What is Biomedical Engineering?
Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering practices to human health issues. Biomedical engineering technologies improve the lives of people every minute of every day. Biomedical engineers have developed and improved the technologies used to diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases. Examples of new and exciting technologies under development by biomedical engineers are:
Improved imaging methodologies for cancer detection
Novel methods to analyze medical images and present additional information to physicians
New technologies to understand electrical conduction abnormalities in the heart to better respond to heart attacks and arrhythmias
New technologies to provide selective delivery of drugs, such as chemotherapy agents, to areas of interest in the body without damaging healthy tissues
Biomedical Engineering at GW
GW's biomedical engineering (BME) program takes advantage of the unique combination of resources and opportunities that the engineering school can provide BME students through its connection with GW's medical school and hospital, as well as the biotech industries and world-class laboratories in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. BME students can focus their studies depending on their interests and career goals by selecting appropriate technical electives. Potential focus areas include bioinformatics, telemedicine, instrumentation, pre-medicine, biomechanics, imaging, and other areas as directed by the student's academic advisor.
Students benefit from a program designed to go beyond the traditional engineering curriculum, including a BME seminar, a capstone design sequence and assistance for securing summer internships at world-class research laboratories in the Washington, D.C. area.