Mar 12, 2023 
Prof. Frédéric Schuind is an orthopedic surgeon and professor with a career spanning several decades. He is also the Founder & CEO, Swibrace & Spirecut . He has held numerous positions throughout his career, including the Head of the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at Hôpital Erasme in Belgium and as a Full Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Prof Schuind specialized in orthopedics and traumatology, with a focus on prosthetics. He has been an active member of multiple scientific societies, including the role of President for the Société Royale Belge de Chirurgie Osseuse et de Traumatologie and the Belgian Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Dr. Schuind’s contributions to the field extend beyond his academic pursuits; he has also organized international meetings, undertaken surgical and educational missions in developing countries, and served as a reviewer for various journals. Dr. Schuind will be joining us for the upcoming 3D Printing for Orthopedics Virtual Event.
When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing?
Frédéric: About ten years ago, as an orthopaedic surgeon, I started using for complex osteotomies computer planning and 3D-printed guides. I realized the benefits of 3D-printing and had then the idea to use the technology to print casts, better fitting the anatomy of the patient, and potentially avoiding surgery to fix a fracture. There are many other potential applications in Orthopaedics
What inspired you to start your journey?
Frédéric: Avoiding geriatric patients suffering of fragility fractures surgery, in the case of a stable fracture that can be maintained by an improved casting method
Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing?
Frédéric: The physiotherapists of Inselspital who have adopted Swibrace’s 3D-printed braces
What motivates you the most for your work?
Frédéric: To benefit the patients
What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?
Frédéric: Getting precise anatomy of the limb of the patient, to be able to produce a brace perfectly matching the anatomical morphology
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)?
Frédéric: I doubt that 3D-printing can reproduce the complexity of living tissues
If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?
Frédéric: Stop the wars on earth, improve the quality of life for every human, preserve biodiversity
What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advice you heard should they ignore?
Frédéric: Never believe that a good idea is impossible to achieve, there is always some way
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