Lawrence Harkless

Dr. Lawrence B. Harkless has served in both public and private universities known for clinical and research excellence, including the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Western University of Health Sciences. He has held many important leadership roles that have afforded him an expansive range of experiences in academic medicine. These experiences have included administration of large departments, education and curriculum development, clinic administration, and developing centers of research and academic programs. He has also led organizational changes in administrative, curricular and clinical operations to enhance education and revenue streams. His research program has been interprofessional and collaborative in nature, and he has built upon a team approach to further scientific discovery. His research has focused on Amputation Prevention in Diabetes and wound healing, and global Podiatric public health, for which he has received numerous grants and awards. He has impacted the entire arena of diabetic foot, including the development and validation of wound and risk stratification models.  The risk and wound classification systems have provided taxonomy which allows clinicians to communicate worldwide improving patient centered outcomes and reducing the impact of health care costs.

In 2001, the American Diabetes Association awarded Dr. Harkless the Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award. Hailed as “the father of diabetic foot care,” he is recognized nationally and internationally for his scientific and scholarly contributions, serving on scientific advisory panels for industry and government (CDC, HHS, NIH, VA, FDA). Moreover, he has edited textbooks and has published 150  peer reviewed articles and book chapters. He was appointed to the Texas Diabetes Council in 1995 by Governor George W. Bush, serving as Chair from 2001-2007. Dr. Harkless, an ACFAS Fellow, is a founding member and the First Chair of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Council on Foot Care and is a past member of the ADA Board of Directors. He is also past president of the National Podiatric Medical Association and the Texas Podiatric Medical Association. He chaired the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) inaugural Diabetic Foot Stream for the 2017 annual meeting. 

Dr. Harkless has received numerous awards at the state, national, and international level for his inter-professional education and service contributions in amputation prevention in diabetes and wound care.

A native Texan, Dr. Harkless did his undergraduate work at The University of North Texas and is a graduate of the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco where he was a member of the Honor Society. He completed his internship at UTHSCSA and his residency in Podiatric Surgery at Atlanta Hospital and Medical Center in Georgia.