Abstract
In healthcare, small technological decisions can significantly impact patient safety and
public health. My capstone project designs a mediating component that allows new blue tube
dispensers to attach to existing wall mounts at the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System,
addressing an infrastructure issue while minimizing infection risks, costs, and workflow
disruptions. My STS research paper examines antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a
sociotechnical issue shaped by interactions between pharmaceutical companies, healthcare
providers, regulators, and agricultural industries. It aims to understand how these stakeholders
define and negotiate responsibility for addressing AMR. These projects are connected through
their shared focus on responsibility in healthcare systems, linking local engineering solutions to
broader global challenges in infection prevention.
This capstone project eliminates the need to drill into walls when installing new blue tube
dispensers, avoiding airborne dust that can carry harmful pathogens and endanger patients. The
solution is a 3D-printed adapter that connects the new incompatible dispensers to existing
mounts. Both components were measured using calipers, and designs were created in CAD with
tolerance checks to ensure fit. FEA simulations evaluated performance under realistic loads, and
a prototype was 3D printed using ABS plastic and tested for durability, stability, and usability.
The final product is a functional adapter that allows UVA Health to continue using
existing wall mounts while reducing construction, infection risk, and costs. It maintains
efficiency for healthcare staff and demonstrates how targeted engineering design can solve
practical healthcare problems while prioritizing safety and workflow continuity.
The STS research investigates how stakeholders frame and distribute responsibility for
AMR. It asks how pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, regulators, and agricultural
industries assign responsibility and what this reveals about power and accountability. Although
AMR is driven by microbial evolution, its spread is shaped by social systems governing
antibiotic use. Using discourse analysis and STS frameworks of framing and co-production, the
study analyzes academic, policy, and corporate sources to identify themes such as innovation,
access, stewardship, and blame.
The analysis shows that responsibility for AMR is unevenly distributed across sectors.
Pharmaceutical companies emphasize economic barriers, healthcare providers highlight clinical
and institutional pressures, regulators focus on surveillance and individual behavior, and
agricultural actors stress economic necessity. These narratives diffuse accountability and limit
coordinated action, helping explain slow progress despite scientific agreement. The study
concludes that addressing AMR requires aligning economic incentives, policy frameworks, and
ethical responsibilities across sectors, reinforcing the broader theme that effective healthcare
solutions depend on both technical innovation and well-structured systems of responsibility.
