INNOVATION January-February 2013

1999 by Nigel Livingston. In 2012, the University of Victoria established a Biomedical Engineering Program granting undergraduate degrees specifically in biomedical engineering. Additionally, electrical engineering students can pursue an option in biomedical engineering. The program is consistent with all UVic Bachelor of Engineering programs: the curriculum consists of a common set of first year courses, six terms unique to the degree and four Co-operative Education terms. Designed to be accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board so that graduates sat- isfy the academic requirements for professional engineer registra- tion, the program will seek accreditation immediately following the first graduating class. Collaboration with Industry The development of biomedical engineering in BC has involved successful collaboration among industry, hospitals and post- secondary educational institutions over the past 36 years. In biomedical engineering, “industry” refers to health care delivery organizations including hospitals, as well as more traditional developers, designers, manufacturers and suppliers of medical devices and related medical technologies. A number of key factors have influenced the collaboration between industry, post-secondary institutions and the engineer- ing profession in BC. The first was the creation of a Biomedical Engineering Department at Vancouver General Hospital in 1976. Beginning with just one individual, the department evolved into the largest hospital-based department of biomedical engineering in Canada, over the next 10 years. Experience gained in the VGH Biomedical Engineering Department resulted in the identification of unmet engineering needs in the clinical setting. Responding to this, in 1992, the Medical Device Development Centre (MDDC) was formed as an independent collaborative center involving a number of medical technology companies, hospitals including Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital, two BC universities (SFU and UBC), and BCIT. MDDC was an independent and profitable start-up incuba- tor from inception, leasing collaborative facilities to the most promising collaborative industry-hospital-educational groups and promoting synergies among those groups. It has also been successful in promoting collaborations within the industry. Most of the BC-based companies in the medical technology field, and most of the professional engineers involved in those private-sector companies and in the collaborating public-sector entities, have benefitted directly or indirectly from the activities of the MDDC. Further impetus for collaboration has come from the evolu- tion of adjunct faculty appointments, increased involvement of engineering undergraduate and graduate students in medical device development projects, increased awareness at educational institutions of the need to adapt and create different educational programs, and increased awareness of the need for those in private-sector and public-sector industries to influence curricula. The UBC Faculty of Applied Sciences was involved early in this process. Simon Fraser University later created its School of Engineering Science with a different emphasis. BCIT, as noted

above, has always provided the bulk of biomedical engineering technologists for BC’s industries and hospitals, and has always had advisory committees to shape the curriculum, not only to meet employers’ needs but also to assure a complementary relationship with universities. Conclusion It is remarkable that in BC a unique culture of collaboration has developed in biomedical engineering—not only within private- sector and public sector industries, but also between industry and the related faculties and groups in the province’s post-secondary educational institutions. This collaboration benefits the quality of health care in BC and elsewhere, fosters innovation and entre- preneurship, contributes to the growth of meaningful educational and employment opportunities, and contributes to the growth of our economy. The emphasis put on the practical and entrepre- neurial component of biomedical engineering education in BC should largely increase the number of startups and spinoffs of medical instrumentation and assistive devices, which can enhance independent living and thus reduce the health care system costs. As such, well designed comprehensive biomedical engineering programs are of growing importance to us all. Dr. Andrew Rawicz, P.Eng., is a professor with Simon Fraser Univer- sity’s School of Engineering Science. v

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