My name is Victoria Milbourn, and I am a podiatrist from the United Kingdom with over 15 years of clinical experience in NHS multidisciplinary foot services. I specialised in the care of people with complex, limb-threatening diabetic foot complications, including diabetic foot ulcers, peripheral arterial disease and Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy.
Alongside clinical care, I led service development work focused on audit, pathway redesign and quality improvement, and supported research delivery through study recruitment and evaluation. These experiences shaped my interest in understanding how evidence can better support clinical decision-making, particularly in conditions like Charcot foot, where guidance is often limited and decision-making is challenging.
The DIALECT programme offered the perfect opportunity to develop formal research skills and to examine some of the questions that often arose in practice, particularly around Charcot foot. I am now a doctoral candidate at Amsterdam UMC, where I study the biomechanical aspects of Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy and deformity. My research includes studies on imaging, pressure analysis, gait assessment, survival outcomes and offloading, each contributing to a more detailed understanding of Charcot foot biomechanics in clinical care.