Catherine Waller, who commences her final year studies this autumn, has been awarded the Cosyfeet Podiatry Award 2008.
The £1000 grant helped to fund Catherine's volunteer work this summer for the Nepal Leprosy Trust. In the UK, leprosy is rarely discussed and considered an ancient disease, but worldwide 200,000 people are currently on treatment for leprosy with many more affected, but as yet undiagnosed.
Catherine spent a month at the Lalgadh hospital in Nepal, volunteering her skills to work within a multi-disciplinary team. The team examines and diagnoses patients with suspected leprosy, and Catherine gained experience in the use of multi drug therapy (MDT) and the importance that foot care and the use of specialist footwear and supportive devices play with ongoing rehabilitation. There is a great deal of stigma attached to the disease and Catherine was involved in community projects to encourage acceptance and self help awareness.
As part of her final year, Catherine is able to choose a topic for one of her modules. She intends to use her experience in Nepal for the project to highlight the important role that podiatry plays in the treatment of leprosy.
For more information see the Cosyfeet website.
This press release was written using information from the Nepal Leprosy Trust website - www.nlt.org.uk
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