Scientific Advisory Board

Kelman Cohen, M.D.
Dr. Cohen is currently emeritus professor of surgery at the Health Science Division of Virginia Commonwealth University. From 1975 to 2001 he served as professor of surgery and chairman of the plastic and reconstructive surgery division. Other career academic appointments include the University of North Carolina , John Hopkins Hospital , the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Cohen is a member of more than 20 scientific, honorary and professional societies, including the American Burn Association, American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, The Society of Head and Neck Surgeons and founding member of the Wound Healing Society. His background includes serving as principal investigator for numerous research studies related to treatments for burns and chronic wounds. He has published extensively in a variety of medical and scientific journals, in addition to numerous guest lectures and fellowships across the country and around the world. Dr. Cohen earned a Medical Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Lawrence A. Lavery, D.P.M.
Dr. Lavery currently serves as associate professor in the department of surgery at the College of Medicine of Texas A & M Health Science Center , as well as staff podiatrist at the Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administrative Hospital in Maywood , Illinois . Other career academic appointments include Loyola University Medical Center in Illinois, various other positions at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, three separate terms of service over a several year period at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Administrative Hospital, San Antonio, Texas, and the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Lavery has published extensively on the study and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, with numerous honors and awards related to this medical specialty. His career experience includes more than 20 past or present positions with a variety of professional health organizations, including serving as a reviewer for Veterans Administration grants for the agency's New York/New Jersey Healthcare System and the editorial advisory board for Advances in Skin & Wound Care. He currently serves as chairman of the Foot Care Council of the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Lavery earned a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from the Dr. William Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine and a Masters of Public Health degree from the University of Texas .

Linda G. Phillips, M.D.,
Dr. Phillips currently serves as chief of the department of plastic surgery and senior associate dean for academic affairs for the School of Medicine at the University of Texas in Galveston , following several other academic positions at the medical school since 1991. She also presently serves on the consulting medical staff/active scientific staff at the Shriners Burns Institute in Galveston , Texas . Her earlier experience includes positions at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit , Michigan , director of the Burn Center, Detroit Receiving Hospital , and several attending staff positions. Dr. Phillips also served as an instructor in the department of surgery at Northwestern University . She has received grant support for over 60 medical studies related to chronic wounds. Dr. Phillips' professional career includes serving on over one hundred committees for a variety of medical associations, including the American Association for Hand Surgery, the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, the American College of Surgeons and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. She is a member of over thirty scientific societies and a member of numerous editorial/review boards of medical journals. Dr. Phillips has published extensively in a variety of medical and scientific journals, in addition to presenting at hundreds of symposiums and conference throughout the United States and overseas. She earned a Medical Doctor degree from the University of Chicago .