Medical Modeling
Improving Patient Outcomes

Overview

My work in medical modeling began at a time when the intersection of design and healthcare was still emerging. As the first full-time designer at a reconstructive medicine clinic, I worked closely with surgeons to support surgical planning, design specialized tools, and develop patient-specific models using computer-aided design and 3D printing technologies.

This experience shaped my approach to design; grounded in collaboration and focused on improving real-world outcomes. From creating surgical training models, refining complex procedures and teaching courses on digital technologies in surgery, I saw firsthand how design could enhance precision, efficiency, and care.

Since then, I’ve continued to apply these skills as a consultant, working with startups, researchers, and healthcare institutions to develop medical devices, refine surgical methods, improve patient understanding of procedures and translate complex clinical challenges into tangible solutions.

Background

My introduction to medical modeling began with a practicum in a newly established lab full of advanced tools, but little defined process. What started as ambiguity quickly became an opportunity to apply design thinking in a clinical setting.

My practicum focused on measuring facial changes before and after surgery, helping shift evaluation from subjective assessment to quantifiable data by developing clear, repeatable digital workflows used in clinical studies and surgical planning.

This practicum resulted in an offer for full-time design work, fully embedded in a clinical team. This experience revealed the value of design in healthcare: simplifying complexity, bridging the gap between rapidly evolving technology and the clinicians expected to use it. By combining technical fluency with a human-centered approach, medical modeling became not just a tool for visualization, but a means to improve understanding, collaboration, and ultimately, patient outcomes.

Imaging to 3D
Medical Modeling processes enable the translation of medical imaging to 3D anatomical models

Improved Communication Enhancing clarity in surgical planning and patient communication with imagery, animations and 3D prints

Tackling Complexity
Enabling better, safer planning of complex procedures such as mandibular reconstruction using a fibula (leg bone)

Across Disciplines
These workflows support better outcomes for a wide range of patients across many surgical disciplines

Key Achievements

Supported hundreds of patient cases, improving planning precision and patient outcomes
Top 40 Under 40 Recipient from Avenue Edmonton (now Edify)
Co-Author for Surgical Textbook Chapter:
-Digital Technology in Maxillofacial Rehabilitation in ‘Maxillofacial Rehabilitation-Prosthodontic and Surgical Management of Cancer-Related, Acquired and Congenital Defects of the Head and Neck’
Co-Author for scientific publications including:
-A pilot study on the use of geometrically accurate face models to replicate ex vivo N95 mask fit
-Three-dimensional biomodeling in complex mandibular reconstruction and surgical simulation: Prospective trial
-Free Tissue Transfer Flap Reconstruction of Parotidectomy Defects: Outcomes Analysis and the Utility of Three-Dimensional Laser Surface Scans
Featured Speaker at conferences including:
-Advanced Digital Technology in Head & Neck Reconstruction
-Design Rearch Society
-American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics
Workshop instructor and instructional designer for courses in Canada, USA, Germany, Wales, South Africa