Girl staring at computer

Real-World Solutions

Author
Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD

Complex problems need innovative approaches to finding solutions. Fortunately, we have a powerful creative partner in the Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM), an interdisciplinary group that uses engineering approaches and technologies to improve health care and provide a bridge to product development and our biomedical industry.

Case in point: Dr. Rahel Nardos, director for global women’s health at the Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility, frequently travels to her home country of Ethiopia to help women with pelvic floor injuries and disorders. Modern surgical tools are disposable, expensive, and often not available where she works, so she teamed with IEM and the Carlson School of Management’s New Product Design and Business Development class to redesign an older reusable surgical tool optimizing it for safer and more effective surgery for low-resource settings. The result of this multidisciplinary collaboration? A prototype tool that could be easily sourced and reused, and better surgical care for patients everywhere.

Rising medical costs and an aging population will continue to challenge us to find new ways to deliver safe, environmentally conscious, high-quality, and cost effective care. Having innovative interdisciplinary partners like the IEM is one of our greatest strengths in solving these challenges.

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