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Biomedical engineering is the integration of engineering methods with biological science and medical practice. It strives to provide increased quantitative and analytical understanding of complex living organisms. Through this increased understanding, biomedical engineers can contribute to advances in biomedical research and to improvements in health care.
In many areas of medicine and biology, advances are being driven by technology. For example, modern computer technology is fundamental to the new fields of computational molecular biology, genome analysis and computational neuroanatomy. Systems approaches are increasingly important to advancing knowledge of many biological processes. Other facets of biomedical engineering will lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic agents, improved prostheses, and new approaches to tissue and organ repair including the use of bio-resorbable materials, reconstituted tissue and regenerated cells. With the increased understanding that comes from scientific research and the tools of biomedical engineering, a bountiful era of increased understanding of disease, health care informatics, new biomaterials and revolutionary medical devices can be realized.
Biomedical engineering has been a focus of activity for almost 40 years in both the School of Engineering & Applied Science and the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. Contributions of the University include advances in imaging technologies for biology and medicine; positron emission tomography, confocal optical microscopy, advanced ultrasound imaging, magnetic resonance imaging and X-ray tomography. The University has played a leading role in applying high-speed communications systems to transmit scientific and medical information. Furthermore, the University is recognized worldwide for its work in mapping and sequencing the human genome, in computational molecular biology, in mapping of the human brain, and in cardiovascular engineering.
Biomedical engineering is an extremely diverse field encompassing the activities of faculty at Washington University in departments at the medical school as well as the engineering school. Recognizing the strength and diversity of existing programs, the Department of Biomedical Engineering was established on July 1, 1997. Together with the newly established Institute of Biomedical and Medical Engineering, involving faculty from the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the School of Medicine and also from the College of Arts & Sciences, this network facilitates and promotes the graduate educational training of biomedical engineers at Washington University. The Executive Council of the Institute, with broad representation from both the School of Engineering & Applied Science and the School of Medicine, has the responsibility to facilitate and coordinate student access to these various research opportunities. A graduate committee composed of members of the full-time faculty and the Institute determines the guidelines for graduate students in biomedical engineering.
The goals of graduate education in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University are to continue the University’s innovative and nationally recognized research programs and to train a new generation of leaders who apply engineering science throughout biology and medicine in government, industry and academia. This is a broad vision of biomedical engineering as a field and defines a role for which Washington University is ideally suited.
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Last Modification: 08/14/2009 | |