This year, our Centre for Foot Medicine and Surgery is celebrating its eighth anniversary. Created in 2012 by PD Dr. Mathieu Assal, the Centre has never stopped growing and reinventing itself.
The team now consists of around twenty members: specialized surgeons, physicians, nurses, podiatrists, and administrative staff all work together to welcome patients and care for them until their full recovery.
Exciting news will punctuate the coming year:
Creation of a diabetic foot prevention center
Firstly, the creation of a diabetic foot center within the ASSAL Centre. Thomas Müller, our podiatrist specialized in diabetic podiatry and therapeutic patient education, aims to establish a specialized at-risk foot clinic for patients with diabetes. This condition requires specific treatments that must be provided by a specialist.
In addition, Mr. Müller is committed to involving patients in their own recovery. That is why he will lead small group workshops aimed at helping them better manage their condition on a daily basis.
Ongoing training for our teams
With a constant focus on improving our skills, our team engages in ongoing training on various topics. For example, Christian Riesen, a nurse specializing in wound care and healing, will soon complete the first part of his acupuncture training. At the end of this first stage, he will be able to provide acupuncture treatments to his patients. This new discipline will offer an alternative option for patients in the treatment of pain in the leg, ankle, or foot.
For her part, Dr. Lisca Drittenbass is continuing her MBA in business management, which she will complete during 2021.
Commitment to a more resilient economy
The ASSAL Centre is strengthening its commitment to a more sustainable economy, both environmentally and socially. This is why the Centre is investing time to become BCorp certified. Initiated by the organization B Lab, BCorp certification allows participating companies to measure their impact in terms of governance, social and environmental responsibility, and transparency. Certified companies then become part of a network that supports each other and shares the same values.
With this same vision and in parallel to BCorp, we are also participating in the Swiss Triple Impact (STI) initiative, which allows us to measure our actions according to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. To date, we are the only company active in the medical field to have committed to this program.
Creation of the FORTE Foundation
Finally, the year 2021 will also mark the official launch of the FORTE Foundation. This public-interest foundation aims to support research and education in the fields of traumatology and orthopedics.
Its main areas of action are the funding of scientific studies, the publication of books and articles, participation in and organization of conferences and training sessions, therapeutic education for patients and education for medical professionals, research and innovation in the fields of medicine and orthopedic surgery, as well as the support and awarding of scholarships to students who wish to train or further their education in orthopedic surgery or teaching in this same specialty.
Despite a somewhat disrupted year in 2020, our Centre was determined not to let the pandemic dampen its spirit. On the contrary, we doubled our efforts to reinvent ourselves and emerge even stronger. Our 10th anniversary is on the horizon, bringing with it great ambitions, and we look forward to sharing more with you in the months to come.
