Podiatrists are doctors to the same degree that dentists are doctors. (Which is to say, they don't obtain the same degree obtained by physicians.) I think that

Podiatrists are doctors to the same degree that dentists are doctors. (Which is to say, they don't obtain the same degree obtained by physicians.) I think that research prestige is orthogonal to clinical prestige. Even then, I think that clinical fields do not have a linear order of prestige. It's more like individuals carry their own prestige (for research or for patient care).