September 22, 2025 Trish Weber, Director of Innovation Strategies at Clarkson College At Clarkson College, we have always listened to our community to guide what we teach. Since 1888, our mission has been to prepare healthcare professionals who are ready to meet real-world needs on day one. When our clinical partners and industry leaders shared their struggle to find professionals skilled in medical 3D printing, we knew it was time to act. Recognizing and Responding to Community Needs We built one of the first Medical 3D Printing and Visualization Specialist Certificates in the nation, rooted in our tradition of responding to what healthcare truly needs. But we didn’t do it alone. From the beginning, we collaborated with industry experts, engineers, and medical 3D printing labs to ensure our curriculum was not just theoretical, but practical and relevant. In additive manufacturing (AM), we know we do better and learn more through collaboration. By working closely with practicing professionals, we constructed a curriculum that produces graduates who hit the ground running the moment they are hired into a lab. Keeping Content Aligned with Industry Needs To ensure our graduates remain competent and confident, I serve on the Education subcommittee of the SME Healthcare Additive Manufacturing (HAM) Advisors. In this role, we are actively reviewing the existing Body of Knowledge (BOK) for Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals and identifying areas specific to medical and healthcare applications. This work directly informs our curriculum, ensuring our students are learning the exact content and competencies needed to thrive in the field. What’s Working: Real-World Preparation with Immediate Impact Our students engage with real, de-identified patient cases across musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, orthopedic, and vascular systems. They learn FDA-cleared workflows, segmentation, printing, and post-processing – gaining confidence and competence with each case. As one graduate shared: “The Medical 3D Printing and Visualization Specialist Certificate provided me with a strong foundation to deepen my understanding of 3D printing and visualization. The hands-on experience, combined with the structured coursework, helped me understand the full workflow—from imaging to file preparation to printing and post-processing. I now work in a professional 3D printing and visualization environment, and the skills and experience I gained through the certificate program have given me the confidence to excel in my role. It truly prepared me to hit the ground running in the field.” We continue to expand our curriculum to include new applications, preparing students not just for what is happening today, but for what is coming tomorrow. What Still Needs to Be Addressed: Workforce Readiness and Regulatory Complexity Despite this progress, challenges remain. The regulatory landscape for medical AM is complex and ever-changing, particularly for patient-specific devices. We embed quality management systems, FDA guidance, and risk mitigation strategies throughout our program to ensure graduates prioritize patient safety alongside innovation. Additionally, while our program fills a critical workforce gap, broader recognition of medical 3D printing as a formal subspecialty is needed to fully integrate these skills into healthcare systems nationwide. Keeping Our Finger on the Pulse We remain committed to staying at the forefront of medical 3D printing by serving on the SME Healthcare Additive Manufacturing (HAM) Advisory Committee, engaging with its education subcommittee, and by attending Radiology Society of North America (RSNA) 3D Sig events and RAPID + TCT each year. These collaborations ensure our curriculum evolves alongside industry and clinical advancements. Conclusion Medical 3D printing is transforming patient care, but it requires professionals trained in both engineering and clinical realities. At Clarkson College, we are proud to continue our 135-year tradition of preparing students to meet the needs of our healthcare community – this time, by bridging the gap from classroom to clinic with medical 3D printing. Learn more about our Medical 3D Printing and Visualization Specialist Certificate at Medical 3D Printing and Visualization Specialist Certificate | Clarkson College and join us in shaping the future of patient-centered care.
