Caroline McIntosh is Established Professor of Podiatric Medicine and Head of the School of Health Sciences, University of Galway. Caroline led on the establishment of the first school of podiatry in the Republic of Ireland, successfully guiding the inaugural programme through first and subsequent professional and regulatory validations.

A podiatrist by background, Caroline previously worked as a senior podiatrist in the NHS, specialising in vasclar disease, before transitionning to academia. She has a specialist interest in tissue viability, vascular disease and diabetes-related foot disease.

Caroline has published approximately 130 peer-reviewed papers in the field of tissue viability, particularly on the diabetic foot, and has presented her research internationally. She co-edited the textbook Lower Extremity Wounds: A problem-based Approach, and completed her PhD, in 2007, on the need to build and disseminate evidence-based wound care.

She has served as co-applicant and Principal Investigator (PI) on multiple clinical trials including two randomised controlled trials of topical wound therapies. Caroline is Co-Director and founding member of the Alliance for Research and Innovation in Wounds at the University of Galway. She has been co-applicant on several successful grant applications totalling  €3.4 million from the Health Research Board, Irish Research Council and the NIHR HTA programme.

Caroline is co-lead on an HRB CDA grant of 1.5 million entitled DFD PRIMO (Diabetic Foot Disease, from prevention to improved patient outcomes) which has funded six PhD scholarships in diabetic foot disease.

She previously served as Chairperson of the Western Branch of the Wound Management Association of Ireland (WMAI) from 2009-2015 and President of WMAI from 2013-2015. She also chaired the Diabetic Foot Working Group for the HSE National Wound Management Guidelines (2018).

Caroline was a member of the Podiatry Registration Board, CORU (2018-2024) and is a member of the Professoriate of the College of Podiatry, London, UK. She serves on several international committees, including the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) (Wound Healing Interventions) and the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) Diabetic Foot Committee. She was Associate Editor for the journal  Trials from 2015-2020. 

Prof. McIntosh's research interests lie primarily in diabetes, peripheral neuropathies, lower extremity wounds, tissue viability and vascular disease. Her work is centred on improving prevention, assessment, and management strategies for individuals at risk of- or living with- complex lower limb complications.

Her specific research interests include:

• Diabetic foot disease: comprehensive assessment and evidence-based management strategies designed to reduce morbidity and enhance patient outcomes.
• Prevention of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Including lifestyle medicine approaches, behavioural interventions, and targeted strategies to support self-management.
• Psychsocial Issues and Wellbeing in People Living with Diabetes: Exploration of the emotional, psychological, and social factors that influence disease self-management, quality of life, treatment adherence, and overall wellbeing, with particular attention to the burden of diabetic foot disease.
• Topical therapies for Diabetic Foot Ulceration: Evaluation of novel and established topical agents to determine their effectiveness in accelerating wound healing.
• Diabetes-related distal symmetric polyneuropathy: Investigation of innovative management strategies aimed at reducing symptoms and improving functional outcomes.
• Peripheral Vascular Disease and Ischaemic Ulceration: Study of diagnostic pathways, therapuetic options and preventative strategies for individuals at risk of limb-threatening ischaemia.
• Cardiovascularscreening: Indentification and monitoring of individuals at risk of cardiovascular complications through integrated and targeted screening with focus on the role of podiatry-led screening initiatives.
• Clinical Trials: Design, conduct, and analysis of high-quality clinical trials evaluating interventions for wound care, neuropathy and diabetes-related foot complications.
• Evidence synthesis: Systematically identify, appraise, and synthesise research evidence relevant to the prevention, assessment, and management of diabetes-related foot disease to inform the evidence-base/ clinical guideline development.

Prof. McIntosh's overarching goal is to advance clinical knowledge, inform best practice guidelines, and improve both the physical and psycholgical outcomes of people living with diabetes and lower limb complications.

I have over twenty years of academic experience in podiatric medical education, underpinned by extensive leadership in programme development, curriculum design, and professional accreditation. I have led and contributed to the development of new undergraduate and postgraduate podiatry programmes, successfully steering these through national and international professional, regulatory, and quality assurance processes. This work includes establishing and sustaining academically robust, clinically relevant curricula aligned with evolving scopes of practice and regulatory standards.

I am actively involved in undergraduate teaching and am committed to engaging and inspiring students across all stages of their academic development. My teaching is informed by my clinical and research expertise, with particular emphasis on diabetes, lower extremity wounds, and evidence-based clinical research. I deliver core teaching in wound care and diabetes within the undergraduate podiatry programme and contribute to postgraduate teaching through the Diabetic Foot Disease taught module, ensuring alignment between contemporary research, clinical guidelines, and educational practice.

In addition to taught programmes, I have significant experience in postgraduate education through the supervision of Master’s and PhD research students. I support students in developing strong methodological skills, critical appraisal capabilities, and scholarly outputs, fostering independence and research leadership. My teaching philosophy emphasises innovation and excellence, and I employ a range of pedagogical approaches—including research-led teaching, case-based learning, and interdisciplinary perspectives—to enhance student engagement, learning outcomes, and professional readiness.

Overall, my academic practice integrates teaching, research, and leadership to deliver high-quality podiatric education, contribute to workforce development, and support the advancement of evidence-based practice in diabetes-related foot disease and wound care.