BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Biomedical Engineering is an interdisciplinary field that involves the applications of technology to create new methodologies and devices for human welfare and for a better understanding of human biological processes. The Department was founded in March 2009 as a platform for students and faculty to excel. The Department motto is: High Quality, Sustainability and Usefulness. We concentrate on building an infrastructure and operating system that will stimulate students to perform well beyond the academic requirements and faculty to investigate issues that exist only in Vietnam, and attract international students and researchers.

The vision of the Biomedical Engineering Department is to promote integrative research, education and entrepreneurship at the forefront of biomedical science and engineering.

Therefore, the training in the undergraduate program emphasizes research and project-based learning which prepares our students with the necessary skills for successful entry into industry and graduate school. At every semester of the four years training program, students have to take a research course where they investigate medical devices and their principles by reverse engineering, study necessary skills and apply them in doing biomedical engineering projects. This series of research courses is the signature of our program.

1.1. Program Orientations

The BME Department activities span over 5 orientations:

• Medical Instrumentation focusing on the telemedicine, and the design of homecare devices for outpatients and advanced medical equipment providing rapid, automated and reliable diagnostics for healthcare professionals to satisfy the great and urgent needs of the country, and to bring synergy between traditional engineering technologies, the life sciences and medicine.
• Biomedical Signal and Image Processing focusing on the applications of medical devices and developments of new research methodologies and algorithms to investigate human biological processes and provide an early detection of diseases.
• Pharmaceutical Engineering focusing on the investigations of the mechanism of drug delivery using nanotechnology to enhance the efficacy of the treatment of tumors and the imaging diagnostics as well as the development of new drug delivery devices.
• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative in Medicine focusing on the development of new biological and bioinductive materials, and the use of stem cells, genes to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs and to use in biological implants.
• Entrepreneurship in Biomedical Engineering (under construction) focusing on the developments of clinical engineering and practice of effective methods to bring into the market medical devices newly developed in academic laboratories, to build a medical device industry appropriate for Vietnam and developing countries, and to manage healthcare settings.

2. Facilities

The Department possesses 5 rooms at IU to set up its laboratories and 2 rooms for faculty and staff offices. It has received VND 17 billion (about US$ 1 million at that time) from VNU-HCM to purchase research equipment and VND 1.8 billion (about US$ 100,000) from IU to purchase teaching equipment. In addition, the Department receives an annual budget of about VND 100 million (about US$ 5,000) from IU for its operations excluding the faculty and staff salaries.

To support the research and education activities the Biomedical Engineering Department established 8 following laboratories:

• Medical Photonics (A1.108): This lab was invested by VNU-HCM and donations from hospital or other research institutions. Those equipment help investigate applications of photonics to medical fields in particular the optical characteristics of bio-materials.
• R&D Medical Start-up Lab (A1.404): This lab is equipped with used pieces of medical equipment offered by hospitals or companies. They are mainly used to teach 1st year student Reverse Engineering course. Students explore these equipment and tools by learning their functioning principle and take them apart before putting them back. Students are also encouraged to brain storm for new ideas and test their initiatives.
• Brain and Computer Interface Lab (A1.412): This lab is invested by VNU-HCM. It is equipped with advanced equipment, some of them are unique in the country such as the Near Infrared Spectroscopy to measure in-vivo and non-invasively fluctuations of the oxy-hemoglobin in the brain of a subject. Those signals processed by computers allow patients to control assistive devices such as electric wheelchairs and allow investigators to study how to detect in the early stage of diseases based on the obtained medical signals and images such as: Electroencephalogram, Electromyogram, Electrocardiogram, X-Ray images and results from mathematical modeling.
• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (A1.406): This lab is invested by VNU-HCM and International University and supported by the US Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG). It is equipped with advanced instruments to investigate new biological materials to heal external wounds and replace internal organs.
• Pharmaceutical Engineering Lab (A1.407): This lab is invested by VNU-HCM. It is equipped with devices to investigate drug delivery systems including High performance Liquid Chromatography simulating gastrointestinal environment. Nanotechnology is also applied to enhance the efficacy and reduce side effects of medicaments.
• Medical Design Lab (A1-408): This lab is invested by VNU-HCM and IU. It is equipped with electronic, mechanical, optic equipment to allow us to design new medical devices. We have developed a series of point-of-care devices using in the establishment of a new family medicine care appropriate for Vietnam and developing countries.
• Sleep Apnea Lab (CHAC): With the collaboration of Trung Tâm Chăm Sóc Sức Khỏe Cộng Đồng (a private healthcare center, established by Dr. Dương Quang Trung, former Director of the Office of Public Health of HCM City), the Department created its Sleep apnea study lab there. The faculty and students of the Department have the opportunity to work alongside with physicians and patients.
• In-vitro and in-vivo lab (SHTP): With the collaboration of the Saigon Hi-Tech Park of Ho Chi Minh City, we establish a lab to conduct experiments on cells and live animals in the development of new bio-materials.

3. Learning outcomes

The outcomes from the BME program at International University are characterized by the following capabilities of our students (based on ABET Inc. guidelines for a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering):

(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering [ABET, 3a]
(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data [ABET, 3b]
(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability [ABET, 3c]
(d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams [ABET, 3d]
(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems [ABET, 3e]
(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility [ABET, 3f]
(g) an ability to communicate effectively [ABET, 3g]
(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context [ABET, 3h]
(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning [ABET, 3i]
(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues [ABET, 3j]
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice [ABET, 3k]
(l) an understanding of biology and physiology, and the capability to apply advanced mathematics (including differential equations and statistics), science, and engineering to solve the problems at the interface of engineering and biology [ABET, 3l]
(m) the ability to make measurements on and interpret data from living systems, addressing the problems associated with the interaction between living and non-living materials and systems [ABET, 3m]

4. English requirements

All courses at International University (except political courses) are taught in English. For non-English speaking students, International University organizes English placement test for all freshmen when they enter the university programs. Based on the test’s result (which is converted to TOEFL pBT scale), students are classified into following groups:

• Group with scores > 500 TOEFL pBT: will take courses of the regular program during the first semester.
• Group with 430 < scores ≤ 500 TOEFL pBT: will take Intensive English 2 (IE2) courses and some courses of the program during the first semester.
• Group with scores ≤ 430 TOEFL pBT: will take Intensive English 1 (IE1) courses in the first semester; if passed, then will take IE2 courses and some courses of the program in the second semester.

To be eligible for graduation, students have to have the TOEFL iBT scores ≥ 79 or TOEFL PBT scores ≥ 550 or IELTS scores ≥ 6.0.

5. Abilities of Graduates

After completing our undergraduate program, students can:

• Pursue higher education in successfully competing in the prestigious scholarships to enter in the higher education world class programs abroad,
• Be capable of operating and maintaining advanced equipment in hospitals and healthcare establishments,
• Be able to explore new possibilities of using those equipment as research tools to work hand in hand with medical doctors in the medical and scientific research projects,
• Become educational leaders capable of creating new generation of primary and secondary schools,
• Become great entrepreneurs capable of leading emerging medical device industry or transforming ideas into commercialized viable product, managing healthcare establishments, and establishing startup companies.

6. Career Opportunities

After completing our undergraduate program, students can become:

• Clinical engineers who are well versed in the principles and operations of medical equipment used in hospitals and highly competent in supporting physicians in clinical treatments, and in advanced research
• Entrepreneurs capable of developing and creating successful medical devices in the market, forming start-ups and managing healthcare establishments
• Researchers in scientific institutions capable of working at the interface between Health Science, Engineering and Technology
• Science and technology educators promoting Biomedical Engineering as an emerging field.

Therefore students are capable to either pursue post graduate education in Biomedical Engineering, become great entrepreneurs capable of transforming ideas into commercialized viable product, managing healthcare establishments, and establishing startup companies or work in a hospital setting in Vietnam or abroad.

7. Program Educational Objectives

We expect that graduates of our program are prepared:

• PEO1: to be proficient engineers with the tools needed to work at the interface of biomedical sciences and engineering.
• PEO2: to foster innovation and creativity, team building, and scientific and technological competence and confidence to spur scientific and engineering leadership.
• PEO3: to successfully pursue graduate education in Vietnam or abroad, or embark on careers in the private sector, or in teaching at the primary and secondary schools.

8. Curriculum Description and Learning Schedule

Following is the list of courses of BME undergraduate program:

*Free Electives can be any courses

Learning schedule

Total: 144 credits (2 Free Elective Courses, 5 Technical Elective Courses)

9. Personnel

10. Contact

Biomedical Engineering Department
Room O1.405
Telephone: (84-8) 37244270 Ext: 3236
E-mail: bme@hcmiu.edu.vn
Website: http://www.hcmiu.edu.vn/bme