Awakening Self-Esteem: The Unexpected Psychological Impact of Assembling the Glia Stethoscope

Article Written By: Dr. Brett Carey, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy, Financial Advisor, and Technical Consultant for Glia

Ten years ago, the first place I ever saw a 3D printer was at Kealakehe High School, here in Kona, Hawaii. At that time, I was asked to be a judge for the science fair competition. Upon seeing a 3D printer, I felt humbled, not knowing how such a device worked. 

Seven years later, I found myself as the Key Opinion Leader in Orthopedics for Desktop Metal and owning a hand speciality clinic that exclusively used 3D printing to make post surgical hand splints and having a strong desire to pass this knowledge forward. 

Being from Hawaii comes with some strange notions. Living in the most geographically isolated place on the planet comes with high expenses and difficulties not found within the continental United States. The entire Hawaiian community also has a strong desire to diversify the economy away from an over-dependence on tourism. Not much is manufactured in Hawaii and the incredibly dedicated faculty at our local High Schools seek to exposure our keiki (kids) to manufacturing and engineering concepts. 

On a warm afternoon in December, I was asked by one of the teachers at Kealakehe that simply goes by Miss Gigi to come speak to three of her medical pathways class and introduce the overlying concepts of engineering and healthcare. We came to the conclusion that the best way to demonstrate these concepts was to 3D print the Glia stethoscopes on campus, assemble them and also talk about the incredible difficulties that Pacific Island nations face with affording healthcare supplies. 

As I started demonstrating assembling stethoscopes to the first class, I quickly realized there was no need for me to do so. The kids ranging in age from thirteen to eighteen were quickly assembling the stethoscopes, mixing and matching colors and coming up with their own ideas on how to best fit all the parts together.

Many of the students present came to Kealakehe through COFA agreements (Compact of Free Association). These agreements allow citizens from Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau and Micronesia to live and work within the United States. COFA students face challenges that most immigrants encounter - usually centered around learning to speak a new language and succeeding within a culture that is brand new to them.

As the students finished assembling the stethoscopes, I watched as many of them stuck the ends in their ears, tapped the diaphragm and were startled when the transmitted sound of the tap hit their ears. Several students remarked “I didn’t expect something that I made could actually work so well”. Within the classroom, there were a handful of cheap stethoscopes that had been purchased online. Instantly the students started to compare the stethoscopes they made to the ones that had been purchased.

Quickly, the students started to comment on how much better the Glia scopes worked for such a small fraction of the price. Several students from the Marshall Islands began to imagine building and sending more Glia stethoscopes back home to the Marshall Islands. Many students started to open up about the guilt they sometimes felt on leaving their home islands behind; often feeling an obligation to do something good for their homelands but not knowing what that something could be.

We talked at length about how having a foot in both worlds is important and how some of the most impactful world leaders have endured the same feelings of guilt regarding leaving their homelands for new opportunities and feeling a sense of urgency to help their native communities. We concluded by acknowledging that all of us that are diaspora can come back to our original homes with new skills and help to create new opportunities for others.

Prior to working with the students at Kealakehe High School, it never occurred to me what incredible self-reassuring effects that distributed manufacturing could have on people.

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