The Georgia Institute of Technology announces a unique Master of Biomedical Innovation and Development (BioID) Degree. This new program, offered by the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, focuses education and clinical experience to transform unmet biomedical and clinical needs into practical, usable technologies and products for improving patient care. The application process for admissions will open Sept. 1, 2012, for the first class to matriculate in August 2013.

With the complexity of modern medical devices, engineers from multiple disciplines (mechanical, biomedical, electrical, software, and human factors engineering, systems analysis and manufacturing) are often required to translate clinical needs into safe and effective commercial products for healthcare. The BioID master’s program will specifically address gaps in the crucial “bedside-to-bench-to-bedside” progression that identifies and connects unmet clinical needs with advances in science, biomaterials, processes and technology.

This program will prepare students from multiple undergraduate disciplines for careers in a wide range of medical specialties. Courses include: engineering design and development; FDA and ISO requirements; medical markets and clinical specialties; clinical practice/protocols, strategy and planning; finance and economics; product costing; justifications; project planning and management; ethics; socio-economic influences; and sustainability.

Georgia Tech BioID students will interact with healthcare industry experts and guest lecturers from areas such as clinical and surgical practices, engineering design and development, regulatory requirements, business planning, and commercialization. The program incorporates experience in healthcare environments, teamwork projects, and professional communications and will culminate in a master’s level clinical/medical team project.

“With an emphasis on cross-disciplinary coursework and relevant clinical experience, this program fills a distinct market demand for broadly educated professionals at the intersection of biomedical device engineering, healthcare, and business development,” said L. Franklin Bost, professor and executive director of the program. Bost’s background in both the medical device industry and biomedical design instruction brings a distinctive professional education and commercialization perspective to the program.

In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked Georgia Tech’s B.S. and Ph.D. biomedical engineering programs second in the nation. The BioID master’s program will build upon the strengths and global reputation of these existing programs, said Gilda Barabino, associate chair for graduate studies in the Coulter Department. “The BioID degree is a welcome and integral addition to our graduate programs. It is consistent with our collaborative and interdisciplinary culture for basic and translational research and provides specialized training for students seeking the best preparation to convert discoveries to the clinic to benefit patients,” she said.

Ideal candidates for the BioID master’s program include early-career professionals in medical device or biomedicine-related industries; engineers seeking medical device specialization; and high-performing graduates from engineering disciplines. Graduates of this intensive 12-month master’s program will be exceptionally well prepared to pursue and advance their careers in the dynamic field of biomedical device engineering, technology development and commercialization.

For more information, please visit: www.bioid.gatech.edu