The year 2020 will forever be associated with a devastating pandemic that infected more 70 million people and claimed the lives of almost 2 million worldwide.
But I hope it will be equally remembered for the extraordinary efforts of our scientists and the essential role doctors and other healthcare professionals played in fighting for our collective health.
Never in recent memory has a brighter spotlight been shone on the importance of medical research and innovation.
As individuals, most of us heeded the warnings about COVID-19: we stayed home, wore masks and got tested when symptoms arose. The science and medical profession also adapted - they increased infection control, embraced telehealth and accepted the challenge to develop effective vaccines.
But while most focus has been on COVID-19, we must not forget other equally important work that took place in labs and hospitals around the world to improve patient outcomes. New drugs, medical devices and therapies were developed for cancer, heart disease, cystic fibrosis and more
We've seen this year what the medical field can do when we open up new frontiers and encourage innovative thinking. It's important we keep the culture established in 2020 going, even once this pandemic is hopefully behind us. As an example, my colleagues and I work in regenerative medicine - a field of study that treats injuries and diseases by harnessing the body's own healing capabilities.
This year, we celebrated the success of revolutionary surgery in Brisbane, in which 3D-printed bone implants allowed a young cancer patient to avoid leg amputation.
Our technology has been used on 40,000 patients worldwide, but only a handful of Australians have benefitted from it so far. We expect many more patients, including road crash victims and children born with skull and jaw defects, will get access to our bone scaffolds following regulatory approval.
Medical breakthroughs are the result of years of hard work by many people and only possible with ongoing funding and strong support from governments, regulators and the medical profession. Technology like ours improves the quality of patients' lives in various ways, including by mitigating the social and psychological trauma that many would otherwise face. It also reduces infections and other complications and can speed up recovery times and save on healthcare costs.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it's that our health is precious and we must continue to push medical boundaries.
Carl Runde is the chief financial officer of Osteopore.
