A new medical engineering centre will enhance the University of Dundee’s offering to students seeking an interdisciplinary education at the forefront of research.
The Centre for Medical Education and Technology, developed in collaboration between the School of Science and Engineering and the School of Medicine, will help to facilitate innovative research and create graduates prepared for highly skilled jobs.
The development of the Centre has been led by Professor Zhihong Huang, Professor Ghulam Nabi, Dr Mike MacDonald and colleagues to ensure that students have access to leading technologies such as, medical robotics, imaging, neonatal intensive care units, central monitoring system and sensing technology for rehabilitation.
Professor Ghulam Nabi said, “The University has brought up a centre between the Schools of Engineering and Medicine to tackle healthcare challenges faced by the UK and other countries. The centre for Medical Engineering and Technology will bring together engineers, clinicians, and medical academics to work collaboratively to co-create knowledge and design technologies for the next generation’s devices, micro-robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
“The centre will be co-led by engineers and clinicians and will be hosting 140 undergraduate biomedical engineering students from North Eastern University of China under aegis of Joint Educational Programme ( JEP) between the Chinese University and the University of Dundee”
The Centre will provide a visible pathway for students to upgrade or specialise their undergraduate studies in areas such as physics, mathematics, computing, and mechanical engineering, allowing them to pursue careers in medical technology, including as clinical scientists, medical device technologists, or academics.
The Centre’s mission will be to address societal needs and advance human health, capitalising on the University’s strength in creative design, technological innovation and translating research into real impact on a local, national, and international scale.
Professor Sandy Cochran, External Adviser to the Centre said, “I was hugely impressed by what has been set up in the University of Dundee labs, perfectly complementing clinical activity in Ninewells Hospital and the School of Medicine.
“The way that teaching, research and clinical practice have been integrated industry and with enthusiastic new staff is particularly exciting and I’m looking forward to hearing of further progress under the leadership of Prof. Huang, as Academic Director, Prof. Nabi, as Clinical Director, and Dr MacDonald, as Research Director.
“I’m sure CMET will become very well-known in Scotland and further afield for its pioneering activity at the interface between Engineering, Technology and Medicine, building on the University’s existing excellent reputation.”
The Centre is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure across both the City and Ninewells Campus, with the Tay Cities deal contributing to the refurbishment of Wilson House, which will provide high tech facilities for medical technology and create an innovation space for further interactions with industry and NHS Tayside.
The engineering research will be problem-orientated, developing solutions to clinical challenges while maintaining the link to the science and engineering developments that will provide the solutions of the future.
Healthcare of the future faces many challenges that include changing population dynamics, public expectations, need for improved delivery of care, early diagnostics and non- or minimally invasive investigations, and economic austerity.
By bridging the gap between engineering and medicine, Biomedical Engineers and Medical Technologists are best equipped to combine a diverse set of skills to create solutions to continuing worldwide health issues, helping to change how patients are treated and lowering the cost of care, and transforming people’s lives for the better.