Invitation to BIOMEDEA Conference

December 17-19, 2004
Eindhoven University of Technology TU/e, Main Building Eindhoven, the Netherlands

BIOMEDEA:
Biomedical Engineering Education and Training
The conference is dedicated to education and training in Biomedical Engineering and Sciences and is part of the BIOMEDEA project. The BIOMEDEA project, initiated by Joachim Nagel, as chairman of the EAMBES Academic Division, together with Dick Slaaf and Jan Wojcicki, is dedicated to harmonization of BME education in Europe. The meeting is also a European preparation to the second Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Education summit [http://www.whitaker.org]. The purpose of that meeting is to help universities design and modify biomedical engineering programs to meet future needs.

Organisers:
Joachim Nagel (Stuttgart), Dick W. Slaaf (Eindhoven/Maastricht) Local organizer:
Dick Slaaf [dw.Slaaf@bf.unimaas.nl]

Website:
http://www.bmt.tue.nl/biomedea
Further information: to be obtained from local organizer.
Registration: http://www.bmt.tue.nl/biomedea

Participation: representatives of Biomedical Engineering programs of European countries, decision makers at a national level interested in Biomedical Engineering education and BME students.
Academic participants are expected to supply the organizers of the meeting with the answers to the 4 questionnaires they will receive prior to the meeting. Replies are due December 6, 2004, to enable the organizers to make an overview of the results, which form the basis for the discussions.

This BIOMEDEA meeting is the first of three meetings. The other meetings will be held in Warsaw, Poland, March 25-26, 2005 [MBES Accreditation] and Stuttgart, Germany, June 24-25 [MBES Certification, Registration and Continuing Education].

Outcomes

The output will be published for dissemination as a book with CD, as just a CD, and as downloadable files on the website of EAMBES, its member societies and IFMBE. Furthermore, they will be presented at the Whitaker summit, if applicable.

Academic participants are invited to bring a poster describing:

Their whole program,
OR
New teaching methods, facilities, or ideas.

About the BIOMEDEA project:

BIOMEDEA - Biomedical Engineering Preparing for the European Higher Education Area

Modern health care depends on versatile, multidisciplinary teams with biomedical engineers playing an important role, but, in contrast to the traditional academic disciplines where consensus about the necessary content of higher educational programs and the required qualifications of professionals could be established over many decades, Medical and Biological Engineering and Science (MBES) as a young, explosively growing discipline did not yet have this opportunity. The Bologna movement has triggered an initiative of the MBES community to promote their European Higher Education Area by harmonizing the educational programs, specifying required minimum qualifications and establishing criteria for an efficient quality control of education and life-long learning.

The objective of the project is to support this initiative through the organization of seminars for all partners involved in MBES education, to develop and establish consensus on European guidelines for the harmonization of high quality MBES programs, their accreditation and for certification and continuing education of professionals working in the health care systems. Adherence to these guidelines will insure mobility in education and employment as well as the necessary safety for patients. Targets for the dissemination of results will be the European universities, political decision makers, ENQA, accreditation agencies, health care providers and students.

Provisional program of BIOMEDEA Conference:

Friday, December 17, 2004:

9.00-10.00: registration and coffee/tea.

10-10:15: Opening of the meeting:
Dick Slaaf, TE/e: The importance of harmonization of BME education in Europe and abroad. The value of 3+2=5.

10.15-12.30: Introduction of workshop 1:
The Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Curriculum
The goals are to delineate: the core topics in biomedical engineering science that all BME students should understand, the biomedical engineering science topics, underpinning areas of BME specialization, the critical skills expected of all undergraduate biomedical engineers.
10.15-10.30:

  1. The rationale behind the contents of two programs.
    10.30-11.00: The Eindhoven/Maastricht BME program; life sciences integrated from the start and the inclusion of DCL. Speaker to be appointed.
    11.00-11.30: A classical BME program: program and speaker to be appointed.
  2. Presentation of the results of questionnaire 1.
    11.30-12.00: Results in perspective.
    12.00-12.30: Format of the discussion for the afternoon; which questions have to be answered?

12:30-13:30 Lunch [and poster viewing]

13:30-15:00 Breakout sessions in 3 different rooms.

15:00-15:30 Tea and coffee [and poster viewing]

15:30-17:00 Reports from the groups.

17:00-18:00 Discussion and summary.

18:00- 21:00 Drinks and dinner

Saturday, December 18, 2004:

9:00-12:30: (including break) Workshop 2:
The Biomedical Engineering Master Curriculum
The goals are to delineate at the graduate level:
Intellectual underpinnings for the future of biomedical engineering, Integration of the engineering sciences and modern biology, Engineering opportunities in the clinic, Critical skills

9.00-9.15: Introduction: Consequences of heterogeneity of programs and specific professional requirements.
9.15-9.45: Presentation of the results of questionnaire 2. Results in perspective.
9.45-10.00: Format of the discussion for the morning; which questions have to be answered?
10.00-12.00: Breakout sessions in 3 different rooms. [10.50-11.10: Tea and coffee]
12.00- 12.30: Reports from the groups.
12.30-13.00: Discussion and summary.

13.00-14:00: lunch [and poster viewing]

14:00-17:00: (including break) Workshop 3:
Educational methods and best practices;
The goals of the workshops are to: Discuss educational method, Illustrate best practices adapted to teaching biomedical engineers how to solve clinical and biological problems.
14.00-14.15: Introduction
14.15-14.45: Presentation of the results of questionnaire 3. Results in perspective.
14.45-15.00: Format of the discussion for the afternoon; which questions have to be answered?
15.00-17.00: Breakout sessions in 3 different rooms. [15.50-16.10: Tea and coffee]
17.00- 17.30: Reports from the groups.
17.30-18.00: Discussion and summary.
18:00- 21:00: Drinks and dinner

Sunday, December 19, 2004:

9:00-12:00: (including break) Workshop 4:
Training
9.00-9.15: Introduction
9.15-9.45: Presentation of the results of questionnaire 4. Results in perspective.
Format of the discussion for the morning; which questions have to be answered?
9.45-11.30: Breakout sessions in 3 different rooms.
[10.30-10.45: Tea and coffee]
11.30- 12.15: Reports from the groups. Discussion and summary.

12:00-12:30: Summary and conclusions of the meeting

12:30-13.00: lunch and farewell.

Registration:
Registration will be available electronically through our website:
http://www.bmt.tue.nl/biomedea.

Deadline for early registration: December 1, 2004.
Registration fee:
Early registration: €175
Late or on-site: €225
Included are: coffee, tea, lunch, and dinner on Friday and Saturday and coffee, tea, and lunch on Sunday, conference material.
Payments by credit card only.