Jul 04, 2024 
Bryan Scheer, M.D. is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon. Dr.Scheer received his medical degree at the University of Nevada and completed his orthopedics residency at the University of Oklahoma. After more than ten years of practice in rural hospitals, he co-founded inReach Healthcare (fka Rural Partners in Medicine -RPM). InReach’s mission has always been to empower rural hospitals and give them an avenue to provide specialty medical care to their patients. This also opened the door to give some balance to the maldistribution of specialty providers in these small, remote, underserved communities. InReach contracts directly with individual hospitals to keep patients and revenue local. This has positively impacted the physical health and economic viability for these partnering hospitals. Quickly, the demand became larger than what he could individually supply, so he recruited fellow orthopedic surgeons and expanded their scope. InReach has six separate divisions and offers numerous services/specialties in 18 states and over 100 hospitals. Striving to further enhance patient outcomes, Dr. Scheer developed a strong interest in alternative materials and applications for medical use which led to the founding of SiNAPTIC Technologies. SiNAPTIC focuses on Additive Manufacturing of complex and technical ceramics. 3-D printed biomaterials are cutting-edge in performance and improved outcomes but also further improve daily lives through their many uses in industry, electronics, and aerospace/defense. Both inReach and SiNAPTIC are based north of Denver, CO. Dr. Scheer lives full time in Steamboat Springs, CO with his wife Melanie. They share four adult children. Dr. Scheer is a speaker at the 3D Printed Orthopedic Implant event.
What inspired you to start your journey/company/career/research in 3D printing ?
Bryan: The answer to #1 and #2 are, in part, the same. I am an Orthopedic surgeon. Around 2009 I was a member of a design team for Total Joint replacement. We had a specific interest in alternative bearings/materials and were working with a company that had commercialization rights to SiN. We saw, firsthand, the challenges with subtractive technology and machining of mature ceramics. These issue were certain impediments to the business case with these materials. For practical reasons we shelved those opportunities. In the meantime, a good friend and eventual SiNaptic Co-Founder went to work with a company commercializing SiN, mostly with spinal fusion cages. He, too, was disheartened by the existing limitations of the production. We kept in touch on the topic…..Fast forward a decade, and companies like Lithoz were successfully 3D printing ceramics to scale, but with a mostly wide open market/customer base in all the applicable, end-market scenarios. Therein, was the inspiration.
Who inspired you the most along this journey?
Bryan:
- Hugh Roberts
- Johannes Homa
What motivates you the most for your work?
Bryan: Through creative process, unique and emerging technologies I believe we can improve the quality of human life through AM ceramics – directly in medicine but also in other pertinent fields.
What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?
Bryan: All obstacles and challenges are simply opportunities when viewed from a different perspective. I employ a philosophy of ….. we don’t say “NO!” there are just lots of ways to say “Yes”
What do you think is (are) the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing/bio-printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?
Bryan: It depends on the material and the applications, but it depends on the efficiency of postproduction and sintering/thermal processing and on general market acceptance.
If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?
Bryan: I will have to think about this one. My higher power and I communicate often….but Faith, Patience, and Resilience come to mind.
What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advices you heard should they ignore?
Bryan: Good Advice:Anxiety and Fear win no battles. Scared money never wins. Watch, listen, be calm, talk the least in the meeting but listen the best and know the most. Don’t get prepared for things, stay prepared for everything – it is your job. Bad Advice: lots out there, but consider the source and the motive and the value of the advice and feedback is usually obvious.
What’s your favorite book you read this year and why? Alternatively, what’s your favorite book of all times you read and why?
Bryan: Comfort Crisis and Deep Survival. Most of Gladwell’s books.
Related Links:
Interview with Dr. Bruno Gobbato: 3D Printing Orthopedics
San Francisco: 3D Printing and AI in Orthopedics (On Demand)
3D Printing for Orthopedic Care (On Demand)
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