Interview with Paul Egan: Medical Design Innovation in 3D printing

Category: Blog
Nov 21, 2024

Dr. Paul Egan is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University and leads the Medicine, Mechanics, and Manufacturing Design (M3D) Lab. The M3D Lab investigates a unique integration of engineering design methods for system modeling, optimization, and experimentation of diverse biomedical systems using computational design and additive manufacturing approaches. Research applications focus on 3D printing for tissue scaffolds, personalized nutrition, prosthetics, and medical devices. Dr. Egan’s engineering design teachings promote mechanical design innovation for positive societal impacts, which aligns with Dr. Egan’s leadership in entrepreneurial activities and medical technology start-ups. Professor Egan will be a speaker at the upcoming virtual event focusing on Design for Medical 3D Printing.

When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing?

Paul: My first experience with 3D printing began with my post-doctoral appointment in 2014. At this
time, the technology was beginning to gain momentum for more practical use in research and
provided an opportunity to automate the fabrication of real-world designs optimized through
the support of computational design processes.

What inspired you to start your journey?

Paul: My inspiration for 3D printing, particularly in health applications, is to leverage innovations in
computational design to create physical systems that improve human health, particularly those
that are personalized for individual user needs.

Who inspired you the most along this journey?

Paul: I have had numerous mentors inspire me throughout my journey towards 3D printing in
medicine. The greatest mentors are those that are open-minded and facilitative, while also
challenging and encouraging better work in others.

What motivates you the most for your work?

Paul: I am highly motivated by the potential impact of my research work to improve human health,
while also contributing novel ideas that drive fundamental knowledge of science and
engineering forward.

What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?

Paul: In interdisciplinary work, obstacles always exist to gaining acceptance and working with
others across fields. An essential aspect of success is building a network and relationships with
other experts open to cross-disciplinary collaborations that may require more
work to understand one another’s perspectives but have great potential for innovations.

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)?

Paul: A big practical challenge in bio-printing is the creation of patient-specific solutions for systems
with heterogeneous organizations, such as heart replacements for organ transplants. Potential
solutions will require coordination across different fields of science and engineering, especially
for understanding and controlling different emergent behaviors among system components.

If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?

Paul: Some wishes at the top of the list are more time, health, and happiness.

What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advice have you heard they should ignore?

Paul: Some good advice for driven college students is to balance your aspirations and passions with
what is practically achievable. Advice that is not so helpful tends to be generalized
across all students while not appreciating the context of each student’s unique situation.

What’s your favorite book you read this year and why? Alternatively, what’s your favorite book of all times you read and why?

Paul: One of my favorite books of all time is I am a Strange Loop in addition to other works by Douglas
Hofstadter
. His works provide a unique perspective linking philosophy, computation, and
science, providing deep insights to understanding and improving the world around us.

Interview with Elissa Ross: Mathematics Behind Metafold 3D

Interview with Jade Myers: Designing 3D Printed Prosthetics

Design for 3D Printed Medical Devices (On Demand Video)

Designing and Equipping 3D Bioprinting Facilities

Robert Pugliese: Design for Healthcare with 3DPrinting (Podcast)

Virtual Reality Software For Molecular Modeling and Structure-Based Drug Design

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