Research milestone: ALPS Founding President David Armstrong Surpasses 90,000 citations in peer-reviewed literature

25. November 2025

ALPS Founding President David G. Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD, has crossed a significant bibliometric threshold, surpassing 90,000 citations in peer-reviewed literature reflecting a widening impact of the “Toe and Flow” team approach.

ALPS is proud to share the news that according to Google Scholar, Professor Armstrong’s research now holds an h-index of 133 and an i10-index of 549 and reflects the profound and widening impact of the “Toe and Flow” team approach to eliminating preventable amputations.

 

This milestone places Dr. Armstrong, Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, among the top 0.1% of cited clinician-scientists worldwide.

Key Metrics:

  • Total Citations: >90,000
  • h-index: 133
  • i10-index: 549
  • Manuscripts: >750

 These metrics also signal a critical evolution in how the medical community understand and treats the diabetic foot.

 

Dr. Armstrong, ALPS Founding President and also Founder and Co-Director of SALSA, shares:

“While numbers like these are flattering, they are really a lagging indicator of the hard work of hundreds of teammates, fellows, and collaborators around the world over the last three decades. What this really tells us is that the silent pandemic of diabetic foot complications is finally being heard. Every citation represents a clinician somewhere in the world looking for a better way to keep a patient moving through their world.”

Advancements made, but mission unchanged

The research spanned by these citations covers critical advancements in wound healing, infection management, offloading technology, and the organization of interdisciplinary amputation prevention teams. As the founding President of the American Limb Preservation Society (ALPS), Armstrong notes that the mission remains unchanged.

“Our goal has never been about the impact factor of a journal,” Armstrong added. “It is about the ‘impact factor of one’—making a difference for the next patient walking through the door. We are just getting started.”

About David G. Armstrong 

David G. Armstrong is a Professor of Surgery and Neurological Surgery at the University of Southern California and the Director of the USC Center to Stream Healthcare in Place (C2SHiP). He is the founder and co-director of the Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA) and has produced more than 750 peer-reviewed manuscripts and over 120 books or book chapters.For more information about Dr. David G. Armstrong’s work and contributions, please visit the USC Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy.

To explore Dr. Armstrong’s extensive body of work, visit his Google Scholar profile.

About ALPS

The American Limb Preservation Society (ALPS) is dedicated to advancing the science, clinical care, advocacy, and education of limb preservation. Through global collaborations and conferences like DFCon and DFUpdate, ALPS leads a multidisciplinary charge to eliminate preventable amputations and improve outcomes for patients around the world.

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