TRAILBLAZER
Solving the world ’ s healthcare challenges in space
DR
JULIELYNN WONG
CEO , Physician 3D4MD , Medical Makers
Dr Julielynn Wong is a physician , scientist , pilot and inventor . As well as pioneering the creation of 3D medical devices , she is leading a non-profit that teaches people living in rural areas how to create medical supplies that are otherwise hard to access .
Born in Ontario , Wong attended medical school in Canada before receiving a fellowship to complete a Master of Public Health at Harvard University . During this time she took part in a social enterprise incubator called Singularity University , where she discovered 3D printing and realised how it could be used to improve people ' s lives .
An interest in space led Wong to attend the International Space University , and as a teenager she joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets , later obtaining a glider-pilot ' s licence at the age of 16 .
Wong ' s expertise has led her to become a regular public speaker for TEDx talks , the UN and Google among others , and she is the creator of 14 patents for medical devices . Among these is a solarpowered 3D printing system that can produce medical supplies on-site , ideal for off-grid locations .
In 2011 she founded the social enterprise 3D4MD , with a mission to create high quality 3D-printing medical supplies to help people living in remote locations , as well as in space - in fact in 2017 she led a team of astronauts aboard the International Space Station and became the first person to 3D print medical supplies in space . Before COVID-19 she regularly led a team at the Mars Desert Research Station to test their 3D systems and see if they can work in offline harsh environments .
16 October 2021