Diabetes & Renal Complications Workshop by Dr. Joanne Fawcett

Dr. Fawcett graduated as podiatrist from the London Foot Hospital and School of Podiatry in 1985 and has worked in the NHS and academia for last 37 years. She began her career working in the Northeast of England and quickly became interested in the management of the diabetic foot, having spent 17 years as a specialist practitioner in the field of diabetes and renal disease she then decided to move into academia.

Dr. Fawcett has continued her interest in diabetes and renal disease publishing book chapters on the subject and presenting at conferences across the UK and internationally. When she decided to study for her Professional Doctorate she chose to investigate if undergraduate education in podiatry was preparing students for management of the high-risk patient (especially those with diabetes) that now predominates in practice. This work led to the development of an innovative model for an approach to clinical education called S:MOT (simulation: moulage, olfaction, technology).

The model has simulated learning as its core philosophy, the rationale being that simulation-based education provides resemblance to real life conditions, a relatively risk-free environment, and an opportunity for guided learning. By adding moulage (specialist make techniques that represent skin lesions, injuries, ischaemia, and infection) and olfaction (smells added to scenarios that represent real life patient encounters, such as infected wounds and gangrene) to simulated learning scenarios then high fidelity can be achieved and students immerse themselves more readily enhancing their learning experience and preparing them for the complexities of practice. Dr. Fawcett and her colleague Professor Sarah Curran recently won a research grant to continue with this ground-breaking project.

Dr. Fawcett is currently the Academic Lead for Healthcare programmes at the university and provides leadership for the Podiatry, Speech and Language Therapy, Dietetics, and Dental Technology programmes.