What is a Biomedical Engineer?

Where Medicine Meets Technology

Biomedical Engineering is a discipline in which engineering science and technology are applied to problems in biology and medicine. The best known accomplishments involve instrumentation and devices used for diagnosis and therapy such as the cardiac pacemaker, computerized imaging, the artificial heart, etc. Less well known, but of great importance, are the applications of basic principles to the quantative modeling and simulation of physiological systems. All areas of activity benefit from the recent and rapid growth of engineering technology, in particular micro-miniature devices and computers. For the biomedical engineering student, knowledge must be acquired in both engineering and the life sciences, as reflected in our academic program requirements.

Research Examples

Problems that biomedical engineering help identify, define and solve include instrumentation and device design, the design of computerized medical imaging algorithms and equipment, artificial heart valve analysis and design, the analysis of spinal biomechanics, laser applications, biomaterials and implant design, and quantitative modeling and simulation of physiological systems.

Biomedical engineers design medical instruments for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases as well as for research in biology. Examples of instruments for diagnosis include electrocardiographs, electroencephalographs, automatic blood analyzers, and medical imaging systems such as X-ray imaging, radio-nuclide imaging, ultra-sound imaging, computer-assisted tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Examples of instruments for treatment include radiotherapy mechanics, pacemakers, cardiac-assist devices, intelligent drug delivery systems, and surgical lasers. Biomedical engineers also develop artificial organs for prosthesis and various computer software and hardware systems to help provide high-quality, cost-effective health care.

You will join people who created the CAT scan, the artificial kidney, the artificial lung, and MRI, creating technology for patient monitoring, diagnosis and therapy.

Your Future as a Biomedical Engineer

Biomedical engineers are concerned with the structure of living systems, as well as the application of engineering science to problems in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Biomedical engineers occupy positions in various aspects of health care, biomaterials, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. They work in product development, rehabilitation design, government and academia. There are other opportunities for biomedical engineers, such as:

• Medical School: the curriculum prepares students to enter medical school
• Medical research and biotechnology: development and manufacturing of medical supplies, equipment, prosthetics, and artificial organs; or, computer simulation of physiological processes and systems.
• Heath Care: supervision, development, operation and testing of medical equipment
• Government: analysis, classification and regulation of medical and biological methods and technologies

Biomedical Engineering History at the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota is well known for pioneering research in biomedical engineering, often in close connection with local medical device companies, as illustrated in the following table and on the history pages of MBBNet.

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