New school of biomedical engineering approved

Hamilton, ON – McMaster University has established a School of Biomedical Engineering. The school, created jointly by the Faculties of Engineering and Health Sciences, will begin operating for the 2005/2006 academic year.

The new biomedical school will bring together existing bioengineering-related activities at the university and expands into emerging areas of biomolecular, biomedical and bioengineering research. Formal courses in engineering/physical science, health science/medicine and biomedical subjects will be offered together with research in a specialized area supported by one of seven dedicated laboratories.

Two laboratories for the new school were recently announced. MDA, developers of the Canadarm, has committed $450,000 for the establishment of a medical robotics laboratory and Bell University Laboratories is contributing $450,000 to support the creation of an integrated systems laboratory. Other labs planned include: medical devices, biophotonics, biomaterials, biomechanics and medical imaging.

"Future advances in medical research and application of new technology will increasingly rely upon multi-disciplinary, systems-wide approaches and new ways of thinking about biological problems," says Mo Elbestawi, dean, Faculty of Engineering. "This will require partnerships among biomedical and clinical scientists, engineers, physicists, chemists, and many others at the interface of biomedical technology and engineering."

Dr John Kelton, dean and vice-president, Faculty of Health Sciences, says, "As medicine becomes progressively more technology based and as many employment opportunities in biomedical engineering companies emerge throughout the world, the need for highly trained professionals is increasing.