School of Podiatric Medicine

Welcome to the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine's home on the Internet. The School of Podiatric Medicine was founded in 1985 with the purpose of graduating competent podiatric physicians qualified to enter post-graduate training. This is accomplished by excellence in podiatric medical education, fostering life-long learning, expressing a commitment to social justice by serving the local and global community through patient care, and encouraging research and innovation that promotes the common good.

Barry University's School of Podiatric Medicine offers you the opportunity to earn a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree in four years. With a DPM, you are certified as a practitioner of podiatric medicine and become eligible to enter post-graduate residency training in podiatric medicine. Barry's program offers you some unique advantages; we invite you to explore our website further as you consider a career in podiatric medicine one of the most exciting and in-demand fields of medicine.

The Podiatric Medicine Program is an intensive four-year program designed to provide you with a broad base of medical knowledge and extensive clinical experience.

After graduation students are encouraged to continue preparing for their careers by pursuing a residency program. Although there are more residency positions than graduating students, the fact that there are unplaced graduates from previous years seeking residencies means that there is no guarantee that every graduating student will be successful in acquiring a residency program. For the past eight years, students in Barry University's Podiatric Medicine Program have had a consistent overall above-average performance on the National Board Examinations.

Caring and experienced professors who take a special interest in each student support the rigorous program. Barry University offers diversity unparalleled by any other school of podiatric medicine. Our program has the highest percentage of women and minority students of any podiatric medical school in the country. Barry University's Podiatric Medicine Program is one of only two schools to maintain association with an accredited, independent, comprehensive, coeducational University. At Barry, we believe in giving you a quality foundation for your professional career. The University has a rich history in the medical and health care sciences.

Barry University's School of Podiatric Medicine offers its students a unique and gratifying environment. The School of Podiatric Medicine is one of the only two podiatric medical programs to be associated with a full university. Approximately 250 students are enrolled in the Podiatric Medicine Program.

The average podiatric medical class size is about 60-65 students. Our program has one of the lowest average class sizes among podiatric medical programs in the U.S. This means that we can offer you the advantages of a small, caring college environment paired with the benefits of a larger, university environment.

Barry also has the advantage of diversity. The Podiatric Medicine program has the highest percentage of women and minority students of any podiatric medical school in the country. The University is a leader in this area and was ranked Number 1 in the Campus Ethnic Diversity category for universities in the South offering master's programs, according to the 2007 U.S. News & World Report college ratings.

Students are encouraged to participate fully in university life while at Barry University. Students wishing to start new clubs in the School of Podiatric Medicine should follow the policies and procedures that regulate on-campus student organizations. 

Barry University is committed to providing the best possible setting from carrying out its educational mission. An essential component of this environment is an atmosphere in which all members of the university community have an equal opportunity to work, to learn, and to develop. Member of the university community, guests, and visitors have the right to be free from all form of gender and sex-based discrimination, examples of which can include acts of sexual violence, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. All members of the University community are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others. Barry University has a zero tolerance policy for gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence.

When an allegation of misconduct is brought to the attention of the Dean of Students and a responding party is found to have violated this policy, serious sanctions will be used to reasonably ensure that such actions are never repeated. This policy has been developed to reaffirm these principles and to provide recourse for those individuals whose rights have been violated. Any attempt to violate any portion of this policy is considered sufficient for having committed the violation itself.

The use of alcohol and/or other drugs will not be accepted as a defense or mitigating factor to a violation of this policy.

The university shall enforce this policy through the means of the student conduct system and through enforcement of the Student Code of Conduct. Sexual offenses are considered major violations of the Student Code of Conduct, and students found responsible are subject to sanctions up to an including expulsion from the university.

This policy applies regardless of the complainant’s or respondent’s race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, familial status, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability status or veteran status. Also, prohibitions against discrimination and harassment do not extend to statements or written materials that are germane to the classroom or academic course of study, unless the materials themselves are used as inappropriate content.

The Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine is accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education. Accreditation is an indication of public approbation, attesting to the quality of the podiatric medical education program and the continued commitment of the institution to support the educational program.

The Council is recognized as the professional institutional accrediting agency for podiatric medical education by the U. S. Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

For further information, please contact the Council on Podiatric Medical Education at the following address:

Council on Podiatric Medical Education
9312 Old Georgetown Road,
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 571-9200

Our future at Barry University is brighter than ever, but we need our alumni and friends to partner with us at every level of involvement. We are committed to making you proud in all that we do as we strive to transform lives for a greater tomorrow.

Grant-writing and fund-raising are used to support the programs and activities of the School of Podiatric Medicine. 

These programs include:

• The Paul & Margaret Brand Research Center
• Student Scholarships and Fellowships
• Support of External Clinics
• Humanitarian Surgical Programs (both in the United States and overseas)
• The Yucatan Project to aid crippled children
• Waves of the Future for ultrasound units

Barry University has three dedicated, hospital-based, foot and ankle clinics in the greater Miami area. These are located at Mercy Hospital, Jackson North Medical Center, and Mount Sinai Hospital. During the rigorous four-year podiatric medical school curriculum, students spend a portion of their third year rotating through these clinics.

The Barry University clinics provide state-of -the-art care and treatment for disorders of the foot and ankle. The clinics provide a center of excellence for teaching both students and residents of podiatric medicine. Our new Director of Clinical Education has implemented the latest technology to track and assess student performance in the clinical setting. High quality, ethical, personal care, utilizing evidence-based medicine is the standard for all clinics, regardless of a patient's ability to pay. Each patient is personally attended to by board-certified university faculty members, medical students, and hospital residents.

In addition to the three Barry University clinics, podiatric medical students spend the remainder of their third year rotating through clinics with a diverse array of medical disciplines. These include general surgery, emergency room, wound care, internal medicine, orthotics, and radiology. The students interact with physicians and practitioners in a variety of clinical environments, and learn the essential critical thinking and decision-making skills that will ultimately make them a podiatric physician of high quality. Importantly, students learn the vital role that podiatric physicians play in the maintenance of good health.

The Yucatan Crippled Children's Project began as an outgrowth of humanitarian relief to the Yucatan in 1988 after Hurricane Gilbert ripped through the region. Gilbert, a category 5 storm, left 500 people dead and widespread destruction. Relief aid to the region came from throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Dr. Charles C. Southerland, working with other health care professionals and public officials in Mexico hoped to bring medical care to the crippled children in the Yucatan as an ongoing project.

South Florida is saddled with one of the worst diabetic amputation rates in the nation – if not the world – and to battle the diabetic epidemic and its complications, the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine established the "Paul & Margaret Brand Research Center."

Doctors Paul and Margaret Brand are medical pioneers whose groundbreaking research, from Louisiana to India, made it possible for insensate patients, including those with leprosy and diabetes, to function normally despite enormous handicaps. The landmark Paul & Margaret Brand Research Center at Barry University furthers the Brands' legacy by engaging in collaborative research to reduce diabetic foot complications, including ulcers and amputations.

"The mission of the Paul & Margaret Brand Research Center is to create a world-class research site utilizing the collaborative efforts of basic and clinical sciences," said Dr. Jeffrey Jensen, Director of the Paul and Margaret Brand Research Center. "The research will result in publications in peer-reviewed journals, enhancing Barry University's academic and scholarly reputation as well as the resident and student experience at Barry."

In 2008, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties reported more than 1,600 diabetic amputations, resulting in medical expenditures of more than $60 million. The Paul & Margaret Brand Research Center will enable Barry University professors and students to conduct research studies to identify the best treatments to promote wound healing, reduce amputations and educate the public on prevention.

"The Paul & Margaret Brand Research Center reflects the first step in Barry University's commitment to develop our Master Site Plan," said Barry University President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD. "We anticipate that our research will provide patients with diabetic foot complications in South Florida and the world with a more hopeful future."

By the year 2050, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 of 3 adults in the United States will have diabetes. Through this new research center, Barry University commits itself to the battle against diabetes and its complications by engaging in innovative research that will help the almost 500,000 residents in South Florida affected by this disease.