{"id":7981,"date":"2024-12-14T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981"},"modified":"2024-12-14T21:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T21:30:00","slug":"columbia-va-podiatrist-recognized-for-diabetes-related-amputation-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981","title":{"rendered":"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-12-14T21:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Dr. Brandon Brooks, a podiatrist at Columbia VA<\/a>, earned first place at the 10th Annual Conference of the American Society of Podiatric Surgeons for his abstract: \u201cDREADD: Diabetes-Related Extremity Amputation Depression & Distress.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a>
Dr. Brandon Brooks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

This achievement marks his third consecutive first place win in national abstract competitions, solidifying his reputation as a leader in podiatric research focused on improving care for Veterans.<\/p>\n

The winning abstract introduced DREADD, a term coined to describe the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.<\/p>\n

The study focused on \u201cminor, non-traumatic\u201d amputations, such as the loss of a toe. While these procedures are often viewed as relatively minor from a surgical perspective, Brooks\u2019 research reveals that they can have significant psychological consequences among patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.<\/p>\n

His study found that 90% of patients experienced increased depressive symptoms following an amputation. For many, the loss of even a small part of the body is a deeply emotional and traumatic event. This distress can impact their overall health outcomes, leading to issues such as medication non-compliance, missed appointments and poor dietary choices.<\/p>\n

Depression can make it harder for patients to manage their diabetes<\/h2>\n

The study highlights a bidirectional relationship between depression and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, meaning that one condition often worsens the other. Depression can make it harder for patients to manage their diabetes effectively while poorly controlled diabetes can increase the likelihood of complications, including amputations.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

By understanding this cycle, health care providers can better address the full scope of a patient\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to recognize that a \u2018minor, non-traumatic amputation\u2019 can still be a traumatic experience for a patient,\u201d Brooks explained. \u201cI believe this study will encourage multidisciplinary limb preservation teams to consider mental health clinicians, such as but not limited to psychiatrists and clinical psychologists as team members.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks emphasized the importance of early intervention, recommending that clinicians use validated tools like the PHQ-9<\/a> to screen patients for depressive symptoms following an amputation. This step allows health care teams to identify those at risk and provide timely referrals to mental health professionals, ensuring patients receive comprehensive care.<\/p>\n

Brooks\u2019 brother, Bradley, is a board-certified psychiatrist and co-author of this study, making the brothers\u2019 collaboration unique aspect of this project. Brooks described their collaboration as a seamless blending of perspectives. Bradley also contributed the acronym DREADD, which captures the distress many patients feel following an amputation.<\/p>\n

Model could improve surgical outcomes<\/h2>\n

The study advocates for including mental health professionals, such as psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, in multidisciplinary limb preservation teams. This approach ensures patients receive both physical and emotional support during their recovery. Brooks noted that this model could improve surgical outcomes by addressing the mental health challenges that often accompany physical trauma.<\/p>\n

Brooks attributed much of his success to the supportive research environment at Columbia VA. He highlighted the flexibility and resources available to researchers, including access to ethics guidance, quality improvement opportunities and encouragement from leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cDorn [the Dorn Research Institute] is a great place for research,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cThe culture here fosters innovation and allows us to push boundaries to improve care for Veterans.\u201d At the heart of his work is a deep commitment to the Veterans he serves. He views his research as an extension of his dedication to improving their quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an honor and privilege to care for our Veterans. They inspire me every day, and I want to do everything I can to help improve their outcomes,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The abstract DREADD describes the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care","category-medical-research"],"yoast_head":"\nColumbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The abstract DREADD describes the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research - Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The abstract DREADD describes the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-14T21:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\"},\"headline\":\"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-14T21:30:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981\"},\"wordCount\":639,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-119.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health & Care\",\"Medical Research\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981\",\"name\":\"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research - Its Veterans\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-119.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-14T21:30:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"The abstract DREADD describes the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-119.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-119.png\",\"width\":875,\"height\":653},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7981#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"description\":\"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"width\":2172,\"height\":724,\"caption\":\"Its Veterans\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research - Its Veterans","description":"The abstract DREADD describes the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research - Its Veterans","og_description":"The abstract DREADD describes the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.","og_url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981","og_site_name":"Its Veterans","article_published_time":"2024-12-14T21:30:00+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668"},"headline":"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research","datePublished":"2024-12-14T21:30:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981"},"wordCount":639,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-119.png","articleSection":["Health & Care","Medical Research"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981","name":"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research - Its Veterans","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-119.png","datePublished":"2024-12-14T21:30:00+00:00","description":"The abstract DREADD describes the emotional and psychological toll experienced by patients following any diabetes-related amputation.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-119.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/vet-456-119.png","width":875,"height":653},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7981#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Columbia VA podiatrist recognized for diabetes-related amputation research"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","name":"Its Veterans","description":"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization","name":"Its Veterans","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","width":2172,"height":724,"caption":"Its Veterans"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/10da73410d092638799e3fa777bd59a474d7c9d9c61105a38c73dd46c050c34f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/itsveterans.com"],"url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}