Alec Fields, a second-year student in Physician Assistant Studies who began to use his personal 3D printer to create much-needed brackets for personal protective equipment (PPE) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has received numerous requests for the brackets from around the country.
Fields, a veteran and former fleet Marine force hospital corpsman, estimates he has produced more than 300 brackets from his home in New Bern, North Carolina. The brackets reduce skin irritation that long-term use of protective masks may cause. The majority of Fields’s masks have stayed in North Carolina, but he has mailed shipments to neighboring states and as far away as California.
Fields said he received requests for additional brackets from his friends and colleagues, from current students in the UNC School of Medicine, and from those who shared an initial story about the brackets on social media platforms.
He said he has had a chance to talk to those who have received brackets in order to improve the overall design, including to make those with longer elastic bands tighter to maximize comfort. Fields said he has seen photos of mask wearers’ irritated skin before using the bands, which left him with a sense of appreciation for health care providers.
Fields used PPE during his career in the military; he recalled it could be heavy and cumbersome.
“I remember doing whatever I could to improve comfort, from using foam pool noodles to pieces of foam sleeping mats with duct tape, for improved padding,” Fields said. “It makes a world of difference when you can wear PPE with minimal discomfort, and the best part of wearing PPE is being protected and then removing it.”
Fields said he takes pride in knowing he has given others the opportunity to do their jobs and allowing them to do their jobs unimpeded.
The Physician Assistant Studies program is housed in the Department of Allied Health Sciences.