You can get involved so early—from the beginning—in research and entrepreneurship. It was about having those real experiences that drew me here.
- Name
- Kirby
- Class of
- 2021
- Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering major Kirby Leo is helping the littlest patients in Baltimore hospitals feel more at ease before they undergo medical tests and treatments.
Leo, a member of JHU's Class of 2021, is co-founder of Health 3D, an undergraduate-run social venture that 3D-prints customized models of medical devices. The students’ designs are used by child life specialists at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and the Kennedy Krieger Institute to educate children about their procedures.
“There are a lot of children who undergo medical procedures that are very traumatizing,” Leo says. “What we do is create physical models, like a mock MRI machine, through 3D printing to basically show the child what the MRI is like before they go in so they understand how the procedure will go. This reduces their anxiety and helps streamline the procedure for everyone involved.”
The chance to do helpful, hands-on work with social impact as an undergrad is what inspired Leo to choose Hopkins.
“The atmosphere at Hopkins is special,” Leo says. “You can get involved so early—from the beginning—in research and entrepreneurship. It was about having those real experiences that drew me here. I wanted to take that part of my college career seriously.”
