How This Former Special Effects Company Helps Train Surgical Residents

Lisa and Eric Chamberlain, principals of The Chamberlain Group, manufacture extremely sophisticated anatomical dummies and simulations for surgical residents in hospitals to practice on. They have an in-depth knowledge of internal anatomy, and of the specific textures and movements that characterize different organs. But their background isn’t in medicine, it’s in movies. 

Back in the ’80s and ’90s, the Chamberlains created highly inventive special effects for movies like The World According to Garp (1982), Eraser (1996), and The Matrix (1999). In 1999, just after The Matrix won the Academy Award for visual effects, they decided to leave Hollywood behind and apply their talents to another field: medical prosthetics. 

In a short documentary recently released by The New York Times, Lisa explains that while everyone in Hollywood acted like their work was life-or-death, the surgical residents her company serves really do save lives—thanks in part to the effects her company produces. Check out the film above.

[h/t: New York Times]

Banner Image Credit: New York Times, YouTube