Tegan Cheng

Dr. Tegan Cheng is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Sydney. She leads the EPIC Lab at Kids Research, Children's Hospital at Westmead, focusing on pediatric medical devices and 3D printing applications. Her work bridges engineering and clinical needs to address musculoskeletal challenges in children. She holds a BE(Mechanical/Biomedical) and BMedSc from the University of Sydney (2011) and a PhD (2016).

Research Interests: Developing implantable/wearable medical devices for children, 3D printing in healthcare, pediatric orthotic design, and commercialization pathways. Her Printhotics initiative aims to create equitable access to personalized ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) using 3D scanning and AI. Key collaborations include clinicians, engineers, and designers to advance pediatric device solutions.

Grants and Awards: 2021 Young Tall Poppy Science Award, NHMRC Investigator Grant for Printhotics (2020), and grants from the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association and University of Sydney's Educational Innovation Fund. Active projects include smart orthotics with embedded sensors and biodegradable bone implants.

Labs/Teams: Group Leader of the EPIC Lab, collaborating with Kids Research, University of Sydney, and industry partners. Focus areas include translational research, medical device innovation, and interdisciplinary education using 3D-printed anatomical models.