If you are looking to learn from a group of dynamic, caring, professional clinicians and researchers, at a world-renowned facility, then you have found the right place to apply. Our Podiatry team is passionate about helping their patients in the area of Limb Preservation, Wound Care, and Diabetes Related Lower Extremity Complications. Our fellowship program is housed in an off-campus, high-volume clinic, where we offer and guide our fellows in both clinical practice and research projects.

I graduated from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 2002, completed my residency at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and joined the University of Michigan in 2006. I was honored with being named President of the Michigan Podiatric Medical Association (MPMA) and served from 2016 - 2018. In 2019, I received the Jeffrey Fredrick, DPM President's Award from the MPMA. I am also chairwoman of the Health Care Disparities subcommittee for the American Podiatric Medical Association. In addition, I am board certified with the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and a Certified Wound Specialist with the American Board of Wound Management.

Over the years, I have committed myself to building a highly professional team of doctors here at Michigan Medicine. We are all passionate about our patients, and more importantly, willing to share and guide our fellows. I have experience in all aspects of podiatric medicine with a special interest in the management of the diabetic foot and wound care. I have a family connection to my passion which is what drives me to want to save as many limbs as I can from the complications of diabetes and knew when I entered medical school that I wanted to specialize in this area.

Should we get the pleasure of meeting, I look forward to getting to know you and collaborating as professionals. I am certain you will not be sorry that you have considered our program and taken the time to apply.

Meet Dr. Crystal Holmes, Podiatry Program Director, and hear why you should consider applying to the Michigan Medicine Podiatry Fellowship Training Program

Best Regards,

Crystal Murray Holmes, DPM, CWSP
Director, Podiatry Clinic
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes

We recognize that fellowships are not required to practice podiatry. Considering fellowship training should add something unique and different from residency training and prepare you in a specialized way for your future career. At Michigan Medicine, there is certainly that opportunity and we are proud of the accomplishments and the growth the program has seen since it’s inception in 2015. Our podiatric and non-podiatric faculty are committed educators who strive to support our fellows’ success in terms of clinical practice, academic pursuit of teaching, and evidence-based research focused on limb preservation and complication prevention among people living with diabetes. Our fellows have the opportunity to design and execute their own research as well as collaborate on local or nationally funded faculty grants and research projects. Spending two years on our thriving campus is an investment in yourself establishing the foundation to become a prominent leader and strong contributor to our profession.

My personal journey with podiatry began at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 1993. In my first semester, I attended an evening lecture where a guest speaker, Larry Harkless, DPM, spoke about diabetes-related foot complications and shared information about the benefits of training at a major teaching hospital. My first externship as a third year podiatry student was at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio where I spent a month with Dr. Harkless and other faculty leaders in the diabetic foot space. I was fortunate to have been selected and spend three years at UT as a resident and experience mentorship and skilled training in medical and surgical management of lower extremity complications among diverse patient populations. It is from my own training that I found the passion and skills that I bring to the clinic every day to be the best clinician, teacher, and mentor that I can be for our patients and trainees. My colleagues here at Michigan Medicine are very like-minded and share similar experience and philosophy.

After four years of private practice and over ten years in the VA system, I was thrilled to join the Michigan Medicine Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes in 2015. My personal research interests include technology and lower extremity complication prevention as well as the intersection of mental illness and foot-related complications. I enjoy serving our profession and community through committee work with JDRF, ADA, CPME, and ABPM. Having built a strong web of colleagues and research collaborators, my career has been extremely fruitful and rewarding. I am most proud of the significant work and contributions that many of my mentees have made to our profession over the years.

The building blocks are in place at the Michigan Medicine Podiatry Fellowship Program and we appreciate your interest in the program. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team with any questions.

Sincerely,

Gary M. Rothenberg, DPM, CDCES, CWS
Director, Podiatry Research Fellowship Training Program
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes

I feel fortunate to be joining the Podiatry Fellowship leadership team and to work alongside Dr. Rothenberg as the associate program director. As the first graduate of the program myself, I understand first hand what is involved with both being a fellow and teaching the fellows. I knew from the moment I met the podiatry team here at Michigan Medicine in 2016 that this was a place where everyone is dedicated to teaching and learning. We are fortunate to be able to provide our fellows with an interdisciplinary clinical and research experience, which is particularly essential when providing care to complex patients. At our institution, we believe that the combination of clinical practice and scholarly research is essential for advancing the field of podiatry and improving patient outcomes.

I attended the University of Michigan for my undergraduate education from 2004 to 2008 and was quite familiar with the Ann Arbor area prior to returning for my fellowship here. I graduated from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine in 2012. Upon graduation, I entered my 3-year PMSR residency program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, where I was the chief resident in the final year. My foundation for diabetic limb salvage began in podiatry school and residency, but it was my fellowship that solidified my passion and helped expand my knowledge base and experience. I was extremely fortunate after completing the Michigan Medicine Limb Preservation, Wound Care, and Diabetic Lower Extremity Complications fellowship program that I was offered a position as faculty. My current personal research interests include diabetic foot complications, post amputation outcomes, and patient education, and I also enjoy my committee work with ABPM and CPME.

The ultimate goal of our fellowship is engaging in research and contributing to the broader body of knowledge in this space. Our fellows are able to influence the development of new treatment protocols and best practices, which can improve outcomes for patients. We truly appreciate your interest in our program and hope you reach out to our team with any questions you may have.

Meet Dr. Sari Priesand, Assoicate Program Director, and learn more about our fellowship program

Sincerely,

Sari Priesand, DPM, DABPM, D.ABFAS
Associate Director, Podiatry Research Fellowship Training Program
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes

Welcome to our Podiatry Fellowship Training Program. Hopefully, as you are searching for a fellowship program, you are looking for program that is the ‘right match’ for you. I have spent the vast majority of my past 19 years in education, from K-collegiate, and know that finding the right match in a program is essential and will be one of the biggest indicators of success. We hope that the Michigan Medicine Limb Preservation, Wound Care, and Diabetic Lower Extremity Complications training program is right for you and that you apply. We have a one-of-kind program and a state-of-the-art clinic that exposes fellows to a wide range of cases. In addition, you get to work side by side with progressive doctors and researchers, who care deeply about their patients and their profession.

Being the fellowship coordinator means you and I are going to work closely on all the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the administrative details. I will be here to guide you through the application, interview, on-boarding and off-boarding process – plus any other process in between. It is my greatest professional accomplishment to be administrative support for the wonderful, professional doctors who I work with. I look forward to you being a part of our program and providing support to you as well.

Sincerely,

Martha Rhodes
Program Administrator, Podiatry Research Fellowship Training Program

• Prepare trainees to be leaders in podiatric academic medicine, who are uniquely trained in limb preservation, wound care, and complications of diabetes.
• Deliver a well-rounded blend of clinical and research training, with a focus on academic medicine.
• Support trainees in developing the necessary skills to practice evidence-based approaches to patient care and critically evaluate outcomes.
• Provide the necessary infrastructure and mentorship needed to conduct clinical research.
• Offer opportunities for trainees to present and publish their research.
• Develop critical thinkers who can design and implement research to solve complex medical problems.
• Engage trainees in improving patient outcomes and initiating quality improvement across our processes.
• Provide mentorship for post-fellowship career goals.

Our Podiatry Research Fellowship Program has several strong comprehensive curriculum components and benefits.

• Six months of dedicated research time (no clinical responsibilities during research rotations), including mentorship from faculty and a dedicated Research Director
• An expectation that fellows will be published during their time with us
• Submitting an IRB
• Obtaining NIH statistical methods and research certification
• DataDirect and statistical package training
• Grant exposure
• Well-rounded set of rotations, inpatient service management and scheduled call that does not occur on back-to-back weekends
• Collaborate with internationally recognized research faculty and utilize Michigan Medicine resources to build a foundation for a teaching and research career
• Regular, required, speaking/presenting opportunities at various conferences including, Podiatry Education Series, Wound Boards, MEND clinical and research conferences, Vascular Teaching Conference, etc.
• Extensive quality improvement and patient safety curriculum (QIPS), including a dedicated QIPS Director
• Structured wellness/burnout curriculum that includes education/workshops, free weekday access to an in-house full gym, published fatigue mitigation policy and learning module, a paid transportation when fatigued policy, plus many other university resources
• Comprehensive salary and unparalleled benefits including:
  • Insurance coverage begins the first day of employment
    • Health and dental insurance
    • Life, liability and long-term disability insurance
  • Written leave of absence and maternity leave policies
  • Additional financial benefits
    • Lump sum savings payment
    • CME funds
    • Free access to one-on-one financial advisement workshop
  • Time off/holiday pay
    • 20 vacation days annually
    • Holiday pay in addition to regular pay when working a contract identified holiday, plus the fellow’s birthday
    • Preventative medical time off for medical/dental care (8 hours per year)
• Fellow’s workrooms - dedicated shared desk space, both on the clinical campus and at the hospital
• Free tickets to select University of Michigan sporting events

Kanika Kochhar, DPM

• Fellowship: Michigan Medicine
• Residency: Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital
• Podiatry School: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science: Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine

Brennen O’Dell, DPM

• First Year After Fellowship/Current Position: Assistant Professor, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
• Fellowship: Michigan Medicine | A Look Inside the Fellowship
• Residency: Intermountain Medical Center
• Podiatry School: Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery

Tyson Strom, DPM 

• First Year After Fellowship/Current Position: Podiatrist, Montana Veteran Affairs Hospital, Fort Harrison, MT
• Fellowship: Michigan Medicine | A Look Inside the Fellowship
• Residency: University Hospitals - Richmond Medical Center
• Podiatry School: Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine

Rebecca Burmeister, DPM, MPH

• First Year After Fellowship: Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
• Fellowship: Michigan Medicine | A Look Inside the Fellowship
• Residency: William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital
• Podiatry School: Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine

Christine Jarocki, DPM

• Current Position: Podiatry Hospitalist, Corewell Health, Grand Rapids, MI
• First Year After Fellowship: Hurley Medical Center, Flint, MI
• Fellowship: Michigan Medicine | A Look Inside the Fellowship
• Residency: Northport VA Medical Center, Northport, NY
• Podiatry School: Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine

Garneisha Torrence, DPM

• Current Position: Assistant Professor, Michigan Medicine & Podiatry Chief, Ann Arbor VA, Ann Arbor, MI
• First Year After Fellowship: Assistant Professor, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
• Fellowship: Michigan Medicine
• Residency: Department of Veteran Affairs, Puget Sound Health Care System
• Podiatry School: Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine

Sari Priesand, DPM, DABPM, D.ABFAS

• Current Position: Assistant Professor & Fellowship Associate Program Director, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
• First Year After Fellowship: Assistant Professor, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
• Fellowship: Michigan Medicine
• Residency: Montefiore Medical Center
• Podiatry School: The New York College of Podiatric Medicine