Diabetes and the Foot

Monday 10 November 2025 • Time 17h30 • Duration: 1 hour

Presenters:

Prof. Joel Dave, Head of Endocrinology

Prof Joel Dave is the Head of the Division of Endocrinology at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town. He is actively engaged in both undergraduate and postgraduate education in general medicine and endocrinology. His research focuses on the intersection of infectious diseases and endocrinology, strategies to simplify diabetes treatment, and methods to prevent lower limb amputations in people with diabetes.

Miss Jemma Houghton

Jemma is a South African-trained physiotherapist and fourth-year DPhil (PhD) candidate in Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on preventing and managing diabetes-related lower limb complications in South Africa, primarily looking at improving and implementing early foot screening and access to quality foot care. She previously completed an MSc in Global Health Science & Epidemiology at Oxford, on a Rhodes Scholarship, and has clinical experience across public and private health sectors in South Africa and the UK.

Miss Nadia Dembskey

Nadia obtained both her B. Tech. Podiatry (2011) and M. Tech. Podiatry Degrees (2019) at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She previously had two private practices situated in the northern and southern suburbs of Johannesburg since 2012, but she then took a leap of faith and relocated to Cape Town in 2023 in order to undertake the role of Chief Podiatrist at Groote Schuur Hospital.Nadia has a passion for all aspects of pain management, trauma, surgery, wound healing, laser therapy and diabetology. It’s these passions that lead her to undertake further studies in Podiatric Surgery at Glasgow Caledonian and Queen Margaret Universities in Scotland, and more recently, enrolling in Post Doctorate studies, starting her PhD.

She is a published author in the Podiatry field and has been part of the Podiatry Association of South Africa National Executive Committee since 2011, where she first served as Northern Branch Chairperson, and later as National Executive Secretary, and concluding her tenure as the President of the Association (2019-2023). In 2017, she was one of the first Podiatrists to receive recognition from her peers and obtained Level 3A PASA Accreditation.