Funding Source: Liberal Arts in the Workplace Grant

Hello! My name is Theresa Haupt and I am a rising senior pursuing a chemistry major with a biochemistry concentration. This summer, I am fortunate to be working as an intern at MedEast Post-Op & Surgical based in Cherry Hill, NJ. MedEast consists of several certified clinicians, residents, patient advocates, and salespersons working together to provide prosthetics and orthotics to patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. My role is less related to the patient care side and more focused on the design of prosthetic-related devices.

The “team,” as we are referred to by the MedEast staff, includes me and three other engineering interns. Our work is based around two projects: the first being to produce a durable and functional prosthetic finger and the second to design a prosthetic leg cover utilizing 3D scanning technology. The main goal in designing an artificial finger has been finding a balance between normal functionality and a finger-like appearance. The leg cover has been the most challenging, figuring out how to combine two 3D scans of an individual’s anatomical leg and the prosthetic leg into a single mold. All of this can be done on any usable Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software and translated to 3D resin and filament printers. The software I have been utilizing is Fusion360, which I can access through my Haverford school account. On the design-heavy days, I tend to work remotely, watching online tutorials to learn new techniques and modifying my design. Most days, I am in the office with the other interns where we can more easily collaborate on our CAD work and also sit in on patient appointments. So far, I have resin printed three variations of a prototype for a prosthetic finger and created a miniature model for a leg cover on Fusion. Every Thursday, the team meets with a CAD engineer who comes in on his lunch breaks to discuss our progress, assist in ordering materials, and plan next steps. This upcoming week we will undergo a design review to compare our finger prototypes from the past month and finalize a design going forward.

While I was drawn to the use of 3D printing in a partially industrial setting, I originally contacted MedEast to gain experience towards obtaining a Masters in prosthetics and orthotics. Since visiting my grandfather in a Veteran’s hospital, I have been researching the field of prosthetics and bioengineering applications in artificial organs and body parts. As a career I may be interested in, I contacted several companies and was often disheartened by the limited applications and experiences found. Gratefully, this summer I was granted the opportunity to combine all my interests by engineering and shadowing the clinicians at MedEast. The team follows a current resident in the process of taking her exams and a recently certified clinician. They are teaching us so much about the process for getting into the field including graduate school, residency, and certification exams. When patients are comfortable with it, we get to observe the appointments. It has been amazing getting to see the entirety of a direct socket fabrication and then watching an amputee walk with their new leg.

There are various disciplines needed for this career that I had never considered as MedEast has patients of all ages coming in for prosthetic legs – above and below knee, orthotics for upper and lower limbs, and cranial helmets for skull alignment. There is a constant need for problem-solving and thinking on the spot to best meet the needs and wants of the patient. One below-knee amputee may prefer a suction socket while the next is comfortable with a pin-lock. In my CAD work, I have to remember to enable changes in dimensions for different finger and leg lengths. As a natural sciences major, most of my previous work experiences have been in science research. Thus, working at MedEast has been my first opportunity to observe how a career as a bioengineer compares to that of a prosthetic clinician.

I am excited to see the final products at the end of the summer and be able to apply my new CAD skills in completing my bioengineering Masters at the University of Pennsylvania. Hopefully, the team will get to user-test the finger design and leg cover and leave behind a starting template for future interns. I am extremely grateful to the CCPA, the Liberal Arts in the Workplace Grant, and especially the MedEast staff and my fellow interns for helping make this educational experience possible.