what we do for our patients,” says Dr. DeHeer.
References
1. Spector JJ. Foot and ankle surgery techniques: 25 years of innovation and evolution. Podiatry Today. 2025; 38(7):24-25
2. Spector JJ. Looking back at innovations in wound care. Podiatry Today. 2025; 38(4):25-26.
3. McCurdy B. A quarter century of surgical hardware advances. Podiatry Today. 2025; 38(3):24-25.
