Profile

I work in PDR at Cardiff Metropolitan University.  PDR is an international centre for design research that supports companies, the government and healthcare sector to implement design-led techniques effectively.  I head the Surgical & Prosthetic Design team, who focus on patient specific applications of design.

My work considers the effective implementation of design methodologies and technologies in the broad area of custom medical device development.  Through close collaboration with specialists in the UK NHS, I use technologies such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), 3D scanning and 3D printing to help plan complex medical procedures, design custom implants and develop body-worn prostheses.

Every day is different with a unique challenge. The work of my group involves running various research projects between the NHS, industry and other universities, developing new projects and undertaking cases. We see a wide range of clinical cases from across the country, most of them requiring surgery on the head.  Typical cases include people who are having disease removed and the bony anatomy reconstructed or who’ve been involved in an accident and need surgery to correct injuries.  We are also involved in a range of work centred around prosthetic devices for facial and body reconstruction.

I’d like to develop a series of patient case study videos that show how people undergoing surgery to remove disease or following a bad accident are treated using engineering technologies.  I’d like to follow cases from when the person turns up with a condition requiring surgery, through to the surgical plan, how custom devices are designed and manufactured, then show how they are used in the operating theatre.  I’d also like to highlight how people can recover from disease and injury by showing their life after surgery.

There aren’t any good videos and supporting information that shows how engineering is employed in head and neck surgery and how it fits into the overall treatment.  I’d like to make sure people have the opportunity to learn about this application of engineering wherever they are in the world.