About Us

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Established over 35 years ago, the University of Johannesburg Podiatry department (formerly Technikon Witwatersrand) remains the only institution in Africa to offer a degree in Podiatry. The department of Podiatry is located within the Faculty of Health Sciences, which boast state of the art training facilities which includes the Simulation labs and Anatomy complex.

As a department we aim to produce creative, innovative and skilled podiatric practitioners with a communicative, holistic and caring attitude towards patients.

Our students are exposed to an academically stimulating and hands on clinical education/ throughout their years of study. Students get the opportunity to treat patients at our onsite Podiatry clinic which includes the following clinics;

  • specialist children’s clinics from 0-16 years
  • sports injuries
  • nail surgery
  • level laser treatment for verrucae and soft tissue injury
  • general clinic for nail and skin pathologies
  • treatment and monitoring of diabetic foot ulcers and at risk patients
  • bespoke insoles and orthotics manufactured and fitted (CAD- Cam designed orthotics will available from June 2016)

To expose students to wider health settings within South Africa our students attend clinics at hospitals such as Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic, Helen Joseph and Rahema Moosa Mother and Child hospitals. Community clinics are run at Alexander and Riverlea clinic to ensure that podiatric services are accessed by the larger population. In these settings students provide podiatric care under the supervision of qualified podiatrists.

Teaching and clinical practice within the department is benchmarked against national and international evidence based standards. Our students have access to the state of the art simulation centre, gait laboratory (equipped with the Zebris system pressure plate and treadmill system, SLS 3D Scanner) as well as an orthotic laboratory and a small surgical theatre.

Lectures and supervising clinicians within the department are involved in a wide range of clinical practice with the public and private sectors of health care in South Africa. Our academics are actively involved in the profession as members of the professional association (Podiatry Association of South Africa) and some have been elected to serve on the regulatory board (Health Profession Council of South Africa).