Engineering in Medicine is expanding at a tremendous rate.
The range of existing activities is vast, from implanted devices (artificial joints, heart pacemakers and artificial limbs), diagnostic devices (e.g. blood testing), Imaging devices (e.g. MRI scanning), operating equipment, telemedicine concepts, hospital infrastructure and so on.
However more exciting things are still being developed, taking research ideas from many disciplines into medical applications. Indeed they could totally transform the way healthcare is implemented! Some call it invention, others innovation, but this is the role of medical engineering – transforming science, engineering and technology into useful products for healthcare.
The range of technologies mean that the ‘raw concepts’ might come from any discipline and so, almost a decade ago, it was decided that an Association of Institution concerned with medical engineering should be formed and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 1999.
The chairmanship and secretariat moves between institutions and is currently (from September 2006) with the Institution of Engineering and Technology. The Chairman is John Erbetta whilst the Secretariat is led by James Howe.
The immediate past Chairman is Jeff Hand from the Institute of Physics.
Medical Engineering...........transforming science, engineering and technology into healthcare reality
Document last updated: 2006-10-31