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#Working3D: Six Questions for Manager of 3D at Children’s Hospital

Published on January 28, 2025 by Julia S.
Gabe Linke

3D printing has had a profound impact on the medical community, and one area where the technology is really showing its usefulness is in pediatrics. Children have more variable anatomy than adults because their bodies are still developing, so when the need for unique surgical operations arises, 3D visualization can provide valuable insights. 3D printing can create surgical models and guides for surgeons and families to better understand a patient’s anatomy. For instance, if a tumor is in an unusual or difficult-to-access location, the 3D lab could print a model of the patient’s tumor, as well as the surrounding organs, to help develop their surgical approach. Patients and their families, as well as physicians, benefit from seeing this physical representation.

Children’s Nebraska, located in Omaha, is one of a handful of pediatric hospitals in the country that has its own 3D printing lab. To learn more about how the lab leverages the technology, as well as what it is like to work with it, we spoke to Gabe Linke, the Manager of 3D at Children’s. Linke helped build the hospital’s 3D printing operation from the start—and we wanted to learn how.

The gallery in the 3D printing lab (Photo Credit: 3Dnatives)

3DN: Could you introduce yourself?

Absolutely! My name is Gabe Linke, and I am the Manager of 3D at Children’s Nebraska, where I lead our efforts in integrating cutting-edge 3D printing technologies into pediatric care. I’m passionate about using innovation to improve patient outcomes and create personalized solutions for complex medical challenges.

3DN: How did you discover additive manufacturing?

My first experience with additive manufacturing came during my second interview with Children’s Nebraska in 2016. Dr. Scott Fletcher was interviewing me for the position of Cardiac Imaging Coordinator when I was handed a heart model purchased from a vendor. He asked if I thought I could figure out how to make these models in-house. Intrigued, I went home that night and researched 3D printing in medicine. I discovered a fascinating range of applications, particularly in patient-specific models for surgical planning. Little did I know that Children’s Nebraska had recently received a donation that provided a Stratasys Eden 260 VS and three years of Materialise software to launch the program. A month later, I started my career there, with the exciting opportunity to help bring 3D-printed medical models to life.

3DN: What is your current role, and what is a typical day like?

I am currently the Manager of The 3D Center of Excellence at Children’s Nebraska. My title and job have been a constant evolution. I prefer to simplify and just go with the “Manager of 3D.” I currently lead a team of two other incredible individuals who collaborate with physicians, medical professionals, and administrators to utilize our 3D resources to enhance patient care through various aspects. Children’s Nebraska has an organizational foundation in innovation and my team has been one of the earliest resources for this pillar in our organization.

The typical day involves everything from post-processing cardiac MRI and CT to segmenting complex tumor cases for our surgeons to be 3D printed or used in virtual reality, to creating action figures for our patients who are dealing with particularly challenging treatment plans. We have seen our work greatly impact the lives of our patients. By using 3D technology, we enable our healthcare teams to plan patient care more effectively and realistically. Moreover, patients and their families gain a clearer understanding of their medical situations, helping to ease the stress associated with their healthcare journeys.

Customized action figures with the faces of patients (Photo Credit: 3Dnatives)

3DN: What qualifications and experience are required for your role?

I have worked with a variety of backgrounds. The main components for working in our lab are a good understanding of medical imaging and the ability to learn and adapt to constantly changing technology. We are in some ways the team that gets to hear others’ ideas and visions and we work to bring those dreams to reality, both virtually in digital formats and physically through 3D printing. One could argue the most important qualification to our role is the ability to communicate and build relationships with those we engage with. Our lab without the people who bring the ideas would be dismal.

3DN: What are the biggest challenges you face as a 3D visualization specialist?

The greatest challenge I have faced is finding individuals with expertise in this specialized field. Much of what we have developed at Children’s Nebraska has been built upon strong relationships with exceptional industry partners, which have helped us establish robust internal processes.

Our greatest success lies in our ability to train radiology technologists to become leaders in this domain. Currently, we have an outstanding team driving our program to new heights. As we continue to grow, we anticipate the need for more staff. The beauty of this challenge is that it directly contributes to one of our core strengths: teaching and training people to excel in this remarkable field.

3D printed model (Photo Credit: 3Dnatives)

3DN: What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in 3D visualization in the medical setting? Could you speak to the growing need for professionals in this niche?

I would highly encourage them to jump in. As I have mentioned, I have seen great success in this work being done by Radiologic Technologists. MRI and CT imaging knowledge lend itself to a great understanding of 3D, but I have trained X-ray, Nuclear Medicine, and Cath lab technologists with great results. Biomedical Engineers also have a strong aptitude for this work.

The exciting thing about this niche is that there is so much you can teach yourself. You can use freeware and DICOM data sets to practice segmentation. You can teach yourself to design and build models in 3D. All of which are core skills that we use in our lab every day. If you have self-taught yourselves these things, regardless of your background, there is potential for you to work in this field.

A few years into our journey, we questioned what was next for this technology. The answer has become increasingly clear: this technology is positively impacting healthcare and will continue to revolutionize medical practice, improving countless lives.

What do you think of Gabe Linke’s work? Would you be interested in working in 3D for healthcare? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.

*Cover photo credit: Gabe Linke

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