Diplomas
1980: Teacher in Gymnastics and Sports (Tienen Belgium)
1998: Bachelor in Podiatry (University Ghent Belgium)
2002: Master in Science in Podiatry (University Brighton UK)

Professional Fields

• Managing Director and Founder BORGinsole
• Inventor Patent; Functional; Insole” BORGions Paul
• Biomechanical specialist for elite sports people: KRC Genk, (First Belgian Football team),Volleyball, Basketball, Cyclists
• Manager Podiatry Practices, Rotselaar and Genk
• Quality controller for the EUROSHOE group Benelux
• Researcher and developer of podiatry tools, software and hardware (3D; imprint and scan systems, biomechanical measurement devices, Video analyse software, scan software, 3D insole software, podiatry ERP system, robotization in podiatry.
  

Paul’s basic education was in line with his ultimate professional career. With a degree in Physical Education and Sports, right from the start he was interested in walking and running patterns and linking these to dysfunctionality of the locomotor system. This led him to study Biomechanics: first as an autodidact in America, then in Belgium via the then-newly created study of Podiatry, in order to ultimately - on the other side of the Channel, in Brighton - earn the degree of Master of Science in Podiatry.

His professional obsession led to the development of the podiatric functional foot orthotics that today are the BORGinsole insoles. His desire to share this sublime system with colleagues who do biomechanics in the same passionate way constitutes BORGinsole reason for being.

Louis J. DeCaro. DPM is a Podiatric Physician who specializes in pediatrics with a special interest in sports medicine and biomechanics for both adults and pediatrics.  Dr. DeCaro is President and fellow of the American College of Foot & Ankle Pediatrics (ACFAP). Dr. DeCaro is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry. He also shares a patent on foot types.

He is in private practice in West Hatfield and a member of the surgical & medical staff at Franklin Medical Center as well as Holyoke Medical Center. In 2017 Podiatry Management Magazine named Dr. DeCaro one of the most influential podiatrists in the country. During 2018 he has been granted the prestigious honor of becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow.

Dr. DeCaro is the Director and originator of the Adult & Pediatric Gait Labs Biomechanics Clinic, which takes place biweekly at his West Hatfield office. It is a multidisciplinary clinic, which evaluates the most challenging of biomechanics patients, and helps to find them answers through orthoses and therapy.
Dr. DeCaro is an international lecturer on the topics of podopediatrics and biomechanics. Please visit decaropodiatry.com or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information and/or questions.

Prof Cynthia Formosa PhD, MSc (Brighton) FFPM RCPS (Glasg.)

Cynthia Formosa qualified as a State Registered Podiatrist from the Department of Health, Malta in February 1989. She worked as a Senior Podiatrist with this department from 1989 to 1994. She then left the Health Department to set up a private practice in Podiatry until 2009. Cynthia Formosa is currently working on full-time basis with the University of Malta as the Head of Podiatry Department inside the Faculty of Health Sciences. A post which she has occupied for the past ten years.

Cynthia Formosa was awarded the Masters of Science in Podiatry in April 2003 from the University of Brighton, United Kingdom with research entitled ‘The Relationship between the level of diabetes-related knowledge and the incidence of peripheral neuropathy in patients suffering from chronic type-2 diabetes mellitus in Malta’. She was later awarded the PhD in Podiatry in October 2009 from the same university. Her research was entitled 'Culture and the management of Diabetes in Malta'.

She was also President of the Association of Podiatrists, Malta for two years and is currently helping the Association with all the educational activities it organises. She was also appointed as a Visiting Fellow on the 1st September 2011 at the Centre for Sport, Health and Exercise Research, Faculty of Health, Staffordshire University.

She is also External examiner for two universities one in the UK and another in Ireland She is also Fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine at the Royal College of Physcians and Surgeons, Glasgow.

She is currently a member of the International Federation of Podiatrists and a member of the Clinical Biomechanics and Human Performance Research Team at the Faculty of Health, Staffordshire University. She is also a founder member of the Diabetes Foot Research Group, University of Malta. 
Dr Cynthia Formosa completed her first Post-Doctoral research focusing on the Prevalence Rate of Diabetes Foot Risk Factors and Complications in the Maltese Diabetic Complications. She is currently working on another research focusing on National Diabetes Foot Screening Guidelines.

Cynthia has published over 60 papers in both local and and peer-reviewed international journals. She has also contributed in a number of book chapters.  She has presented over 100 presentations in leading Podiatry and Diabeters Congresses and Conferences. She is also a peer-reviewer and editorial board member of a number of local and international journals.

Her areas of interest include the diabetic foot, diabetes foot screening, screening guidelines and mixed methods and qualitative research. She has also carried out a three-year MCST funded project and was the local lead for an Erasmus+ KA02 ‘Strategic Partnerships in the field of education, training and youth’. Project title: PODIATRAIN - Open online course in new technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of foot pathologies. €273,000 Project number - 2016-1-ES01-KA203-024997

Dr. James E. Fullwood, Jr., DPM, FACFAOM - Is a 2004 graduate of Johnson C. Smith University. He completed his medical graduate studies at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, Illinois, and completed a three-year foot and ankle surgical residency with a major focus in foot and ankle reconstruction and diabetic limb salvage at Mercy Hospital (Allina Health Systems) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Fullwood is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine. He is a member and national delegate to the American Podiatric Medical Association. Dr. Fullwood is the immediate former Chief the Medical Staff at Sebasticook Valley Health. He is a Sebasticook Valley Health board of trustee member and President of the Maine Podiatric Medical Association and President and cofounder of the International Limb Salvage Foundation (intlimbsf.com). Dr. Fullwood is a graduate of the Daniel Hanley Physician Executive Leadership Institute, which is a comprehensive 1 year leadership development program run by faculty from Hanley and Harvard Business School. Lastly, Dr. Fullwood serves as an advisor to the Northern Light Health Medical Group which manages the fiduciary and day to day operations of nine hospitals and a 900+ provider practice in the state of Maine.

Dr. Fullwood enjoys teaching students and residents and currently is an associate clinical professor of surgery and biomechanics at Western University of Health Sciences. We welcome traditional and non traditional students to his practice to learn podiatry and health care managment. He is both a national and international speaker concerning Podiatry and health policy. He currently is working with International Limb Salvage Foundation to get podiatry recognized in Nigeria and work with other grass roots organzations concerning teaching and awarness concerning the diabetic foot and amputation prevention. Dr. Fullwood is married to his lovely wife Charena Fullwood also a graduate of Johnson C Smith University. They have four children and reside in Bangor Maine. In 2015 James and Charena founded the Fullwood Foundation that provides scholarships to students who are transitioning from high school to college studies.

Matthew G. Garoufalis, DPM

Dr. Nicholas is a graduate of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. She ran multiple successful medical practices on the North Shore of Long Island, New York for the past 20 years. She was the first minority president and the only 2ndwoman President of the New York State Podiatric Medical Association and made advancements to population health agenda. She has received the most prestige awards and recognition from colleagues to patients, although her most profound achievement is coming to Haiti to aide after a devastating earthquake affected the function and quality of life in 2010. It was then Dr. Nicholas founded Kindest Hearts Foundation. She built a school for over 200 students that also offers a medical facility. It is ranked #2 in the school district for best education.

Andrew M Belis, DPM is a double board certified foot and reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgeon who treats all types of foot and ankle conditions in both the adult and pediatric population.

He is a pioneer in his field and has helped developed multiple medical devices and procedures.  He specializes in sports and work injuries, adult and pediatric reconstructive procedures, and elective forefoot procedures.  He is qualified in wound care and has extensive experience with skin grafts and tissue flaps. 

He has a special interest in arthroscopic ankle procedures, ligament repair, Achilles tendon problems, and hammertoe/bunion correction. He is a national educator and lectures around the country to both Podiatric and Orthopedic Surgeons teaching cutting edge surgical techniques.

Dr. Belis received a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University after growing up in Long Island, NY.  He attended Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia where he earned a Doctorate of Podiatric Medicine.  After completing a comprehensive residency at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, he received additional extensive surgical training at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Maryland. 

Dr. Belis is very involved in his profession and is Past President of the Florida Podiatric Medical Association, Past Chairmen of the Board for the American Society of Podiatric Surgeons, and is a national lecturer.  His interest in education has extended into founding and Directing the Foot and Ankle Surgical Fellowship at the Orthopedic Center of Florida in Fort Myers, FL. 

Dr. Andrew Belis enjoys travelling with his lovely wife and 3 children.  He is active with boating, golfing and tennis.

Graduate Podiatrist Since 1989 - State Diploma; PhD of Paul Sabatier University, laboratory of physiology in 2006, Master's degree in Cognition from the University of Poitiers. Teacher in clinical posturology - Inter university diploma since 2002. He joined the Movement, Balance, Performance and Health Laboratory (EA 4445), of the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour, Department of Sports Sciences, Tarbes, France as an Associate Researcher in 2018. He is involved in university teaching on multisensory integration, clinical evaluation in learning disorders and the effect of stimulation on the Balance Function at the universities of Dijon, Toulouse in France and Bologna in Italy

Prof. Lázaro-Martínez is Full Time Professor at the University of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). He got his PhD degree at the same university doing his doctoral thesis on biomechanics of the diabetic foot. He is an expert in Podiatric Surgery certified by a Fellowship Board of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. He holds a Master of Science Degree on Health’s Research (MSc) by UCM. He is the Head of the Diabetic Foot Unit at UCM. He is Director of both Research Groups in diabetic foot at UCM and at the Institute of Health Investigation of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos at Madrid. He was the Coordinator of the Diabetic Foot Working Group of the Spanish Diabetes Society. He is the Scientific Secretary of the Diabetic Foot Study Group (DFSG) belonging to the European Association of the Study of Diabetes. He is President-elect of Diabetic Foot International. He is a member of the Editorial Committee of the Journal Diabetic Foot and Ankle. He has numerous publications in international journals indexed in the journal citation report (JCR- more than 70). He has conducted 16 doctoral theses in the field of diabetic foot at the Complutense University of Madrid. He is the organizer and director of the annual course of diabetic foot that is celebrated at UCM with more than 19 editions. He has been vice president of the I, II and IV national congress of diabetic foot and president of the III national congress of diabetic foot. He has participated in more than 300 conferences at the national and international level, in countries such as USA, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Portugal, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Poland, Dubai, Iran, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon, India, Qatar, France, Colombia, Chile, Turkey and Romania.

Margaretha Astrid van Putte, MD, n is a aenior teacher/lecturer at Fontys University of Applied Sciences; School for Podiatry

• Trained as a medical doctor (MD) in Maastricht (The Netherlands) from 1979 – 1984
• Assigned as head of the School for Podiatry in 1984, promoted to Associate lector in 2006  till 2011 and working now as senior teacher/lecturer
• Educator and publisher in the field of the diabetic foot since 1990
• Organised and taught courses in Diabetic foot care, prevention and treatment of diabetic foot problems in many countries: Belgium – France – UK – Iceland – Sweden – Norway – Finland – Danmark – USA – Switserland – Tjech Republic – Aruba - Suriname
• 1997 – now    Volunteer in organising better footcare for diabetic patients in Kosovo, Aruba and Suriname. Decorated by FIP with the voluntary award in 2010         
• 2007 – 2010    President of the Organising Committee of the XXth World Congress of the International Federation of Podiatrists (13-15 May 2010 Amsterdam)
• 2002 – now    Member organising committee Symposium on the Diabetic Foot 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015
• 2005 – now    Advising member of the Foundation Langerhans: www.diabetes2.nl
• 1995 - now     Member and teacher medical committee Dutch Basketball Association
• 2003 - now     Boardmember basketballclub Almonte , Eindhoven, The Netherlands
• 2009 – 2015    Boardmember of the Dutch Association for Podiatrists (NVvP) assigned with international affairs, delegated to the FIP AGM, scientific research and life long learning.
• 2010 – 2015    Member of the professional Board for Medical Pedicures in The Netherlands (ProVoet)

Publications:

• Frequently in PodoSophia, Dutch magazine for podiatry and Podopost, Dutch magazine for pedicures
• Several publications in magazines for nurses, doctors en specialists in The Netherlands:
  EADV-magazine, WCS nieuws; Nursing, Huisarts en Wetenschap, Medisch Contact, Modern Medicine, The Foot, Podiatry Now, DiabeteSpecialist
• MA de Heus – van Putten, NC Schaper, K Bakker
  The clinical examination of the diabetic foot in daily practise
  Diabetic Medicine 1996; vol.13: S55-S57
• MA van Putten, NC Schaper
  The performance of two new tests to predict an ulcer in daily practise
  Proceedings Symposium on the Diabetic Foot 2003
• MA van Putten, NC Schaper
  The preventive value of Podiatry for the Diabetic Foot at risk for ulceration
  Proceedings Symposium on the Diabetic Foot 2003
• Time to Act – Diabetes and Foot Care
  Author Chapter Podiatry Worldwide
  IDF 2010,  ISBN2-930229-40-3
• Published three books in Dutch:
  Diabetes and Feet (1999 – 2nd edition 2001 – 3rd edition 2008)
  Reumatoid Diseases and Feet (2002 – 2nd edition 2009)
  Diabetic feet and the risk qualification (2012)

Dr. Tracey Vlahovic is a Clinical Professor and J. Stanley and Pearl Landau Faculty Fellow at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (TUSPM) in Philadelphia, PA.  She is also a member of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow). 

Dr Vlahovic graduated from Yale University with a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and received her medical degree from TUSPM.  After finishing her surgical residency at St Luke’s University Health Network in Allentown, PA, she was the first podiatrist in the US to complete a fellowship in podiatric dermatology under the supervision of Stephen Schleicher, MD. 

She is board certified in foot surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and in podiatric medicine by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Vlahovic currently teaches the Fundamentals of Dermatology course at TUSPM and has received numerous teaching awards. She has authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals and is involved in multiple clinical research trials for various dermatological therapies and devices.

She is the author of Skin Disease of the Lower Extremities:  A Photographic Guide (HMP Communications) and Onychomycosis:  An Illustrated Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment along with Antonella Tosti and Roberto Arenas (Springer).