 A biomedical engineer uses traditional

engineering expertise to analyze and solve

problems in biology and medicine, providing
an overall enhancement of health care.
◦ Development of artificial organs (hearing aids, cardiac
pacemakers, artificial kidneys and hearts', blood oxygenators,
synthetic blood vessels, joints, arms, and legs).
◦ Automated patient monitoring (during surgery or in intensive care,
healthy persons in unusual environments, such as astronauts in
space or underwater divers at great depth).
◦ Blood chemistry sensors (potassium, sodium, O², CO² and pH),
both invasive and non-invasive.
◦ Advanced therapeutic and surgical devices (laser system for eye
surgery, automated delivery of insulin, etc.).
◦ Application of expert systems and artificial intelligence to clinical
decision making (computer-based systems for diagnosing
diseases).
◦ Design of optimal clinical laboratories (computerized analyzer for
blood samples, cardiac catheterization laboratory, etc.).
◦ Design of medical imaging systems (ultrasound, computer
assisted tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron
emission tomography, etc.).
◦ Computer modeling of physiologic systems (blood pressure
control, renal, function, visual and auditory nervous circuits, etc.).
◦ Biomaterials design (mechanical, transport and biocompatibility
properties of implantable artificial materials).
◦ Biomechanics of human movement (gait analysis, etc.).
◦ Tissue mechanics (properties of bone, tendon, skin and changes
with remodeling, injury, healing, etc).
◦ Sports medicine (rehabilitation, external support devices, etc.).
Plus the contribution on research into injury mechanism,
understanding de nervous system, cancer research,
mechanobiology, electrophysiology.
 Universities
 Industry
 Hospitals
 Research facilities of educational
and medical institutions
 Teaching
 Government regulatory agencies
 Become a good engineer and acquire a working
understanding of the life sciences and BME
terminology.

 Good communication skills are vital to talk with

professionals having medical, technical, and other
backgrounds.
 High school preparation:
◦ Follow an engineering discipline with life science
course work
◦ Courses in calculus, physics, chemistry and
biology
◦ If possible, Advanced Placement courses in these
areas
 At the college level:
◦ Students usually select engineering
as a field of study, then choose a
discipline concentration within
engineering.
◦ Some students major in biomedical
engineering, while others may major
in chemical, electrical, or mechanical
engineering with a specialty in
biomedical engineering.
 At the college level (continued):
◦ As career plans develop, seek advice on the
degree of specialization and the educational
levels appropriate to goals and interests.
◦ Many students continue their education in
graduate school where they obtain valuable
biomedical research experience at the Masters or
Doctoral level.
 When entering the job market, a graduate should
be able to point to well defined engineering skills
for application to the biomedical field, with some
project or in-the-field experience in biomedical
engineering.
 BMES is the professional society for
biomedical engineering and bioengineering
 Founded in 1968, the Society now boasts
over 7,000 members with more than 4,400
student members
 146 Student Chapters
 7 Industry Chapters
 Significantly reduced registration rates for the
Annual Meeting
 A subscription to the monthly E-Bulletin, our
member online newsletter
 A subscription/online access to the Annals of
Biomedical Engineering (ABME), Cellular and
Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) and
Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology
(CVET)
 Online access to the BMES Career Connections
job board listing career opportunities and
internships
 A searchable directory
 Access to all BMES Committees and Special
Interest Groups
 Online education, including access to Annual
Meeting sessions recordings and professional
development webinars
 The opportunity to receive awards and
recognition (including election to Fellow) with
student recognition and awards including:
◦ Undergraduate Design Competition
◦ Student Chapter Awards
◦ Student Travel Awards
◦ Career Development Awards
◦ Research and Design Awards
 Voting rights within the Society
 The opportunity to serve in the Society’s
leadership and committees