No. 1 in diabetic foot ulcer research. A worldwide team behind the work.
The 2026 ScholarGPS rankings list David G. Armstrong as No. 1 worldwide in diabetic foot ulcers for both lifetime scholarship and the prior five years. It is an opportunity to recognize the colleagues, trainees, patients, and families who have helped build this work across institutions, disciplines, and generations.
When we shared the earlier ScholarGPS recognition in August 2024, the message was the same: limb preservation is a team sport. Two years later, the circle of people contributing to that work continues to grow.
The 2026 snapshot
The profile lists the following worldwide rankings. Lifetime and prior-five-years results are separate views of the scholarly record.
| ScholarGPS category | Lifetime world rank | Prior-five-years world rank |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetic foot ulcers | 1 | 1 |
| Diabetic foot | 2 | 1 |
| Amputation | 4 | 5 |
| Diabetes | 14 | 18 |
| Surgery | 58 | 21 |
The profile also lists No. 4 worldwide, lifetime, in negative-pressure wound therapy. In the 2026 lifetime rankings filtered to the University of Southern California, Armstrong is No. 1 at USC in both Surgery and Diabetes. Separately, the prior-five-years Surgery ranking places him No. 21 worldwide.
A lot of people helped get us here
The names on a paper tell only part of its story. Behind them are clinic conversations, late revisions, careful measurements, and people willing to ask whether there might be a better way.
To our SALSA team at USC, our C2SHiP colleagues, the ALPS community, and our collaborators around the world: thank you. To the residents and fellows bringing new questions, the nurses and research teams making studies possible, and the patients and families trusting us with their time: this recognition gives us another chance to acknowledge your part in the work.
The goal remains wonderfully practical: help a wound heal, help it stay healed, preserve mobility, and give people more ulcer-free, hospital-free, activity-rich days. Turning research into that kind of time is the work ahead.
Milestones along the way
These earlier posts capture moments in the growth of that shared body of research. Each citation milestone is a historical Google Scholar snapshot, recorded on the date of its post:
75,000 citations (June 8, 2024)
80,000 citations (December 11, 2024)
90,000 citations (November 22, 2025)
95,000 citations: Ninety-Five Thousand Hands on the Work (April 30, 2026)
100,000 Citations, Countless Teammates (September 28, 2026)
The 99,000-citation reflection on LinkedIn carried the same invitation: keep paying it forward.
Other chapters include the 2021 Expertscape recognition, the 700-publication milestone in August 2024, and our look at global trends and collaborations in diabetic foot research. Different measures, a growing community, and a shared purpose.
Onward, together
Thank you to everyone who has read, questioned, challenged, cited, or built on this work. Keep sharing ideas. Keep bringing people into the conversation. Keep helping the next person take the next step.
#ActAgainstAmputation #LimbPreservation #DiabeticFoot
Source note: ScholarGPS 2026 edition, as displayed October 19, 2026. Rankings are specific to the categories and time windows shown above. They describe scholarly research, not clinical quality or patient outcomes. Google Scholar citation milestones are a separate set of measures; historical counts should not be treated as current totals. View the ScholarGPS profile.
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