Two academics from the University of Plymouth have been elected to senior positions within the College of Podiatry – the public facing and academic arm of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists and the professional body for the UK’s registered podiatrists.
Dr Sally Abey, Programme Lead for Podiatry, has been elected as Dean of the College’s Directorate of Education, and Emma Cowley, Lecturer in Podiatry, has been named Vice-Dean of the Directorate of Podiatric Medicine.
The College of Podiatry is made up of five directorates: Education, Podiatric Medicine, Podiatric Surgery, Public Sector Management, and Private and Independent Practice.
Sally and Emma will be working together and with the teams at the College of Podiatry to undertake the posts alongside their University roles – informing and influencing academic learning and research, and educating and raising awareness of the importance of foot health.
In her capacity as co-lead of MSK: UK, the College of Podiatry Specialist Advisory Group for musculoskeletal podiatry, Emma has already contributed to the Parliamentary debate on whether women can be made to wear high heels as part of a workplace uniform.
Her new role will see her work alongside the Dean of the Directorate of Podiatric Medicine, Dr Jane McAdam from the University of Salford, to develop the Directorate over the next three years. In particular, they will be developing a career spine for podiatrists and undergraduate podiatry students, which Emma initially proposed, to facilitate career progression in private sector practice.
