Andy Christensen announced as recipient of AMUG Innovators Award
December 17, 2021
The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced Andy Christensen as the recipient of its esteemed Innovators Award, given to those who have cultivated innovative ideas that have advanced the AM industry.
Christensen is an adjunct professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Cincinnati and chair of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D Printing Special Interest Group (SIG), and associate editor for the 3D Printing in Medicine journal. He founded Medical Modeling Inc., a medical-device-focused Additive Manufacturing service bureau, in 2000.
The company worked with surgeons and medical device manufacturers to create new toolsets in patient-specific anatomic modelling, virtual surgical planning, personalised surgical guides and implants, and applying metal AM to orthopaedic implant applications. Medical Modeling is said to have produced the first FDA-cleared, additively manufactured titanium implants in the orthopaedic and spine spaces. The company was acquired by 3D Systems Corporation in 2014.
The Innovators Award will be presented at the 2022 AMUG Conference, which is scheduled to take place on April 3–7, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, following Christensen’s onstage appearance during the conference’s Innovators Showcase. Previous recipients include Chuck Hull, Scott Crump, Carl Deckard, Fried Vancraen, Gideon Levy, and Hans Langer.
“Previous Innovators Award honourees created the hardware and software that fueled AM’s potential and growth,” stated Carl Dekker, AMUG president. “By honouring Andy, AMUG recognises innovations in applications that converted potential into progress. For as long as I can remember, Andy has spearheaded AM firsts in the medical space. His impact in the medical arena has spread far and wide.”
Christensen added, “My current interests are in tackling some of the bigger issues affecting the industry, including providing support to hospitals as they work to establish their 3D printing labs and gaining insurance reimbursement for 3D printing-enabled technologies.”
