BioTrib ESR, Ben Clegg had the pleasure of attending a small presentation at the UNICEF headquarters in Stockholm in December, with Ungaforskare
We had an engaging discussion on how we thought innovation could be used to improve our society. With a focused workshop on how we can service disadvantaged children in our turbulent world. What I gained from this is how we can improve and engage human connection to improve equality on all bases.
The meeting itself didn’t focus on anything specific within the medical industry, however it did stimulate a few thoughts on what we could do as early-stage researchers, something which was starkly aware of when discussing how we can aid the disadvantaged children in our previous discussions.
Within Biotrib we are all working towards an overall collective goal of improving the quality of biological implants, and I feel that we have a really great purpose as a collective. Nevertheless, it was brought to my attention that we are focusing on the cutting edge of technology which is mostly only available to those at the forefront of society.
The first things that came to my mind was the availability and access of hip replacements to those in the global south, with regards to hospitals, surgeons, equipment and money. This kind of disparity is even apparent in countries like the UK, with geographical inequality persisting in the north south divide in England [1].
So… what can we do to improve this? As early-stage researchers, I would enjoy an open discourse and increase the awareness of these issues, and maybe some of us could go on to make not just a difference in the medical field, but also aid those less fortunate than ourselves.
This article was written by Ben Clegg part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.
Ben is researching the Wear particle characterization and bio-compatibility of newly 3D printed self-lubricating polymer composites in total joint replacements at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.
References
[1] Ryan-Ndegwa, S., Zamani, R. & Akrami, M. Assessing demographic access to hip replacement surgery in the United Kingdom: a systematic review
[2] Header Image: – https://www.strategicmarketresearch.com/market-report/hip-replacement-implants-market