Biomedical Engineering

BiomedicalEngineering Joe Le Doux, Ph.D. Associate Professor Associate Chair

Today’s plan • Dr. Le Doux – overview of BME • Student panel • Lizzie Chabay: shadowing doctors • Zachary Imam: coops • Alex Chau: internships • Susan Hastings: undergrad research • Group discussion / questions

What is creating the need for biomedical engineers? $ 2.0 trillion 16% of GDP ~ 7% annual growth rate ~ 36% consumed by those age 65 and older (currently 13% of population) Healthcare spending in the US 3

What is a biomedical engineer? Biomedical engineers contribute to the research, development and application of innovative approaches, materials, biologics and devices for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease

Why study biomedical engineering? Students choose a career in this field: to be of service to people to apply quantitative approaches to understand living systems to use advanced technology to solve the complex problems of medical care 5

Where do Ga Tech BME grads go? Industry/government (33%) Graduate school (29%) 15% Masters 14% PhD Professional school (19%) 16% Medical 3% Dental/law Other (3%) Unknown (16%)

BME Research Neuroengineering Biomechanics Cell and Tissue Engineering Imaging Biomaterials Bioinstrumentation

Where do Ga Tech BME grads go? Industry/government (33%) Graduate school (29%) 15% Masters 14% PhD Professional school (19%) 16% Medical 3% Dental/law Other (3%) Unknown (16%)

What jobs are there for BME grads? Field engineers technical support for clinicians Product development developing new materials, devices and biologics Process development devising new/improved processes to optimize the manufacturing process Consulting provide clients with expertise they lack to help them make decisions Clinical and regulatory affairs performance and safety testing of new products

Our curriculum produces T’s • The BME curriculum is criticized by some for sacrificing depth for breadth • This criticism incorrectly assumes that BME’s are competing for the same jobs as engineers trained in other disciplines

What skills do BME students need to develop? Core courses Depth electives • Problem identification, formulation and solving • Understanding of physiology • Systems-level thinking • Breadth, in order to grasp whole problem and translate medical needs to other engineers • Writing and presentation skills for communicating succinctly to supervisors, peers, clients • Self-directed learning Cell and Systems Physiology Systems modeling Breadth electives Problem-based learning (PBL) courses http://www.acad.bme.gatech.edu/undergraduate/bs_deg_req.php

Problem-based learning An educational approach that fosters the development of cognitive flexibility when students are challenged with solving the right kind of problems

PBL across the curriculum BMED 1300 BMED 3110 BMED 3600 BMED 2300 BMED 3610 BMED 4602 3 assigned problems; cognitive skills focused 4 assigned problems; design focus 1 assigned problem; content focus 1 client-identified problem; design focus 4 modules; student-identified problems; lab technique focus 5 problem modules; lab technique & project team focus

BMED 1300 Problems in BME I • Objectives To prepare students to tackle complex real-world problems in biomedical engineering. This requires them to become self-directed learners who possess excellent inquiry skills. They must also become serious knowledge builders. And finally they must increase their understanding of effective communication strategies while improving group skills.

BMED 1300: Cancer screening Your team has been selected by the National Cancer Institute to investigate the current status of ovarian cancer screening, including the effectiveness of the most commonly used methods. You are expected to identify and make recommendations regarding potential future screening strategies, which relative to current strategies improve the sensitivity without sacrificing specificity

BMED 4602 Capstone Design • Objectives To prepare students for engineering practice through a major design experience incorporating engineering standards and realistic constraints that include most of the following considerations: economic; environmental; sustainability; manufacturability; ethical; health and safety; social; and political.

BME depth electives • 12 hours are required • Two strategies • Use electives to add depth in a single sub-discipline in BME • Use electives to explore multiple sub-disciplines to as a prelude to more focused graduate studies

Depth electives 20 BMED 4400 Introduction to Neuroengineering BMED 4477 Biological Networks and Genomics BMED 4500 Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory BMED 4750 Diagnostic Imaging Physics BMED 4751 Introduction to Biomaterials BMED 4752 Introductory Neuroscience BMED 4757 Biofluid Mechanics BMED 4758 Biosolid Mechanics BMED 4765 Drug Design, Development and Delivery BMED 4781 Biomedical Instrumentation BMED 4783 Introduction to Medical Image Processing BMED 4784 Engineering Electrophysiology BMED 2699/4699 Undergraduate Research

BME breadth electives • 15 credit hours are required • Can not be used to satisfy any other BME course requirements • May select from • Pre-health option • Research option • BME approved certificates • Institute approved minors

BME career resources Links to a number of biomedical engineering career-oriented resources may be found at: http://www.bme.gatech.edu/academics/ The Biomedical Engineering Society also has information on the field and a number of useful links: http://www.bmes.org 22

Student panel Student panel Lizzie Chabay: shadowing doctors Zachary Imam: coops Alex Chau: internships Susan Hastings: undergrad research As they speak, jot down questions that you have

Class discussion guidelines • Form groups of ~ 4 • Choose a scribe and spokesperson for your group • Scribe: person whose birthday is next • Spokesperson: person whose birthday just happened the most recently • Discuss the following questions for ~5 min • Spokesperson shares summary

Question 1 With respect to considering becoming a BME major: what aspects of BME appeal to you? what aspects of BME concern you?

Question 2 With additional questions do you have for the panel that will help you decide whether or not BME is the major for you?

Biomedical Engineering