The SALSA Alliance
Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance
Department of Surgery · Keck School of Medicine of USC
Measuring & managing how people move through their world
We have a broad social interest in helping measure and manage how people move through their world. We believe that we can eliminate amputation in people with diabetes over the next generation. To do that, it takes a village — and we are privileged to work with an outstanding group of clinical and research colleagues at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and around the world.
Operating as one of the most productive limb salvage research units in the world, our team integrates vascular surgery, podiatric surgery, physical therapy, orthotics & prosthetics, neurosurgery, and health policy into a unified “toe-and-flow” clinical service.
“We aim to be the most impactful group in the world working to reduce the burden of diabetic foot disease.”
10,000+
Patient visits / year
760+
Peer-reviewed papers
6
Hospitals across LA
Our Team
A multidisciplinary alliance of surgeons, scientists, engineers, and policy experts united against preventable amputation.
David G. Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD
Co-Founder & Director
Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Neurological Surgery at USC. Author of over 760 peer-reviewed papers and founding co-editor of the ADA’s Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot. Director of the NSF-funded Center to Stream Healthcare in Place (C2SHiP). Recipient of the ADA’s Roger Pecoraro Award and youngest-ever inductee into the Podiatric Medicine Hall of Fame.
Co-Director
Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery and double board-certified vascular surgeon. AOA honors graduate of Keck School of Medicine, with general surgery and vascular fellowship training at USC. Specialist in limb preservation via both endovascular and open vascular reconstruction, dialysis access, and complex aortic pathology. Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
SALSA Program Director · Podiatric Surgery
Assistant Professor of Surgery. Reconstructive surgeon and physician-scientist specializing in Charcot neuroarthropathy, limb salvage, and stem cell biology for diabetic wound repair.
Surgery
Director of Research · Vascular Surgery
Double board-certified in vascular and general surgery. Leads NIH-supported research on reducing limb loss in peripheral artery disease and diabetes, with a focus on health disparities.
Research
Podiatric Surgery & Limb Salvage
Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery. Board-certified by ABPM and ABFAS. Inaugural Lawrence B. Harkless Fellow in limb preservation at Keck. MPH from Dartmouth’s Geisel School.
Surgery
Podiatric Surgery & Limb Salvage
Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery and inaugural SALSA fellow. Leads the Limb Preservation Program at Rancho Los Amigos.
Surgery
Kenneth R. Ziegler, MD, FACS, FSVS
Vascular Surgery
Chief of Vascular Surgery at LA General Medical Center. Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery. Expert in aortic pathology, carotid interventions, and endovascular therapy.
Surgery
Stephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS
Physical Therapy & Wound Care
Associate Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy with dual appointment in Surgery. President of the APTA’s Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology & Wound Management.
Rehab
Charles “Chuck” DuBourdieu, CPO
Orthotics & Prosthetics R&D
Director of Orthotics & Prosthetics at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.
Rehab
Neurosurgery & Neurorestoration
Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology, and Biomedical Engineering. Director of the USC Neurorestoration Center. Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience.
Neuroscience
Health Economics & Policy
Associate Professor at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Fellow at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center. Winner of the 2024 ISPOR Award for Excellence.
Policy
Biomechanics
Gabilan Distinguished Professor of Science & Engineering. Director of the USC Biomechanics Research Lab. Biomechanist for the US Olympic Committee.
Biomechanics
Evolutionary Biology & Anthropology
Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at USC Dornsife. Studies how our evolutionary shift to hunting and gathering created a physiological requirement for physical activity.
Research
Digital Health & Policy
Research Scientist at the USC Schaeffer Center. PI of American Life in Realtime (ALiR), an NIH-funded precision digital health initiative to reduce health disparities.
Policy
Podiatric Surgery & Clinical Research
Podiatric surgeon and clinical researcher at White Memorial Hospital. SALSA fellow specializing in diabetic limb salvage and clinical outcomes research.
Surgery
Wearable Technology & Digital Health · UCLA
Professor of Surgery at UCLA and Research Director of the Center for Advanced Surgical & Interventional Technology (CASIT). Author of over 300 peer-reviewed publications with expertise in wearable sensors, remote patient monitoring, and digital biomarkers for diabetic foot care. AIMBE College of Fellows inductee.
Research
Founder · Clemente Clinical Research
Podiatric surgeon, founder of Clemente Clinical Research, and co-medical director of Adventist Health White Memorial’s Limb Preservation and Advanced Wound Care Center. Founding director of the podiatric residency program at White Memorial (est. 2003), whose comprehensive model has led to an 80% reduction in below-the-knee amputations in one of the highest-risk zip codes in the United States.
Research
Co-Founder & COO · Clemente Clinical Research
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Clemente Clinical Research. Oversees operations across 40 medical clinics in Southern California dedicated to advancing healthcare through clinical trials and community-centered research.
Adriana Garibay, BSE
Research Coordinator · Clinical Operations
Nanotechnology engineer (University of Guadalajara) with expertise in regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and nanoparticle-based drug delivery research. Coordinates clinical research studies on the diabetic foot, managing patient recruitment, informed consent, IRB compliance, and data collection.
Research
Fabiola Rodriguez, MD
Clinical Research Supervisor
Physician (University of Guadalajara) and licensed phlebotomist with over five years of clinical research experience. Supervises participant recruitment, gait analysis, ultrasound studies, data collection, and IRB submissions. Former research fellow in oncology, neurosciences, and immunology.
Research
Hello I’m a vascular surgeon from Argentina work in a diabetic foot interdisciplinary center “Centro Argentino de Pie Diabetico y enfermedades vasculares”
Since 2000 me and my group try to heal and study these patients.
I like to get information and knowledge from your group and share our little experience.
Thank you
Dr Gustavo Depaoli
Vascular Surgeon
Dr. Depaoli: Many thanks for the note. We welcome you to the SALSA / DFBlog family!
Hello, i really apreciate your team.İ am Dr.Maksat Boobekov from Turkey,your team works inspire me in podiatry science. Keep following you .
Keep up the excellent work and research that you and your great team are doing in this worldwide epidemic. The awareness and research will make contributions to improve not only the health of our patients but also assist the multidisciplinary healthcare staff who work in this space.
I am a double amputee that needs some help finding a set of surgeons to get me new legs,please call me at 929 457 5886 or 917 597 6239.
Mr. King: Many thanks for the note. Feel free to email me at david.armstrong@med.usc.edu and I’m happy to see if we can explore your progress.
Please send questions to us at armstrong@usa.net