Personalised medical devices – why the fuss?

About this event:

Australia is at the forefront of new technologies in personalised implants and biomechanics. Advances in computer aided engineering, patient-specific computer models and additive manufacturing have transformed outcomes for patients. Personalised medical devices such as dental braces, orthopaedics and maxillofacial implants, and artificial limbs are being used more than ever. However, there are challenges that limit their widespread use.

Introducing the March MedTech panelists and chair:

Professor Sir Saeed Zahedi

Professor Sir Saeed Zahedi has over 40 years of experience in the field of prosthetics and he and his team have created outstanding results for many thousands of amputees around the world, giving them back the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest.

He was responsible for the commercialisation of the first Intelligent Prosthesis in the early 1990s and the world’s first fully integrated limb system, Linx, in 2014. In 2018 Queens Birthday Honours List, he was named to receive a Knighthood for his outstanding services to Innovation and Engineering in the field of rehabilitation.

Sir Saeed is a multi-award winning author and presenter of over 170 papers, books and scientific publications and over 60 patents.

He works for Blatchford, a global company who develops and manufactures orthopaedic products that offer the best possible mobility, function, comfort and cosmetics after amputation or other pathology.

For over 130 years, Blatchford has been involved in provision of services, design and development of assistive technologies for mobility. Their main focus has been enabling independence and social participation for lower limb amputees and real living for people with neuromuscular conditions. The reward has been witnessing renaissance in application of technology that has transformed lives.

A Fellow of the Royal Academy, 2018 Honorary fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Special Commendation in the Prince Philip Designer prize in 2011 and RSA Royal Designer for Industry in 2013. He and his team were the winner of US Medical Design Excellence Award, German Design Award in 2017 following their 2016 Mc Roberts’s engineering award (Gold medal and finalists in the 2010) adding to their 4th Queens Awards for technological achievement. In 2014 he received BHTA life time achievement award, and the team is EEF 2013 winner of winners, for smart product and export. In 2017 he received AOPA life time achievement award. Working on Integration (products+services = servitization) in Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Andrew Bucknill

Andrew Bucknill is Head of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, he has an interest in hip and knee surgery as well as pelvic and acetabular trauma. Working exclusively at the Royal Melbourne site, he has driven forwards the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery to reorganise and develop the unit to improve quality of care and training. He is also an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, sits on the Melbourne Health Human Research and Ethics Committee and is international faculty for the internationally-renowned AO Foundation courses.

Eric Bert

Eric brings 35 years of Disruptive Technology Management experience to lead 3DMEDiTech in the development of new solutions for personalised medical devices and COVID-19 testing.

Eric holds a Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Engineering) from the University of Massachusetts and is a veteran of the 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing Industry:

• SVP Arcam (a GE Additive Company)
• President of Arcam North America
• SVP Stratasys North America

With broad global experience in medical device design, manufacturing and regulatory compliance, Eric is also the inventor of 3DMEDiTech’s world-leading COVID-19 3D Printed nasal and saliva swab devices and solutions.

He has been instrumental in the growth of 3DMEDiTech and has served as COO from January 2018.

Professor Peter Lee BEng PhD (Chair)

Professor Peter Lee is the Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Medical Implant Technologies and the Chief Investigator in the ARC Training Centre for Personalised Therapeutic Technologies. As Director of the ARC Training Centre for Medical Implant Technologies, he leads the largest industry-university-hospital partnership in Australia focusing on orthopaedic and maxillofacial implants to train a new generation of interdisciplinary engineers in biomechanics, materials and manufacturing for the orthopaedic and maxillofacial implant industry. He joined the University of Melbourne, Australia, as a Senior Lecturer in 2008, and was promoted to an Associate Professor in 2011 and a Professor in 2015. Since then he has held several leadership positions including Deputy Head and Acting Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering, and currently as the Deputy Head (Research) of Department of Biomedical Engineering and leads the Cell and Tissue Biomechanics Laboratory in Engineering, where his research aims to better understand the behaviour of biological cells and tissues under mechanical forces. He has authored more than 140 publications in journals, conference proceedings and books. He is a regular reviewer for journals and grant bodies and currently the Deputy Editor for Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research (Springer Nature), and Associate Editor for Frontiers in Pharmacology (Translational Pharmacology).