Rethinking Prosthetics for Female Veterans

The National Week of Making has been going strong these last few days and there has been a lot to see. Maker Media founder and Executive Chairman Dale Dougherty has been talking to Makers from all over the country and he recently had the opportunity to talk with Andrea Ippolito, Dara Dotz, and Heather Irvine about their involvement with female veterans and prosthetics.

Ippolito is a Presidential Innovation Fellow with the Department of Veterans Affairs and came to National Maker Faire in Washington, DC, to talk about the work she is involved in concerning making special prosthetics for female veterans. Dotz is supporting the cause with her work in 3D printing and STEM fields. Lastly, Irvine is the Marketing and Creative Director at the The Ipsos Girls’ Lounge, and she is contributing to the cause by bringing visibility to female veterans and women in STEM (like Dotz). While there are many prosthetic designs out there, these women recognize that many of them are unisex and cannot always fulfill needs specific to women. They are hoping that by teaming up, they will be able to bring more attention to their cause and help female veterans.

Besides talking about this cause at National Maker Faire, Veteran Affairs and The Girls’ Lounge will be teaming up to contribute to the VA Innovation Creation Series on July 28 and 29. They will be having a Make-a-thon and fashion show at the event to show off what they have been working on and to bring more attention to their cause.