Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
David Brockman suffered a traumatic accident in 2019 that led to the amputation of his hand from the wrist down. Following his surgery at the UC Davis Medical Center, he was connected with engineering professor Jonathon Schofield, who collaborates with Ph.D. students on prosthetic technology.
Through federally funded research projects, these students were able to design and provide Brockman with a custom myoelectric hand —a prosthetic he can control electronically. He emphasizes that without federal funding, schools and researchers wouldn’t have the resources to develop these innovations.
"My hand prosthetic would not have been available to me without funding.Without that money, these schools can’t do that and give people a chance to see what is possible.” — David Brockman
*Learn More* 👉 https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/labs-to-lives
*About From Labs to Lives*
In our From Labs to Lives series, UC Davis researchers describe the impact of their work and the consequences if federal funding for medical research were reduced or eliminated. Our research strengthens the U.S. economy and drives innovation in science and medicine. By finding new treatments and preventing illness, our work saves lives.
*Explore UC Davis’ Research*
In Focus Research Videos: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLslgisHe5tBMLscZNtrSN6nAkWKYLzbl7&si=Xu-g72-p7rRRUkV1
In Focus Top Research Stories: https://www.ucdavis.edu/in-focus
UC Davis Discoveries: https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/discoveries
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#FromLabsToLives | #FederalFunding | #Prosthetics
Video description: David Brockman speaking directly to the camera while sitting in his dining room with clips of him working in his garage using power tools, showing his specially created fishing rod, and being in a medical environment with researchers and techs working on his prosthetic arm.
At the end, a yellow card with a blue "From Labs to Lives" logo appears with the to action to learn more at ucdavis.edu/labs-to-lives.
David Brockman suffered a traumatic accident in 2019 that led to the amputation of his hand from the wrist down. Following his surgery at the UC Davis Medical Center, he was connected with engineering professor Jonathon Schofield, who collaborates with Ph.D. students on prosthetic technology.
Through federally funded research projects, these students were able to design and provide Brockman with a custom myoelectric hand —a prosthetic he can control electronically. He emphasizes that without federal funding, schools and researchers wouldn’t have the resources to develop these innovations.
"My hand prosthetic would not have been available to me without funding.Without that money, these schools can’t do that and give people a chance to see what is possible.” — David Brockman
*Learn More* 👉 https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/labs-to-lives
*About From Labs to Lives*
In our From Labs to Lives series, UC Davis researchers describe the impact of their work and the consequences if federal funding for medical research were reduced or eliminated. Our research strengthens the U.S. economy and drives innovation in science and medicine. By finding new treatments and preventing illness, our work saves lives.
*Explore UC Davis’ Research*
In Focus Research Videos: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLslgisHe5tBMLscZNtrSN6nAkWKYLzbl7&si=Xu-g72-p7rRRUkV1
In Focus Top Research Stories: https://www.ucdavis.edu/in-focus
UC Davis Discoveries: https://www.ucdavis.edu/research/discoveries
*Subscribe to UC Davis*
youtube.com/@UCDavis
*Join the Aggie Community*
UC Davis: https://www.ucdavis.edu/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ucdavis.bsky.social
Facebook: facebook.com/UCDavis
Instagram: instagram.com/ucdavis
TikTok: tiktok.com/@ucdavis
Threads: threads.com/@ucdavis
Twitter/X: https://x.com/ucdavis
#FromLabsToLives | #FederalFunding | #Prosthetics
Video description: David Brockman speaking directly to the camera while sitting in his dining room with clips of him working in his garage using power tools, showing his specially created fishing rod, and being in a medical environment with researchers and techs working on his prosthetic arm.
At the end, a yellow card with a blue "From Labs to Lives" logo appears with the to action to learn more at ucdavis.edu/labs-to-lives.
