Podiatry BSc(Hons)

Siobhan Melia, CEO, Sussex Community Trust

"My journey began in the Brighton Centre when I graduated with a Podiatry degree in 1996. I am now Chief Executive of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. One of the country’s leading community health and care providers. With around 5,000 members of staff serving a population of 1.3 million people. I can confidently say that I had no idea all those years ago that this was where my journey was heading.

I look back on my time as a student at the University of Brighton as formative and fulfilling. The degree programme was eclectic and challenging. It was the perfect place to start a career that has had quite a few twists and turns. My degree introduced me to frontline patient care a few months into my first year. And that memory of fear and responsibility when I treated a patient for the first time on my own is still with me.

The podiatry degree prepared me for a career in healthcare with a broad foundation of knowledge and skills, combined with a strong focus on understanding patient’s needs. I think that approach, and the values instilled by the faculty here gave me the ability to overcome challenges, and take advantage of opportunities as they arose.

My advice to students would be this: Seek breadth, development and learning throughout your career. Seize the opportunities and persevere with the challenges. Learn how to build personal resilience, and be adaptable to change. Most importantly be proud of who you are, and what you do. I'm certainly very proud of the career journey that has taken me from my Podiatry graduation, to becoming an NHS chief executive.

Nothing is out of reach, and anything is possible."

Read Siobhan’s inspiring story in full on our school blog. 

Shahin Hussain 

"I graduated with a podiatry degree from the University of Brighton in 2010. I initially worked in private practice in London and Essex before moving to Cambridge to work for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

"There I built on my experience working with high-risk ulcer patients as well as treating different other foot and ankle pathologies. I often give up my time to work with Crisis for Christmas. On one of my final year modules, Learning by Objectives, I gave a talk to sixth form students promoting podiatry.

"I have decided to continue this theme by promoting podiatry to secondary schools. I have recently undertaken master modules part-time to aid me in my current work, and I now divide my time working in private practice and treating pod paediatrics patients for a NHS service in Medway".

Georgia Liopetriti 

"I chose to study podiatry because it is a 'young' profession, full of potential, and very hard to find back in Cyprus.

"There were a lot of marvellous details that made the University of Brighton’s podiatry course stand out – it is licensed to teach anatomy by using a real human cadaver, it has its own podiatry clinic, biomechanics lab and nail surgery facilities. One of the advantages is that you prepare for practice in the university’s own clinic and have contact with patients from day one. 

"I started my own private practice in Larnaca as soon as I graduated and I'm also a visiting podiatrist in a medical centre in Paphos. 

"I recently became the clinical director of Fit Feet in Cyprus as part of the Healthy Athlete program, which is running with the Special Olympics. I do volunteer work as much as I can, for example at the Volunteer Doctors Cyprus mission in a leprosy hospital in Nepal. I am also a member of the Administrative Board of the Cyprus’ Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists and a member of several NGOs in Cyprus.

"I believe the course played a very important role in my career success as it enabled me to have professional experience before graduation. The University of Brighton is the best choice."

Hannah Yirrell 

"After graduating with a first-class honours degree in podiatry, I started working with the NHS, specialising in the assessment and management of high-risk foot complaints and musculoskeletal medicine.

"After three years’ employment in the NHS, I secured an advanced practitioner role with the Ministry of Defence at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre. I went on to set up a successful podiatry facility that delivers renowned levels of service and quality across the MoD, both in the UK and overseas.

"I am now a key member of a multi-disciplinary team that manages an enormously varied range of pathologies and trauma. The cases we see range from catastrophic deformities and limb loss caused by IED explosions, to chronic overuse pathologies. The clinic gives people the means to recover and resume their military career.

"Recently, I have worked alongside the directorate of the Defence Rehabilitation team on projects that have led to developing, changing and implementing podiatry provision tri-service wide. In addition, I am a private practitioner and work alongside sports medicine consultants."

Lara Doheny

"As an EU student I found it difficult at first to settle in to England, but I have met some fantastic people over the past three years. Studying the degree in podiatry has given me a new family and also a new profession.

"The course is very challenging: there is a large requirement for independent study which you must be self-motivated to do, and there is always a duty of care toward the patient.

"Over the past year I have been a student rep, which has given me a greater insight into a side of university life that students rarely take notice of: the work that goes on to improve the student experience."

Serena Naidoo 

"The course was thoroughly enjoyable, with a range of tutors delivering information in a variety of ways. The dissection in the anatomy lab was one of the most fascinating parts of the degree programme, and the Leaf Hospital was the perfect setting to initiate clinical experience from day one.

"I graduated with a first-class honours in podiatry in 2010 and was awarded the Arthritis Research UK-funded graduate internship for podiatrists that same year, before working as a specialist podiatrist in the NHS. I have presented at the annual European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) conference and was awarded the Recently Qualified Health Professional Prize at the British Society of Rheumatology Conference."