In the 21st century, the highest priority for most people is health. By applying engineering principles and technology to medicine, biomedical engineering plays an important role in improving the health and quality of life of people.
The dramatic progress in modern biology and genomics has generated a vast amount of biomedical information. The analysis, synthesis, interpretation and application of these biomedical data require the application of new concepts and techniques in engineering. For example, the synthesis of research findings with the aid of systems biology has led to the generation of a cohesive body of knowledge through engineering analysis and network construction.

An integrative approach combining biology, medicine and engineering is essential for the elucidation of the complex mechanisms of physiological regulation in health and the development of innovative methods for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. The integration requires interdisciplinary research and education at the interface of engineering and biomedicine and the coordination of research across multiple scales in the biological hierarchy (from gene-molecule to cell-tissues and organ-system). We need to synergize science and technology with the ultimate aim of translation to clinical medicine and health care delivery.

There are dramatic advances in science and technology. Some examples are the use of nanotechnology for diagnosis and drug delivery to treat cancer and infectious diseases, the development of smart biomaterials and the application of pluripotent and multipotent stem cells for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and the enhancement of sensor technologies to monitor physiological and pathophysiological functions with improved sensitivity and minimal interference. The introduction of innovative procedures and remote control has allowed surgery to be performed with minimal trauma and over far distance; real-time medical imaging and computer analysis have provided increased precision and efficacy of surgical operations. The implementation of wireless approaches for health care delivery, including remote diagnosis and monitoring, has changed the paradigm of health care to become more personalized and preventive.

While the technological developments have made tremendous impacts on the advancement of health care, we need to preserve and enhance the patient-doctor rapport, which plays an important role in healing, and we need to devise innovation procedures that are cost-effective such that the technological progress will not drive up the health care costs. Science, engineering and medicine are closely tied to the society, the nation and its citizens. Advances in these fields will improve people’s health, improve economy, enhance social stability, and lead to further advances, resulting in a highly desirable positive feedback. Conversely, lack of advances in these fields will cause disease, poverty, and social instability, leading to an undesirable vicious cycle. Students in engineering and medicine need to learn humanity and social sciences in addition to the knowledge in science, engineering and medicine. The learning process should be self-motivated, with depth and breadth, and life-long.

In summary, the integration of the advances in science, engineering and medicine will lead to improvements in healthcare and its delivery. These approaches will allow the practice of individualized, preventative medicine that is patient-centered and cost-effective. The achievement of these promises and challenges requires the innovation from academia, its collaboration with industry and hospitals for translation, and the support by government and private foundations. The ultimate goal of such collaborative efforts in the application of engineering to medicine is the enhancement of health and quality of life of people.