Keynote — The Innovation Paradox in Limb Preservation

Despite an explosion of promising advances across wound science, biomaterials, wearable technology, and regenerative medicine, amputation rates for patients with diabetic foot complications remain stubbornly high. This opening keynote frames the central question that drives the entire Forum: what is preventing innovation from reaching the patients who need it most?

Bijan Najafi, PhD
Professor of Surgery, UCLA Research Director, Center for Advanced Surgical & Interventional Technology (CASIT)

Lightning Research Showcases

Five recipients of the Peter Sheehan Young Innovator Award presented their research in rapid, high-impact showcases — each a window into the future of diabetic limb preservation. From molecular discoveries to AI-driven patient engagement, these presentations spotlight the innovations emerging from the next generation of scientists and clinicians.

Panel — From Discovery to Patient: Closing the Innovation Gap

A translational researcher who has taken discoveries from bench to startup, a clinician who treats threatened limbs daily, and industry leaders in health economics, regulatory strategy, and market access examine the barriers that prevent promising innovations from reaching patients. From FDA approval to reimbursement hurdles to adoption gaps in clinical practice, the panel explores what it takes to move a breakthrough from the laboratory to the bedside — and what the next generation of innovators needs to know.

Panelists:

Geoffrey Gurtner, MD, FACS Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Arizona

Joseph Mills, MD, FACS Professor of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine

Amy Law VP Health Economics, Outcomes Research & Market Access, Solventum

Ryan Egeland, MD, PhD Chief Medical Officer & SVP, MedSurg, Solventum