Recognizing the increasing role of technology in health care, McMaster has established a School of Biomedical Engineering. The School, created jointly by the Faculties of Engineering and Health Sciences, will begin operating for the 2005/2006 academic year.

The launch of the new School positions us at the forefront of the rapidly emerging area of biomedical engineering, said president Peter George. The Faculties of engineering and health sciences have developed a uniquely collaborative school that embodies the true interdisciplinary nature of this university. Once again, McMaster is at the leading-edge of educational innovation.

The McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering (MSBE) brings together existing bioengineering-related activities at the University and expands into emerging areas of biomolecular, biomedical and bioengineering research. Formal courses in engineering/physical science, health science/medicine and biomedical subjects will be offered together with research in a specialized area supported by one of seven dedicated laboratories.

Two laboratories for the new School were recently announced. MDA, developers of the Canadarm, has committed $450,000 for the establishment of a medical robotics laboratory and Bell University Laboratories is contributing $450,000 to support the creation of an integrated systems laboratory. Other labs planned include: medical devices, biophotonics, biomaterials, biomechanics and medical imaging.

Future advances in medical research and application of new technology will increasingly rely upon multi-disciplinary, systems-wide approaches and new ways of thinking about biological problems, said Mo Elbestawi, dean, Faculty of Engineering. This will require partnerships among biomedical and clinical scientists, engineers, physicists, chemists, and many others at the interface of biomedical technology and engineering.

Dr. John Kelton, dean and vice-president, Faculty of Health Sciences, said, As medicine becomes progressively more technology based and as many employment opportunities in biomedical engineering companies emerge throughout the world, the need for highly trained professionals is increasing.

MSBE graduates will be employed by the biomedical and biotechnology industries, by hospitals, by governments and by academic institutions.

Approximately 100 students and researchers are expected to be involved in the School's programs at the graduate level, with equal numbers of Master's and Ph.D. students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, research associates and visiting scholars. The School will also be an important resource for the recently launched undergraduate programs in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. Fifty faculty will be associated with the school initially, primarily drawn from existing health sciences and engineering programs. New faculty will also be hired in future.

The new graduate programs are accepting applications for the Fall 2005 term. Students from life/health science backgrounds and engineering/physical science backgrounds are invited to apply.