HKPU Partnership International Experience

"The most meaningful part was knowing that something we, as a group, worked hard on and spent time on could end up changing the life of someone with scoliosis."

"This project alone incorporated project management, CAD, craftsmanship, on-the-spot problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and interprofessional collaboration, all relevant skills in engineering career fields."

"I am not exaggerating when I say that these past two weeks have been one of the gratifying, enlightening and exciting weeks of my life. Being fortunate to join this service-learning trip this year, I have grown as an individual technically, clinically and culturally."

"From a clinical standpoint, although we were not doctors, we served as providers for these children, and through a clinical lens, I observed and now better understand the soft skills necessary to treat patients emotionally."

"The heart of this trip was building community through persevering through challenges, serving those in need, and the relentless pursuit of excellence."

"This trip allowed me to build community through serving those in need. We were all united around a common goal and supported each other in reaching it."

"It reminded me that learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms, and that the best doctors are those who can combine clinical knowledge, technical skill, deep empathy, and cultural humility."

"My perspective of what it means to be a BME was enriched as I got to see how as BMEs we can leverage our technical abilities to improve human-centered care, especially for those who are underrepresented or need it most."

"Engineers don’t often get to meet, let alone work with the people at the receiving end of their devices. I truly valued having real-time feedback and seeing the direct impact that my designs have on patients’ lives."

"This experience allowed me to make new friends, break language and cultural barriers and engage with people from a very different background than me, learn about ankle and foot biomechanics, and learn how to make custom ankle and foot orthotics. Actually making the orthotics by hand reminded me why I joined engineering in the first place: I was able to be use my hands to build something that had the potential to truly help someone."

"During this past summer, I did not expect how large a role that art and visual design would play in the construction of the ankle-foot orthotics (AFO). For example, after filling our negative cast with plaster, we had to perfectly smooth the mold and make it symmetric. Any small errors resulted in increased work during later stages."

"By the time we finished fitting the orthoses, these children showed vastly improved standing ability and even could walk unassisted in some cases. These ankle foot orthoses (AFO) did more than just fight against unnatural pronation or flexion, they gave these patients the confidence to start pushing themselves forward physically."