Beth Ripley, a senior innovation fellow at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said VA is collaborating with academic and government stakeholders to create opportunities for workforce training and to develop new tools as it works to advance 3D printing, Nextgov reported Friday.
“So why is VA interested in 3D printing? Again, it gets back to that mission: trying to provide the best services possible to our patients,†Ripley said during Nextgov’s Emerging Technology Summit. “We are trying very deliberately to get 3D printers into as many VA hospitals as possible, into the hands of as many different types of staff as possible, to try to start unlocking these possibilities.â€
Ripley, who chairs the Veterans Health Administration’s 3D printing advisory committee, discussed the need for unique skills in the field of medical 3D printing and the department’s goal to establish an initial curriculum to train the future and current workforce.
