Jengyu Lai, DPM
If you’re dealing with chronic foot pain, slow-healing wounds, or ongoing health issues, Dr. Jengyu Lai, DPM, believes the solution starts with asking a deeper question: Why is this happening?
At Rochester Clinic, Dr. Lai uses a unique approach that brings together Lifestyle Medicine, Functional Medicine, Biomechanics, and Regenerative Medicine to help your body heal from the inside out.
Instead of only treating symptoms, he focuses on the bigger picture:
- Lifestyle Medicine to improve blood sugar control, circulation, inflammation, sleep, and overall healing
- Functional Medicine to look at underlying imbalances affecting your health
- Root-Cause Foot and Ankle Evaluation to assess how structure, movement, and mechanics contribute to pain or injury
- Regenerative Medicine to support tissue repair and recovery
This whole-person approach is especially helpful for patients with diabetic foot ulcers, chronic wounds, foot and ankle pain, nerve issues, and post-surgical or post-injury recovery.
Dr. Lai has provided advanced podiatric and wound care for more than 20 years. He completed his residency in Podiatric Orthopedics and a three-year NIH fellowship in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is a Certified Physician Wound Specialist and a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Beyond the clinic, Dr. Lai shares practical health strategies in the community through 125 Live, Midwest Access on KTTC, and the podcast Healing Steps to Wellness with Dr. J and Mei. Through Rochester Clinic and Lotus Health Foundation, he also helps lead community health programs supported by grants from the Minnesota Department of Health and the CDC.
Dr. Lai’s goal is simple: help you heal better, move better, and live better — for the long term.
Recent Presentations:
“Sarcopenia and the Development of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Mechanisms, Risks, and Lifestyle-Based Management,” Boswick Burn and Wound Symposium, Maui, HI, January 2026.
“Whole-Person Strategies for diabetic Foot Ulcers: From Biomechanics to Epigenetics,” King’s International Summit on Diabetic Foot, London, UK, October 2025.
“Whole-Person Strategies for diabetic Foot Ulcers: From Biomechanics to Epigenetics,” Diabetic Foot Study Group, Prague, Czech Republic, September 2025.
“Epigenetic Modifications through Lifestyle Interventions for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Management,” Taiwan Society for Wound Care, Taipei, Taiwa, March, 2025.
“Lifestyle-Driven Epigenetic Modulation in Wound Healing,” Mayo Clinic Wound Symposium, February 2025.
“Using Point-of-Care Tissue Oxygenation Monitoring for diabetic Ulcer Prevention,” Boswick Burn and Wound Symposium, Maui, HI, January 2025.
“Challenges in Preventing Diabetic Foot Ulcers – an Illustrational Case Study,” Symposium on Advanced Wound Care, Las Vegas, October 2024.
“Wound Management: The Physiological Benefits of a Lifestyle Medicine Foundation,” Mayo Clinic Vascular Center/Wound Care Center Teaching Conference, May 2024.
“The Impact of Sleep on Wound Healing,” Boswick Burn and Wound Symposium, Maui, HI, January 2024.
“Enhancing Wound Healing Through Modern Wound Culture Testing,” Boswick Burn and Wound Symposium, Maui, HI, January 2024.
“Lifestyle Medicine approach to Wound Management,” American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Denver, Colorado, October 2023.
“Lifestyle Medicine in Lower Extremity Care,” No-Nonsense Podiatry, Virtual, March 2023.
“Lifestyle Medicine in Podiatry,” Lifestyle Medicine in Lower Extremity Care, Virtual, February 2023.
“Suspicion in Wound Management – Case Studies,” Boswick Burn and Wound Symposium, Maui, HI, January 2023.
“Lifestyle Medicine Approach to Wound Management,” Boswick Burn and Wound Symposium, Maui, HI, January 2023.
