Arbutus Medical: UBC students making a difference

Reusable drill cover provides sterile environment for surgeries in resource-contrained settings

Arbutus Medical was founded by a team of UBC Biomedical Engineering Students working on a research project to develop better surgical tools for the developing world. Their hard work resulted in a reusable drill cover that allows surgeons in resource-constrained settings to use drills purchased at a hardware store for orthopaedic surgeries in a sterile fashion. This is economically advantageous in resource-constrained clinics, and the reusable, sterilizeable drill cover results in fewer infections for patients and greatly improved health outcomes. UBC has assigned the patented drill cover to Arbutus Medical who are already putting it to use in Syria and Africa.