The HealthPartners Institute Foot and Ankle Surgical Residency program is approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) and sponsors a Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency with Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle Surgery (PMSR/RRA).

Residency training sites

Broad-based surgical cases for the Foot and Ankle Surgical Residency Program include reconstructive forefoot, rearfoot and ankle surgery; foot and ankle trauma; and emergent and elective diabetic limb salvage. Clinical experience is vast, with active resident participation in preoperative and postoperative care, inpatient care, office procedures, wound care and coding.

• Regions Hospital
• HealthPartners Same Day Surgery Center
• HealthPartners Riverside Clinic
• HealthPartners Specialty Center
• TRIA Orthopedic Center
• Methodist Hospital
• Fairview Hospitals: University of Minnesota Medical Center Riverside, Fairview Ridges and Fairview Southdale

Residency training faculty

The Foot and Ankle Surgical Residency program includes a group of excellent attending physicians who supervise residents. They are responsible for inpatient management of hospital patients and daily interaction with members of teams providing other medical services.

Meet the team

Program Director

Troy Boffeli, DPM

Residency curriculum

PGY-1 curriculum

• Internal Medicine – One month
• General Surgery – One month
• Orthopedic Surgery – One month
• Plastic Surgery – One month
• Emergency Medicine – One month
• Behavioral Science – Two weeks
• Pathology – Two weeks
• Medical Imaging – Two weeks
• Anesthesia – Two weeks
• Wound Care – Two weeks
• Foot and Ankle Surgery – Ongoing

PGY-2 curriculum

• Infectious Disease – Two weeks
• Vascular Surgery – Two weeks
• Endocrine – Two weeks
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Interventional Pain – Two weeks
• Biomechanics – Every other Friday
• Foot and Ankle Surgery – Ongoing

PGY-3 curriculum

• Foot and Ankle Surgery – Ongoing

Academics 

Orthopedic Trauma Conference

Once a week, the Regions Orthopedic Department holds a conference to discuss recent trauma cases and listen to a lecture from a staff member. This conference helps residents and students stay up to date with new techniques and strategies in orthopedic surgery.

Monthly Journal Club and Book Club

Twice a month, residents and students meet to review assigned book chapters and journal articles relevant to the week’s cases. Students are expected to actively participate in Journal Club and Book Club and are responsible for presenting the articles. Residents gather articles and prepare book chapters for review. Residents and attending physicians in this program are committed to remaining current through evidence-based literature review.

Weekly board prep

Once a week, residents and students meet to participate in a board preparation didactic activity. Chief residents ask students and residents questions about foot and ankle surgery that are likely to appear on board exams. This is an informal way for both students and residents to retain their foundational foot and ankle medical and surgical knowledge.

Friday Morning Meeting

Once a week, students, residents and staff meet to discuss challenging cases and trauma cases seen during the week and critically evaluate postoperative radiographic films. This is also a good setting in which to learn about new products from manufacturers and updates from within our practice.

Preoperative Case Planning

Every week, attending physicians, residents and students gather to discuss upcoming surgical cases. Guided by current evidence-based medicine, they evaluate procedure selection and indications and discuss alternative procedures. Residents are encouraged and expected to actively participate in preoperative planning.

Weekly Lecture Series

Each week, an online lecture is reviewed and discussed. The foot and ankle staff, residents and students review the lecture on their own time, then meet as a group to discuss the lecture and our current practices. This lecture series helps students prepare for Centralized Residency Interview Program interviews and residents prepare for board exams. The series covers the entire scope of podiatric surgery and medicine, including preoperative evaluation, perioperative care of the foot and ankle patient and topics in surgery and general medicine. 

Research

We emphasize conducting relevant clinical research throughout residency. Research is presented at state, regional and national scientific conferences as both poster and podium presentations. Residents are expected to publish their research.

Foot and Ankle Surgery residents

The Foot and Ankle Surgical Residency Program accepts three residents per year, providing hands-on experience in all aspects of foot and ankle medicine and surgery. On-call residents are responsible for emergency department consults, inpatient rounds and consults, fielding and responding to urgent-care patient calls. This well-rounded curriculum allows graduating residents to practice all aspects of foot and ankle surgery professionally and confidently.

Meet the team