(rhythmic beeping)

- The surgeon is real.

The tools are real.

The surgery is real.

The patient is artificial.

(playful music)

I took what I learned from special effects,

and now I apply it to helping kids here at the hospital.

(playful xylophone music)

My name is Gregory Loan, and I'm a senior simulation

engineer at Boston Children's Hospital.

I make artificial patients to allow real doctors

to practice procedures to improve health outcomes for kids.

I do not think that I could do this work

without having had the experiences

that I had in special effects.

While I was working in special effects,

I got the opportunity to build dinosaurs

for the Jurassic Park theme parks

and magical creatures for Harry Potter

and all kinds of wonderful things

to bring that experience to life for people.

I ultimately left special effects

to go focus in on robotics,

which is my other passion in life.

The best part is now I combine special effects,

robotics, and engineering, and medicine

into a package that helps people.

I make simulation models.

Some of them are really low tech,

like an arm that you can inject or practice line placement,

all the way up to and including

gunshot wound patients and advanced surgical techniques,

like cleft lip repair.

At the end of the day, I know that

my contribution helps kids

because the creations that we make here

go towards saving children's lives.

- [Surgeon] And it looks like we're about done.

(uplifting music)

(electronic pinging)