Future Building Layout

This is the future building layout of my faculty located at Taman Universiti in front Space UTM building. It will be expected to be ready by Mac 2011.

Mission and Vision FKBSK

Mission and Vision

Faculty of Biomedical & Health Science Engineering (FKBSK) , established in July 2007 to champion teachings and research in biomedical sciences and engineering. The faculty is supported by four departments which are Department of Biomedical Instrumentation and Signal Processing, Department of Biomechanics and Biomaterials, Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation and Department of Clinical Engineering and Science.

VISION

• To be a world class center of excellence and a leader in teaching and learning within the field of biomedical engineering and health science.

MISSION

• To provide world class program in teaching and learning within the field of biomedical engineering and health science.
• To develop technology and technologists in the field of biomedical engineering and health science possessing high ethical values and morals
• To spearhead technology and knowledge in the field of biomedical engineering and health science.

History and Overview Establish FKBSK

In the beginning…

The idea of establishing the faculty came from the then Vice Chancellor of UTM, Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk Prof. Ir. Dr. Zulkifli bin Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali, after he visited Imperial College London in 2003.  The official programme included a visit to the Department of Bioengineering and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering. The Vice Chancellor was so impressed with the multidisciplinary research at the institute that harnesses the intellectual resources of scientists, engineers, medical researchers and clinicians to improve people’s health and welfare. Some of the research conducted included cochlear/retinal implants, tissue engineering, real-time DNA sequencing, minimally invasive biosensor, virtual medical procedure and the application of robotic surgical devices.

Two years later…

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jasmy Yunus, then the Head of Electronics Engineering Department and an expert in medical electronics, has been given the task of setting up the new faculty.  Faced with a monumental task, Dr. Jasmy recruited lecturers throughout UTM who have expertise in the relevant field.  These pioneers are:

1. Prof. Ir. Dr. Sheikh Hussain bin Sheikh Salleh, who has research in speech therapy and signal processing.
2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rashdi Shah bin Ahmad, an expert in health physics and medical imaging.
3. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdul Hafidz bin Omar, a sport scientist with specialization in rehabilitation technology.
4. Dr. Mohammed Rafiq bin Dato’ Abdul Kadir, then had just completed his PhD from Imperial College London in the field of biomechanics & biomedical materials.
5. Dr. Eko Supriyanto, a contract lecturer with an expertise in medical electronics.
6. Mrs. Halijah binti Ibrahim, a sports scientist.
7. Mrs. Asha Hasnimy binti Mohd Hashim, a sports scientist with masters in biomedical science.

The years of sleepless nights…

For two years since 2005, the pioneering committee prepared documents upon documents for submission to the relevant ministries.  It was a colossal undertaking for the committee as the field of biomedical engineering is as massive, complex and diverse as the field of medicine itself.  Trying to cover the whole field from head to toe was nearly impossible, but the committee has vowed to ensure that the faculty became the champion in the field.  Workshops and meetings were organised regularly, and most of the time ended very late at night.  Document reviews were also conducted time and time again to try and achieve perfection.  Defending the documents in front of the panels from the Ministry has always been a gruelling experience.  The committee remained resolute, however, in their commitment to ensure success on every corner.  Failure was never in the minds, as it was never an option.

The historic day…

28th August 2007 marked the beginning of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering and Health Science in UTM.  The Ministry of Higher Education’s approval for the faculty’s establishment brought immense joy to everybody involved in the setting up of the new faculty.  It is the first ever full-blown faculty in Malaysia specifically dedicated to the field of biomedical engineering and health science.  The ministry has agreed to the importance of this field and how it can help to shape the future of the country.  A significant budget of RM68 million has been allocated for the initial building and infrastructure, with additional budgets for equipments.  All the hard work had finally paid off.  The challenge of the past two years has been overcome, and a greater challenge is about to begin…

The Pioneers (2005-2007)

Biomedical Engineering Career Overview

Interested in becoming a biomedical engineer? Watch this video to learn what a career in biomedical engineering is really like. Provides an overview of the day to day working life of a biomedical engineer.

What Are the Different Types of Biomedical Engineering Degrees?

Biomedical engineers apply concepts from fields such as mechanical, electrical, computer, and materials engineering to medical disciplines. They study the human body and use their engineering knowledge to help doctors and scientists create solutions for many health problems. Biomedical engineering degrees can lead to careers in research, industry, or hospitals. There are several different sub-disciplines of biomedical engineering, from which a student can choose.

The usual first step for anyone who wants to become a biomedical engineer is to obtain a bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in the subject. At some universities, a bachelor of engineering (B.E.) or bachelor of science in engineering (B.S.E.) is the equivalent degree. A subsequent master of science (M.S.) or master of engineering (M.E.) degree can provide more career opportunities, especially for people who intend to specialize in a very specific area. Someone wishing to pursue a research career in biomedical engineering will generally need to obtain a doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree in the discipline. Many biomedical engineers also obtain a doctor of medicine (M.D.) degree, which enables them to provide patient care or perform clinical research.

Most people who pursue biomedical engineering degrees choose a specialty area, though they obtain a basic understanding of other areas as well. There are several common sub-disciplines in biomedical engineering, which can be roughly divided into disciplines involving medical instrumentation or computer modeling, and those that work more directly with the human body. These fields overlap the most in the areas of orthopedic bioengineering and rehabilitation engineering, both of which involve the creation of artificial biomaterials such as bones, ligaments, and tendons, and the design of prosthetics and assistive technology.

Instrumentation and modeling biomedical engineering degrees include bioinstrumentation. This is the design of devices and computers for diagnosing and treating disease. Clinical engineers usually work in hospitals to ensure that instrumentation and computer records meet the hospital's needs.
Computational modeling, which is a large part of the field of systems physiology, uses computers to process experimental data and construct mathematical models of physiological responses. It can even construct simulations of human organs, which can be used to test new treatments. Bioinformatics and computational biology are used to learn more about genomes, proteins, and other cell components. This is a process that requires enormous amounts of information, and is made much easier and more efficient through the use of computer programs.

Biomedical engineering degrees may focus on almost any part of the human body. Some specializations include cardiovascular systems, tissue engineering, and biomechanics — which focuses on movement in the human body. Molecular, cell, and genetic engineers focus on the microscopic level and are also active in the field of nanotechnology.

credit to wisegeek 

How Do I Become a Biomedical Engineer?

For those interested in biological science and engineering, the decision to become a biomedical engineer is a great one. A biomedical engineer develops concepts and takes the ideas of doctors, biologists, and rehabilitation therapists and converts them into devices, materials, treatments, instruments, procedures, and techniques that are usable and helpful to patients and the medical community. Biomedical engineering can include a wide range of engineering backgrounds – electrical, clinical, mechanical, chemical, aerospace, agricultural, and civil engineering – as they are related to improving the health care industry

There are several different levels of education for someone who wants to become a biomedical engineer. A bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering is one possibility. There are many programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. A bachelor’s degree is considered an entry level degree for those who decide to become a biomedical engineer. Consequently, a master’s or a doctorate level program is highly recommended.

Despite where a person receives her bachelor’s degree, there are several courses that are common and expected for a person wanting to become a biomedical engineer. For example, most four-year colleges with biomedical engineering programs offer classes in biomedical engineering design and systems, biomedical computers and software, engineering biophysics, biomechanics, biotransport, biothermodynamics, and bioinstrumentation. Depending on whether there is a dedicated bioengineering program at the undergraduate level, there may be more or fewer classes geared toward the degree.
If someone wants to become a biomedical engineer and work in a university setting as an instructor, she must have a doctorate degree. In addition, the most highly sought after positions in industry laboratories and government laboratories also require a doctorate degree, in most cases. A person does not have to complete an undergraduate program in biomedical engineering in order to enter a biomedical engineering graduate program. In fact, many people receive a traditional engineering background in undergraduate school before they delve into the specialized field of bioengineering in graduate school. Unbelievably, there are more graduate programs in biomedical engineering than undergraduate programs.

There are a few factors to consider before the decision to become a biomedical engineer is finalized. For example, mathematics, science, analytical thinking, logic, and inventiveness, must come naturally. Personal qualities, such as patience and determination, are also valuable in this field of work. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is also important – as filling out reports and discussing projects are all part of the job. Lastly, someone who wants to become a biomedical engineer should be able to work well with others – most projects are a team effort.

For the right person, becoming a biomedical engineer can be the ideal career path. Science, math, and creativity are all combined with the common goal of saving the lives of people around the world. It is not a field for those who shy away from formal education; however, for those up for the challenge, it can be a wonderful option. 

credit to wisegeek

How To Become a Biomedical Engineer

Biomedical engineers develop devices and procedures that solve medical and health-related problems by combining their knowledge of biology and medicine with engineering principles and practices. Many do research, along with life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists, to develop and evaluate systems and products such as artificial organs, prostheses (artificial devices that replace missing body parts), instrumentation, medical information systems, and health management and care delivery systems. Biomedical engineers may also design devices used in various medical procedures, imaging systems such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and devices for automating insulin injections or controlling body functions. Most engineers in this specialty need a sound background in another engineering specialty, such as mechanical or electronics engineering, in addition to specialized biomedical training. Some specialties within biomedical engineering include biomaterials, biomechanics, medical imaging, rehabilitation engineering, and orthopedic engineering.

Biomedical Engineering & Technology

Interested in how medicine and engineering combine to impact patient care? Check out these majors from the Purdue School of Engineering. Learn about the major from IUPUI students and the program director.

Becoming a Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET)

Looking for an Exciting New Career? Consider Becoming a Biomedical Equipment Technician What do biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) do? How do BMETs fit into the healthcare team? And how does one enter the field? These questions and more are addressed in this brief video, featuring members of AAMI's Technology Management Council (TMC).

all video from youtube

Biomedical engineering

What are Biomedical engineering ?

Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine. It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve healthcare diagnosis and treatment.

Biomedical engineering has only recently emerged as its own discipline, compared to many other engineering fields; such an evolution is common as a new field transitions from being an interdisciplinary specialization among already-established fields, to being considered a field in itself. Much of the work in biomedical engineering consists of research and development, spanning a broad array of subfields (see below). Prominent biomedical engineering applications include the development of biocompatible prostheses, various diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices ranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants, common imaging equipment such as MRIs and EEGs, biotechnologies such as regenerative tissue growth, and pharmaceutical drugs and biopharmaceuticals.

A JARVIK-7 artificial heart, an example of a biomedical engineering application of mechanical engineering with biocompatible materials for cardiothoracic surgery using an artificial organ.

Subdisciplines within biomedical engineering

Biomedical engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field, influenced by (and overlapping with) various other engineering and medical fields. This often happens with newer disciplines, as they gradually emerge in their own right after evolving from special applications of extant disciplines. Due to this diversity, it is typical for a biomedical engineer to focus on a particular subfield or group of related subfields. There are many different taxonomic breakdowns within BME, as well as varying views about how best to organize them and manage any internal overlap; the main U.S. organization devoted to BME divides the major specialty areas as follows:

• Biomechatronics
• Bioinstrumentation
• Biomaterials
• Biomechanics
• Bionics
• Cellular, Tissue, and Genetic Engineering
• Clinical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Orthopaedic Bioengineering
• Rehabilitation engineering
• Systems Physiology
• Bionanotechnology

Sometimes, disciplines within BME are classified by their association(s) with other, more established engineering fields, which can include:

• Chemical engineering - often associated with biochemical, cellular, molecular and tissue engineering, biomaterials, and biotransport.
• Electrical engineering - often associated with bioelectrical and neural engineering, bioinstrumentation, biomedical imaging, and medical devices. This also tends to encompass Optics and Optical engineering - biomedical optics, imaging and related medical devices.
• Mechanical engineering - often associated with biomechanics, biotransport, medical devices, and modeling of biological systems.

Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals 

Biotechnology (see also relatedly bioengineering) can be a somewhat ambiguous term, sometimes loosely used interchangeably with BME in general; however, it more typically denotes specific products which use "biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof."  Even some complex "medical devices" (see below) can reasonably be deemed "biotechnology" depending on the degree to which such elements are central to their principle of operation. Biologics/Biopharmaceuticals (e.g., vaccines, stored blood product), genetic engineering, and various agricultural applications are some major classes of biotechnology.

Pharmaceuticals are related to biotechnology in two indirect ways: 1) certain major types (e.g. biologics) fall under both categories, and 2) together they essentially comprise the "non-medical-device" set of BME applications. (The "Device - Bio/Chemical" spectrum is an imperfect dichotomy, but one regulators often use, at least as a starting point.)

Tissue engineering

Tissue Engineering is a major segment of Biotechnology.

One of the goals of tissue engineering is to create artificial organs (via biological material) for patients that need organ transplants. Biomedical engineers are currently researching methods of creating such organs. Researchers have grown solid jawbones and tracheas from human stem cells towards this end. Several bladders actually have been grown in laboratories and transplanted successfully into patients. Bioartificial organs, which use both synthetic and biological components, are also a focus area in research, such as with hepatic assist devices that use liver cells within an artificial bioreactor construct.

Genetic engineering

Genetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology, genetic modification/manipulation (GM) and gene splicing are terms that apply to the direct manipulation of an organism's genes.[1] Genetic engineering is different from traditional breeding, where the organism's genes are manipulated indirectly. Genetic engineering uses the techniques of molecular cloning and transformation to alter the structure and characteristics of genes directly. Genetic engineering techniques have found success in numerous applications. Some examples are in improving crop technology (not a medical application per se; see BioSystems Engineering), the manufacture of synthetic human insulin through the use of modified bacteria, the manufacture of erythropoietin in hamster ovary cells, and the production of new types of experimental mice such as the oncomouse (cancer mouse) for research.

Pharmaceutical engineering

Pharmaceutical Engineering is sometimes regarded as a branch of biomedical engineering, and sometimes a branch of chemical engineering; in practice, it is very much a hybrid sub-discipline (as many BME fields are). Aside from those pharmaceutical products directly incorporating biological agents or materials, even developing chemical drugs is considered to require substantial BME knowledge due to the physiological interactions inherent to such products' usage.

Medical devices

This is an extremely broad category -- essentially covering all health care products that do not achieve their intended results through predominantly chemical (e.g., pharmaceuticals) or biological (e.g., vaccines) means, and do not involve metabolism.

A medical device is intended for use in:

• the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or
• in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease

Some examples include pacemakers, infusion pumps, the heart-lung machine, dialysis machines, artificial organs, implants, artificial limbs, corrective lenses, cochlear implants, ocular prosthetics, facial prosthetics, somato prosthetics, and dental implants.

Stereolithography is a practical example of medical modeling being used to create physical objects. Beyond modeling organs and the human body, emerging engineering techniques are also currently used in the research and development of new devices for innovative therapies, treatments, patient monitoring, and early diagnosis of complex diseases.

Medical devices are regulated and classified (in the US) as follows (see also Regulation):

1. Class I devices present minimal potential for harm to the user and are often simpler in design than Class II or Class III devices. Devices in this category include tongue depressors, bedpans, elastic bandages, examination gloves, and hand-held surgical instruments and other similar types of common equipment.
2. Class II devices are subject to special controls in addition to the general controls of Class I devices. Special controls may include special labeling requirements, mandatory performance standards, and postmarket surveillance. Devices in this class are typically non-invasive and include x-ray machines, PACS, powered wheelchairs, infusion pumps, and surgical drapes.
3. Class III devices generally require premarket approval (PMA) or premarket notification (510k), a scientific review to ensure the device's safety and effectiveness, in addition to the general controls of Class I. Examples include replacement heart valves, hip and knee joint implants, silicone gel-filled breast implants, implanted cerebellar stimulators, implantable pacemaker pulse generators and endosseous (intra-bone) implants.  

 Biomedical instrumentation amplifier schematic used in monitoring low voltage biological signals, an example of a biomedical engineering application of electronic engineering to electrophysiology

Medical imaging

Medical/Biomedical Imaging is a major segment of Medical Devices. This area deals with enabling clinicians to directly or indirectly "view" things not visible in plain sight (such as due to their size, and/or location). This can involve utilizing ultrasound, magnetism, UV, other radiology, and other means.

Imaging technologies are often essential to medical diagnosis, and are typically the most complex equipment found in a hospital including:

• Fluoroscopy
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Nuclear Medicine
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) PET scansPET-CT scans
• Projection Radiography such as X-rays and CT scans
• Tomography
• Ultrasound
• Optical Microscopy
• Electron Microscopy

 

Implants

An implant is a kind of medical device made to replace and act as a missing biological structure (as compared with a transplant, which indicates transplanted biomedical tissue). The surface of implants that contact the body might be made of a biomedical material such as titanium, silicone or apatite depending on what is the most functional. In some cases implants contain electronics e.g. artificial pacemaker and cochlear implants. Some implants are bioactive, such as subcutaneous drug delivery devices in the form of implantable pills or drug-eluting stents.

 A prosthetic eye, an example of a biomedical engineering application of mechanical engineering and biocompatible materials to ophthalmology

Clinical engineering

Clinical engineering is the branch of biomedical engineering dealing with the actual implementation of medical equipment and technologies in hospitals or other clinical settings. Major roles of clinical engineers include training and supervising biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs), selecting technological products/services and logistically managing their implementation, working with governmental regulators on inspections/audits, and serving as technological consultants for other hospital staff (e.g. physicians, administrators, I.T., etc.). Clinical engineers also advise and collaborate with medical device producers regarding prospective design improvements based on clinical experiences, as well as monitor the progression of the state-of-the-art so as to redirect procurement patterns accordingly.

Their inherent focus on practical implementation of technology has tended to keep them oriented more towards incremental-level redesigns and reconfigurations, as opposed to revolutionary research & development or ideas that would be many years from clinical adoption; however, there is a growing effort to expand this time-horizon over which clinical engineers can influence the trajectory of biomedical innovation. In their various roles, they form a "bridge" between the primary designers and the end-users, by combining the perspectives of being both 1) close to the point-of-use, while 2) trained in product and process engineering. Clinical Engineering departments will sometimes hire not just biomedical engineers, but also industrial/systems engineers to help address operations research/optimization, human factors, cost analysis, etc. Also see safety engineering for a discussion of the procedures used to design safe systems.