3D printing in medicine: integrating VR, AR and other enabling technologies

Speakers

Silvia Schievano
Professor of biomedical engineering
University College London (UK) and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH, London, UK)

Silvia Schievano is professor of biomedical engineering at University College London and GOSH. She graduated in engineering from the Politecnico di Milano (Italy) and pursued her PhD degree in clinical cardiovascular engineering at GOSH. Since then, Silvia has been conducting research on translational engineering for congenital diseases, predominantly concentrating on cardiovascular and craniofacial disorders. Her main research activities focus on applying engineering methodologies to clinical practice, in particular looking at utilizing methodologies such as 3D printing and virtual reality for the clinical assessments of complex congenital diseases, statistical shape modeling and population analyses. Additionally, Silvia is interested in utilizing computational simulations to support the design of new medical devices and personalized treatments.

Zhonghua Sun
Professor
Curtin University (Bentley, Australia)

Zhonghua Sun is a John Curtin Distinguished Professor of the Curtin Medical School at Curtin University. He gained his Bachelor of Medicine and PhD degrees in clinical medicine and medical imaging, respectively, from the Harbin Medical University (Heilongjiang, China) and the University of Ulster (Belfast, UK). His research interests include diagnostic radiology, 3D medical image visualization and processing, in particular for cardiovascular CT imaging, 3D printing and virtual and augmented reality in medicine. He has published five books, 14 book chapters and over 300 refereed journal papers in radiology or medical imaging journals. Zhonghua is also a fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (VA, US). Additionally, he serves as an associate editor and academic editor for six journals and is an editorial board member for over 30 international medical or medical imaging journals. Zhonghua’s main research interests include imaging for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, 3D printing, virtual reality and augmented reality in medicine.

Bennett Werner
Software engineer
AppliedVR (CA, US)

Bennett Werner is pioneering in the field of evidence-based, immersive VRx, a new category of prescription digital therapeutics. Bennett is a key contributor to the ongoing development of EaseVRx (CA, US), the first virtual reality-based treatment for pain to receive FDA approval as a Class II medical device. As one of the lead innovators at AppliedVR, Bennett’s cross-discipline role covers all aspects of the design and development of immersive VR content. Bennett’s skillset includes software development, 3D modeling, UX design, rapid prototyping, audio and video production and more.

Bennett’s other notable experiences include roles at the famed VR-Studio Survios (CA, US) and as the initial developer of the spinal cord injury rehabilitation application Mieron (CA, US). He currently lives in Los Angeles, California (US).

Karthik Tappa
Anatomic 3D specialist
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (TX, US)

Karthik is a biomedical engineer currently working as an anatomic 3D specialist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (TX, US). Here, he develops anatomical models, surgical guides and numerous similar research prototypes utilizing 3D printing technologies to aid physicians with rehearsing their procedures for better patient outcomes. Karthik has published more than 30 articles, some of which were listed amongst the most highly cited publications in 2020 and 2021 by multiple international prestigious publishers. He is widely recognized as an expert in utilizing various 3D printing techniques for numerous point-of-care applications. He holds a PhD in biomedical engineering from Louisiana Tech University (LA, US).

Antwine McFarland
Post-doctoral research fellow
University of Connecticut Health Center (CT, US)

Antwine McFarland is a post-doctoral research fellow in the biomedical engineering department at University of Connecticut Health Center (CT, US). His current research involves post-fracture bone regeneration via cell-mediated drug release. He completed his PhD at Louisiana Tech University (LA, US) in molecular science and nanotechnology. His area of research was focused on regenerative medicine utilizing bioactive materials. Antwine led the research group of David Mills, professor of biological science and biomedical engineering at Louisiana Tech University, which won a NASA Ignight the Night Competition award (WA, US) in April 2020 and placed fourth in NASA’s iTECH Cycle II Innovation Challenge (WA, US) for a novel antimicrobial material.