[IEEE Day] Biomedical Engineering: Where Technology Meets Healthcare

#ieeeday #AdvancingTechForUs

As part of "IEEE Day: Advancing Tech For Us", IEEE EMBS ESPRIT SBC organized an online session in collaboration with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) titled “Biomedical Engineering: Where Technology Meets Healthcare”, highlighting the intersection of engineering and medicine and exploring how technological innovations contribute to healthcare advancements and improved patient care.

The speaker, Fatma Alzamel, a PhD researcher and bioengineer, began by framing the field as engineering tools applied to biology and medicine, spanning wearable devices, imaging and diagnostics, biomaterials, and AI-driven modeling. She then focused on chronic wounds that fail to heal, such as large, deep wounds and driveline exit sites. Her research addresses these with leaf-inspired channels engraved into a PEGDA hydrogel, which spread fluid through fast capillary flow rather than slow diffusion. She also covered the computational side, including finite element modeling of wound closure and boundary detection with active contours, as well as how the hydrogel was fabricated, laser-engraved, and tested. The session closed with a look at personalized medicine, AI-assisted diagnosis, and accessible healthcare.

In line with the 2025-2030 IEEE Strategic Plan goal to Provide, the session highlighted the interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, biology, and medicine that turns research into real patient impact.