About Dr. Tagaloa-Tulifau
Mafutaga Tagaloa-Tulifau, DPM, has practiced podiatric medicine and surgery at Tagaloa-Tulifau Foot & Ankle Center in Lakewood, California, since 1999. Doing what she loves to do – helping people with their foot and ankle problems – is a real blessing and her true calling. Dr. Tagaloa-Tulifau believes there’s nothing as fulfilling as seeing someone come into her office wi
th pain or a full-blown infected diabetic ulcer and leave with a smile because she was able to resolve their pain or begin a course of treatment to save their limb. Dr. Tagaloa-Tulifau works to create lasting relationships with her patients and the community. She believes in spending quality time with her patients, explaining their foot or ankle problem and exploring treatment options. While she’s a well-trained foot and ankle surgeon, her philosophy is to try conservative treatment first before considering surgical intervention. Dr. Tagaloa-Tulifau was born and raised in American Samoa, where she attended Fagaitua High School, graduating as valedictorian of her class. Following high school, she attended American Samoa Community College, then moved to California with her parents and received her Bachelor of Science in biology from Loma Linda University. After relocating to San Francisco, Dr. Tagaloa-Tulifau received her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from California College of Podiatric Medicine, which is now known as California College of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt College. Then she went on to complete her residency at the University of Southern California-Los Angeles County Medical Center. Dr. Tagaloa-Tulifau continues to keep up with the latest medical research, innovations, and treatments by attending continuing education seminars throughout the country. She firmly believes that knowledge is powerful, so she keeps up-to-date with technology and implements advanced procedures in her office. In her spare time, Dr. Tagaloa-Tulifau likes to exercise and spend time with her family, which includes six children and her mother. Three of her daughters are still at home, while her fourth daughter and two sons attend college.
