Professor
University of Wisconsin-Madison
David Dean’s research focuses on skeletal reconstructive surgery. His PhD thesis presented a novel, template-based method for the production of average 3D surface images of organs such as the skull. His postdoctoral research at the Institute of Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery (New York University, New York, NY) used average skull images for virtual surgical planning. In July 1994, Dr. Dean joined the faculty of the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) where, in the Neurological Surgery Department, he was the first person to use 3D CT patient images and an anatomical template to create a Computer Aided Design (CAD) file used to 3D print a patient-specific cranial implant. This procedure is now standard-of-care. Since the mid-1990’s, Dr. Dean’s research has expanded to incorporate biomaterials, stem cells, and cell-signaling molecules (growth factors) in the search for a bone tissue engineering (i.e., bone substitute) strategy. In 2013 Dr. Dean’s primary appointment moved to the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH). In 2019 he received an additional faculty appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. At The Ohio State University Dr. Dean led the Osteo Engineering Lab’s (www.OsteoEngineering.com) work on novel bone and microvasculature tissue engineering research. He is also working on the 3D printing of two biometals, NiTi and a resorbable, patented Mg alloy. Most recently, in fall 2025, Dr. Dean’s primary appointment and the Osteo Engineering Laboratory moved to the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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The MEWron: An Open Source Platform for Melt Electrowriting and 3D Printing Hybridization
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
2:35 PM - 3:05 PM East Coast USA Time