On January 14, 2026, at 8:00 pm Eastern, the ACM/SIGGRAPH Pioneers will present the next in our year-round series of panels on topics of importance to the computer graphics and interactive techniques communities.
Panelists have been selected to provide a diverse overview on how computer graphics, 3D printing, AR, VR and AI have evolved and are being used today in the medical profession. Topics vary from the earliest work in molecular visualization to creating animation for surgical techniques for Abbot, Medtronic, and Johnson & Johnson using software like Maya, ZBrush, V-Ray and Unreal, to the 3D design and manufacture of prosthetic limbs, to developing video games for physical therapy, interactive training for nurses, and AI-powered immersive platforms and technical standards for XR in healthcare.
The Panel is open to all ACM/SIGGRAPH Pioneers and their associates, you can register at this zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_we_7IrECRdSJV7Tekybg5A
The ACM/SIGGRAPH Pioneers are a seasoned group of computer graphics influencers from the fields of education, research, engineering, and entertainment. The group originated in 1980 with one requirement for membership – 20 or more years of professional experience in the computer graphics or interactive techniques industries. The Pioneers have committed to serve the worldwide computer graphics community in a variety of year-round ways, including presenting panels with experts on wide-ranging topics of interest. For links to all previous panels and other videos, click this link: Pioneers Panels and other Videos
Ed Kramer
Chair, ACM/SIGGRAPH Pioneers
PANELIST BIOS:
NELSON MAX received a PhD in Mathematics from Harvard University in1967, and started working on computer animation for mathematics visualization in 1969. He has worked for most of his career at the University of California (Berkeley and Davis campuses, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory). His research interests are in the areas of scientific visualization, computer animation, realistic computer graphics rendering, multi-view stereo reconstruction, and augmented reality. In visualization he worked on molecular graphics, and on volume and flow visualization, particularly on irregular finite element meshes. He has rendered realistic lighting effects in clouds, trees, and water waves, and has produced numerous computer animations, shown at the annual ACM SIGGRAPH conferences, and in OMNIMAX stereo at the Fujitsu Pavilions at Expo ’85 in Tsukuba Japan, and Expo ’90 in Osaka Japan. He is a Fellow of the ACM, and the winner of its 2007 Steven A. Coons award.
RAYMOND (RANDY) NELSON: Illustration is in my DNA. I’m fascinated with all things microscopic. The extraordinary capabilities of today’s 3D applications coupled with my imagination has led to a range of explorations that tend to merge fantasy, biology and everything in between. I have been an animator and illustrator for over 30 years, and my passion has been creating engaging and highly interactive 3d content using state of the art software. My focus has been on medical animation – anatomy, both invasive and non-invasive surgical procedures, and medical devices. I also focused on creating 360 panoramic 3D imagery for VR. I’ve created original artwork for Fortune 500 Medical Device and Pharmaceutical companies including Abbot, Medtronic, and Johnson & Johnson, just to name a few. I am retired now, but in my career, I brought projects to life through a mix of CG illustration, digital visualization, VR design and 3D modeling, using software that included Maya, Mari, 3DS Max, Marvelous Designer, Motionbuilder, Mudbox, Solidworks, Substance Painter, ZBrush, Vray, Phoenix FD effects and the Adobe suite of tools. https://www.raymondnelsen.com
PAUL DIEFENBACH, PhD, is Associate Professor in Drexel University’s Digital Media department. He is founder of Drexel’s game research laboratory, the RePlay Lab, and leads projects in BCI, neuroplasticity, healthcare games, and serious games. He is also founder and CTO of two companies in healthcare: enablegames.com which provides active video games for physical therapy for people with disabilities, and cere-sim.com which develops medical training simulations for 20,000 nurses. He has an extensive background in 3D, game development, and human factors and simulation and holds two patents. Prior to Drexel, he was founder and CTO of OpenWorlds Inc. He was PI on Phase 1 & 2 SBIRs for NASA and the Army, and provided technology for Lockheed, Sony, Microsoft, and Boeing for 15 years. His pioneering 1996 Ph.D. on multi-pass rendering serves as the platform for today’s modern real-time graphics, and led to consulting for companies such as Nvidia. While at UPenn, was also a key developer of the Jack® software at UPenn’s Human Modeling and Simulation (HMS) Laboratory under Dr. Norman Badler. He has presented at worldwide conferences including SIGGRAPH and Eurographics, and has been featured on the CBS Evening News. Dr. Diefenbach holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Computer Science from RPI.
MATT DOMBROWSKI is a Professor of Emerging Media at UCF and Creative Director at Limbitless Solutions, a nonprofit organization that provides prosthetic arms at no cost to children with limb differences. In addition to designing and visualizing bionics, he develops video games that help children learn to use their prosthetics and improve muscle control through EMG-based gameplay. His company utilizes CGI for modeling and printing the arms, game development, and other purposes. They also create hands-free experiences for the ALS community and training video games using mixed reality. Limbitless Solutions has collaborated with partners such as Marvel (Iron Man), 343 Industries (Halo), Ubisoft, and Riot Games to bring creativity and empowerment to their bionic arm mission. They also conduct clinical trials and partner with hospitals to ensure that each arm delivers both functionality and confidence. Learn more at Limbitless Solutions Overview
LAURA KUSUMOTO is a technology strategist and innovation leader whose career bridges immersive computing, enterprise innovation, and digital health. Her early work with Forterra Systems advanced multi-user, networked virtual environments for medical simulation, pioneering applications of interactive 3D graphics for training and collaboration. She has guided emerging technology initiatives across Meta, Deloitte, Disney, LEGO, Intuit, Kaiser Permanente, and the U.S. Veterans Administration, defining frameworks to assess and scale AR, VR, and AI solutions in complex organizations. Today with IterationZero, Laura advises startups developing AI-powered immersive platforms for health and well-being. She serves on the Board of XR Women Global, the Advisory Board of the International Virtual Reality in Healthcare Association, and as Secretary of the Virtual World Society, where she leads the development of technical standards for XR in healthcare. https://www.iterationzero.io/
Moderator:
Dr. William J. Joel, Professor Emeritus at Western Connecticut State University, recently retired from teaching Computer Science full time after thirty-nine years in academia. He is Director of the Computer Graphics & Animation Research Projects initiative, and a member of the Steering Committee for the Massive Collaborative Animation Projects Initiative.