FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, CA — Dr. David G. Armstrong, Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has reached a historic bibliometric milestone. According to the latest data from Google Scholar, Dr. Armstrong has become the first podiatric surgeon in the history of the specialty to receive more than 10,000 citations in a single calendar year.
This achievement, recorded for 2025, underscores the global impact of Dr. Armstrong’s research on diabetic foot care, wound healing, and limb preservation. With over 91,000 total lifetime citations and an h-index of 133, Dr. Armstrong continues to rank among the top 0.1% of clinician-scientists worldwide across all medical disciplines.
A “Toe and Flow” Impact
The 10,000+ citations in 2025 reflect a rapidly expanding interest in the “Toe and Flow” model—a multidisciplinary approach to amputation prevention pioneered by Dr. Armstrong and his colleagues at the Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA).
“While the numbers are something of a milestone, they represent something much larger than a single career,” said Dr. Armstrong. “Every citation is a signal that a clinician or researcher somewhere in the world is looking for a better way to keep a patient moving. It means the ‘silent pandemic’ of diabetic complications is finally being heard.”
Leading the Future of “Care in Place”
As the Director of the USC National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Center to Stream Healthcare in Place (C2SHiP), Dr. Armstrong’s recent work has shifted toward the intersection of consumer electronics and medical devices. His research into “smart boots,” wearables, and remote monitoring is designed to maximize “hospital-free days” for patients at risk of amputation.
Key Metrics & Achievements:
- 2025 Citations: 10,024 (a new record for the specialty)
- Total Lifetime Citations: 91,414
- h-index: 133 (i10-index: 556)
- Peer-Reviewed Manuscripts: >750
Dr. Armstrong serves as the Founding President of the American Limb Preservation Society (ALPS) and has published in prestigious journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and JAMA. He remains the first and only podiatric surgeon to be elected President of Faculty at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the first US podiatric surgeon named a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Glasgow.
For more information on Dr. Armstrong’s work and the mission to eliminate preventable amputations, visit SALSA or ALPS.
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