Case Study

ClarksonCollegeDevelops
Unique 3D
Printing
Education
ProgramPowered byStratasysDigitalAnatomy
Technology

3D printing is so importantbecause it helped my family ata time when we needed it. My
husband and I were able to stayon the same page and makedecisions together for our son’scare. In an uncertain time, it
was replaced with a sense ofcertainty and calmness because
we knew what was happening.”

Blair Kauzlarich

B.S., ARRT (R) CI
3D Printing andTraining Administrator
at Clarkson College2 2Blair Kauzlarich, who serves as an adjunctfaculty member and the 3D Printing and Training
Administrator for Clarkson College in Omaha,
Nebraska, has a personal connection to 3D
printing; she’s been on the receiving end of patient
education through 3D printing for a complex
surgery.
“Not only is it my job, but I’ve also lived it,” said
Kauzlarich. “When my son was 10 months old,
he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that needed
to be removed.”
Kauzlarich got a copy of her son’s CT and MRI
scans from medical records and partnered witha radiologist to make a 3D version of her son’sbrain. Through visualization with the 3D model,
she and her husband were able to better
understand how to proceed with her son’scare. And while the tumor did not end up being
cancerous, Kauzlarich said that knowing specificallywhere the tumor was located helped them decide
which method of surgery would be best.

3D printing is a language weall speak. We are committed
to excellence in learning by
creating pathways that utilize
3D print in visualization asa language everyone canunderstand.”Patricia (Trish) Weber

MHA, RT(R)(CT) ARRT
Associate Professorfor the Clarkson
College Radiographyand Medical Imaging
programDocument
CaseStudyTitle Here

Just months later, Kauzlarich helped start thenew 3D Printing and Training Center at Clarkson
College. Clarkson College offers certificate anddegree programs in highly sought-after health carefields including nursing, health care business, andradiography. Thanks to Kauzlarich and her colleague
Trish Weber, Associate Professor for the Clarkson
College Radiography and Medical Imaging program,
those certificate and training offerings now include
3D printing for pre-surgical planning and patient
education in clinical settings, an offering which issometimes limited to hospital settings.
“Our print lab is unique because we’re notnecessarily in a hospital hub,” Kauzlarich said. “Mostprint labs are housed within the walls of a hospitaland are really only able to cater to people within their
hospital or research, but we’re based in a college
and able to serve people worldwide.”
3D Print head model with a rare brain tumor called ‘Choroid Plexus Papilloma
Tumor’ within the third ventricle of the brain. So rare, CPP’s have an overall
incidence of less than 1% of all intracranial brain tumors. This model was printed
with Digital Anatomy Printer materials: VeroWhite, VeroClear and VeroMagenta.

3 3Kauzlarich worked with Weber to develop aleading-edge 3D printing certification for registeredradiologic technologists who are interested inapplying 3D printing technology to the health carefield. The Medical 3D Printing Specialist Certificate
exposes technologists and providers—some ofthe members of her field who Kauzlarich foundweren’t familiar with 3D visualization and printing—to 3D printing for surgical preparation and patient
education.
Kauzlarich and Weber believe that this technology,which can help to improve patient care andoutcomes by giving providers a way to study
and practice on realistic models, will become thestandard of care in facilities across the nation.
They designed the certificate to give students
hands-on experience with 3D printing softwareand printers that will prepare them to meet thismarket demand.
“We practice everything to be perfect, so why notsurgery?” Kauzlarich said. “It’s like preparing for anexam. You prep, you study, and then you feel themost confident you can be. Our surgeons are able
to use 3D printed models to practice—and in thereal world they’re able to cut down on operating
room costs, anesthesia, time on the table, and it
results in a better outcome for the patient.”

3D Print knee model demonstrating Blount’s Disease: a condition found inchildren that affects the growth plate around the knee. The bone was printed in
BoneMatrix™ in clear and pink to highlight the position of the growth plates.

“We have also found better patient compliance with
3D printed models,” Kauzlarich said. “Consent iseasier when someone understands what is going on.”Document
Case
StudyTitle HereAs part of the Clarkson College 3D Printing andTraining Center, Kauzlarich and Weber have alsoestablished a 3D printing lab that serves hospital
partners, patients, and researchers worldwide,
including Nebraska Medicine, a comprehensive
health network in the Omaha, Nebraska region.
They use Stratasys Digital Anatomy™ technology
in their lab because, after seeing and holding
models created with the Digital Anatomy Printerand completing additional research, Kauzlarich
believed that her team could enhance patient careand education through this technology.
Additionally, Kauzlarich and her team chose theDigital Anatomy Printer because of its versatility
and because they found that through thistechnology, the lab is able to create anatomicallyrealistic, biomechanically accurate models forphysicians who need a visual way to explain a uniqueprocedure or another specific anatomy.
“Recently, a private practice physician reached out
to us who serves as a medical expert for workers’
compensation cases,” Kauzlarich said. “The patientspecific models we are able to create with the Digital
Anatomy Printer are perfect to explain their case to ajury and improve patient advocacy.”4With the support of the Clarkson College lab,surgeons who may not have the resources yet toestablish their own 3D print lab can practice withmulti-color, multi-materials models.

ADVICE“3D printing is a language we all speak,”Weber said. “We are committed to excellence
in learning by creating pathways that utilize 3D
print in visualization as a language everyone canunderstand.”•Reach out to a foundation; usually you canfind people who are interested in 3D printing
and can donate•

Find a lender who can do installments forthe printer instead of a one-time large expensefrom your budget•

Have champions in the upper levels ofleadership and demonstrate the value of thistechnology

What would you say to a facility who is interested
in starting a 3D print lab but trying to find thefunding?

3D Print liver model in xray field of view light. Students can practice abdominal radiographs in our energized x-ray lab.

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Case Study

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