University of Utah Biomedical Engineering Department

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Biomedical Engineering is to:

• advance human understanding, health, and quality of life through internationally recognized research, discovery, and invention in the area of biomedical engineering;
• educate world-class Ph.D. scientists and engineers for accomplishment in research, academics, medicine, and industry;
• educate nationally-recognized B.S. and M.S. graduates for success and leadership in industry and preparation for future study in medicine, science, and engineering;
• transfer scientific discoveries and biomedical technology to the private sector nationwide;
• train students throughout the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering in biobased solutions to traditional engineering problems and the application of their specialty to biological and biomedical science.

Department at a Glance

Nestled in the Wasatch mountain range 20 minutes from Salt Lake International Airport, the Department of Biomedical Engineering offers clinically immersive and industrially relevant training at the BS, MS, and Ph.D. levels. We are creating leaders in biomedical research, industry, education, and entrepreneurship.

Did You Know?

The Department was the 15th largest BME department nationally according to ASEE for 2017. And we are moving up. We have:

• 7 Distinguished Professors;
• 15 Members of AIMBE;
• 2 Clemson Award Winners;
• 2 Members of the National Academy of Engineering;
• 1 Hallpike-Nylén Prize Winner; and
• 38% of our faculty have started at least one company.

Outstanding Faculty

Last year, across all Biomedical Engineering Core Faculty:

• Ave. number of peer-reviewed journal publications: 6
  
• Ave. number of invited talks: 5
  
• Ave. number of other professional conferences attended: 4
  
• Ave. number of PhD students in lab: 4
  
• Ave. number of undergrad projects supervised: 3
  
• Ave. number of issued patents: 1
  

Department Research Expenditures

Average $15.8 million per year over the last 5 years, placing us 17th among all BME departments according to ASEE for the period 2012-2017.

Research Strengths

• Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine;
• Biomedical Device Design and Development;
• Biomechanics;
• Biomedical Imaging, Computing, Modeling, and Visualization;
• Biosensors and Molecular Engineering;
• Cardiovascular Engineering;
• Neural Engineering and Neuroprosthetics; and
• Pharmaceutics and Targeted Drug Delivery.

Degree Programs

• BS in Biomedical Engineering
• MS in Biomedical Engineering (both thesis and course options available)
• Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering; and
• MS/MBA and MD/Ph.D. dual degrees

Current Enrollment (fall 2020)*

• 156 Graduate Students (74% Ph.D. candidates); and
• 245 Undergraduates with BME major status, 197 Pre-majors

Degrees awarded (2020-2021):*

• 87 BS;
• 44 MS; and
• 22 PhDs

*Current information available at http://www.obia.utah.edu/