Apr 12, 2019 
Luiz Fernando Michaelis Co-founder and CEO of Hefesto Med Tech – Orthopedics 4.0; Co-developer of PetLock Orthosis; Participant of Stanford Biodesign @ Einstein; Fellow in Orthopedic Oncology; Medical Residency in Orthopedics and Traumatology; Graduation in Medicine – UFABC. Luiz will be a speaker at our upcoming 3DHEALS Brazil event.
Jenny: When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing? What was that experience like? What were you thinking at that moment?
Luiz: My first time with 3D printing was in October 2017 and it was an eye opening experience, since I thought it was something completely different and simpler. I thought at that time there were a lot to study to reach my goals.
Jenny: What inspired you to start your journey in 3D printing ?
Luiz: As an orthopedic surgeon my inspiration is aways the evolution of patient care and medical practice, specially in an area that lacks real new solutions for old, known problems.
Jenny: Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing ?
Luiz: My inspiration began in the first year of residency but the one case that made me jump from being a clinician and dive into developing was a lady with terminal breast cancer and no real treatment to alleviate her pain from a femur fracture ‘cause there were no anesthetic options or orthopedic implants capable of doing it.
Jenny: What motivates you the most for your work?
Luiz: The possibility of changing the way we treat orthopedic patients, with more information and a more controllable and objective treatment for the orthopedic surgeon.
Jenny: What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?
Luiz: As a lot of cases working with 3D printing, our biggest obstacle is time. Patients don’t always have the time to wait a lot for things to be printed. The solution is making the time to delivery a constant and work around it or develop a faster printer.
Jenny: 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)?
Luiz: The biggest challenge for both Bio-printing and 3D Printing is to get more availability and usage in point-of-care medicine with reproducibility and quality. The solution is to keep advancing on research and thinking outside the box to evolve the technology and increase its uses.
Jenny: If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?
Luiz: Have more time, more peace and the capacity to store more information.
Jenny: What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advices you heard should they ignore?
Luiz: I’d say that you got to be smart enough to understand the context and reality you live in and try to move in the right direction and that we usually don’t reach the dream without the work.
As for bad advice, there is no bad advice and none should be ignored. They ought to be heard and thought of.
Jenny: If you could have a giant billboard to promote a message to millions and even billions of people in our community (i.e. healthcare 3D printing and bio-fabrication), what message would that be?
Luiz: Less hype, more real solutions!
Jenny: What were/was the best investment you made in 3D printing/bio-printing/bio-fabrication?
Luiz:: The best investment is always taking time in testing and education. All the rest follows.
Jenny: What were/was the worst investment you made in 3D printing?
Luiz: Buying a printer that doesn’t match my need. A waste of money and time.
Jenny: What was/is the biggest risk you took in your career?
Luiz: Not having a regular doctor’s career to study and build technology.
Jenny: What do you enjoy in your spare time? What are you passionate about outside of your work/3d printing?
Luiz: I practice jiu-jitsu and go to the gym. I’m passionate about sports and knowledge.
Jenny: What is your favorite quote? Why?
Luiz: If you want something done, do it yourself. Because the only way you know something will be done and accordingly with what you want and actually doing it.
Jenny: What does the word “3DHEALS” mean to you? =)
Luiz: A possibility of making a difference and being a part of a bigger community
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