Bernhard Zipfel

University Curator of Fossil and Rock Collections

Podiatry


I started my professional life in podiatry, which I pursued after completing military service as a Combat Medical Orderly (1983-1984). The experience gained in the military inspired me to study in a medical direction. Having treated several foot conditions (mostly traumatic) as a medic under field conditions, led to a particular interest in the foot and ankle. After graduating in 1988 I went into solo podiatry practice which I continued doing until 2002. In 1989, I was offered a part-time lecturing position in the Department of Podiatry, Technikon Witwatersrand (now University of Johannesburg). In 1990, I accepted a tenured lecturer position at the university. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer and Programme Head in 1994, and became Head of Department in 1995, a position I held to 2006. The podiatry programme in Johannesburg is the only one in Africa, originally modelled on the British system, but is also comparable to podiatry training in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. I have trained podiatrists for 17 years and developed a number of academics in podiatric medicine during this time.  
Class of 1995 when I took over as Head of Department at the former Technikon Witwatersrand. Seated to my right, is Andrew Clarke - former HOD and founder of podiatric education in South Africa
Class of 1998, Department of Podiatry, University of the Witwatersrand
Class of 2006 - the last cohort of podiatry students I trained
During the 17 years in podiatric medicine, some of the highlights of my career were the development of a degree for podiatry in South Africa in collaboration with the University of Brighton in the United Kingdom. I subsequently coordinated the University of Brighton B.Sc. Honours degree in Podiatric Studies in Johannesburg, which was designed to facilitate South African podiatrists to pursue higher degrees. I participated in a number of podiatry education forums including the Fédération Internationale des Podologues (FIP) and received awards from the FIP, Podiatry Association of South Africa (PASA) and the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) for service to these organizations. 
Teaching skin and nail surgery to podiatry students at the University of Johannesburg
Even though I am no longer clinically active, I am still very much involved in the profession via the Podiatry Association of South Africa (Lifetime Honorary Member since 2010), its conferences and in 2019 became a Fellow of the Podiatry Association of South Africa (FPASA). I also sit on the Departmental Research Committee of the Department of Podiatry at the University of Johannesburg.
Experimental gait studies with colleague Mark Reyneker at his Family Podiatry Clinic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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