In the first of what promises to be many forthcoming events, Modern Wound Care Management (MWCM) was held in La Jolla, CA at the beautiful Lodge at Torrey Pines. Covering more than just the basics in wound care, Modern Wound Care Management was attended by over 120 physicians, nurses, physical therapists and other allied health care professionals who wanted an intimate setting for intense hands-on learning and growth in a relaxed, faculty-friendly atmosphere. “I think the intimacy of the meeting allows for maximal education,” reflects Robert McLafferty, MD, Director of the new educational event. “Being able to work closely with national experts, industry and other regional caregivers provides for an education that is relevant to each practice.”
Three Full Days of Wounds
Beginning Monday, September 30th, attendees were welcomed to the meeting by Dr. McLafferty and then guest speaker, Daniel Bennett, 65-year old who has suffered over 12 years with diabetes, provided sober insight into his experience living with diabetes and ulcers. This led into “Why Modern Wound Care Management?” where Dr. McLafferty, along with faculty members Raghu Kolluri, MD, and Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD, provided data about the scope of wound care, as well as the roles of aging and obesity, in the US. Later that afternoon, Moderator William Marston, MD, led discussions covering lower extremity arterial wounds, while Moderator Raghu Kolluri, MD, discussed lower extremity venous wounds. Following that, a collection of concurrent hands-on workshops covered compression therapies, off-loading and total contact casting, and hyperbaric medicine treatments in diabetic foot ulcers.
Tuesday started off with If the shoe fits…DONATE IT!, MWCM’s 5k walk/run to raise money for the San Diego Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, with fundraising proceeds to buy diabetic shoes for locals in need. In addition, there were shoe donations from Crary Shoes, Osborne Medical and PW Minor. The remainder of the day included extensive sessions covering lower extremity diabetic wounds, skin substitutes, use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers, and challenging cases in wound care.
The final day of the meeting covered more than just the basics in “Business and Operations of Wound Care Management, with an expert panel sponsored by Healogics. Issues, ideas and best practices were shared in this give-andtake session which allowed opportunities to hear solutions to new problems, as well as help in dealing with the major pains that come from managing a growing wound care facility.
A Multidisciplinary Approach
One theme resonated throughout the conference – a multidisciplinary approach to wound care provides the best standard of care. An impressive group of physicians, comprised of multiple specialties, joined together to create Modern Wound Care Management in order to look at wound care from all angles and possibilities. In addition to venous specialists Robert McLafferty, MD, William Marston, MD, and Raghu Kolluri, MD, MWCM’s faculty members included:
Bradley Bailey, MD
National Medical Director at Healogics; Emergency
Medicine and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine;
Associate Medical Director at Palomar Health
Roger B. Schechter, MD
Medical Director at Palomar Health; Emergency
Medicine and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine
Desmond Bell, DPM
Co-Founder and Former Executive Director of The
Save a Leg, Save a Life Foundation and the Limb
Salvage Institute/Wound Care on Wheels; Podiatry
and Wound Management
Thomas Rooke, MD
Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic; Internal
Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease
Alexander Sasha Salloum, MD
Clinical Instructor of Vascular Surgery at UC
San Diego Healthcare; Vascular Surgery and
Endovascular Therapy, as well as Interventional
Radiology and Interventional Cardiology
Stephanie Wu, MD
Director, Center for Lower Extremity
Ambulatory Research (CLEAR); Podiatric Surgery,
Applied Biomechanics and Associate Dean
of Research, Dr. William M. Scholl College of
Podiatric Medicine
Enoch Huang, MD
Medical Director of the Wound Healing and
Hyperbaric Medicine Department at Adventist
Medical; Emergency Medicine and Undersea and
Hyperbaric Medicine
Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD
Tenured Professor, Vice Chairman and Stiefel
Laboratories Chair in Dermatology with the
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous
Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School
of Medicine; Dermatology
Before Wednesday’s final sessions ended, Dr. McLafferty and the staff from Well Assembled Meetings were proud to present the San Diego Chapter of the American Diabetes Association with over $2500 including in kind donations.
“There is a great need for this regionally,” says McLafferty. With plans for several more events located throughout the US – including Seattle, WA, May 16-18, 2014 and La Jolla, CA, November 7-9, 2014 – the opportunities to learn from and with one another are even greater.
