I write this last blog post from the São Paulo airport as we wait for our flight back to the states. The past few days have been a whirlwind of constructing, meeting, altering, and presenting. On the day we thought we were picking up the device body, we found out that the manufacturing team could not build it. This left us with three very full days of constructing it on our own. Moments before the final meeting with Dr. Edmundo where we would present our complete projects, Hiago and I were screwing the last wall of the device into place. “A sim os 45,” Hiago said, “A yes at 45 minutes,” which is the Brazilian equivalent of a buzzer beater.

Following the meeting with Dr. Edmundo, I brought the device to the Nuclear Medicine department for testing. First with water, then with nuclear materials. As Elana, a clinician, used the device for the first time, I took note of where there could be another prompt, which steps weren’t so clear, and made the adjustments along the way. For a first round prototype, the device performed as expected, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. After talking with Dr. Wilson and Hiago, the plan is to exchange current parts of the device for higher fidelity ones. Through email exchanges, we will replace the small motor with a larger one, adjust the code for the new accessory, and replace all wood parts of the device with plastic to reduce contamination. These were too many tasks for one day and rushing adjustments to the device would result in a new slew of avoidable problems. Instead, we will take the second phase of development slower so we can check progress and get ahead of potential issues.

I began this internship with the goal to better understand device development and global health. Seven weeks and one project later, I have learned so much about how technology is created and introduced in the medical field. I’ve seen the clinical need for a technology and the collaboration required to fill this void. I have observed the different contributions engineers can make in a public health system. I better understand how innovation takes time, collaboration, perseverance.

These experiences were only possible because of the amazing people who helped along the way. Thank you to the Rice 360˚ donors who recognize the value in this program and support the team of interns. Thank you to Hiago and the entire team of clinical engineers as Hospital de Amor who embraced me as one of their own. Thank you to Carolina, Dr. Edmundo, and everyone who received us at the hospital for guidance and kindness throughout the entire internship. Até, Barretos – until next time.