A Future-Focused Lens to Equipping Biomedical Engineering Graduates for an Evolving Field

Biomedical engineering is a rapidly evolving field, with the pace of evolution spurred by technological advancements, the increasing complexity of human health challenges, and globalization of the workforce. It is timely for biomedical engineering educators to explore afresh the competencies that graduates need at present, but more importantly, those they need to adapt to an ever-evolving BME field. Here, we use a future-focused lens in our exploration, drawing upon industry and academic perspectives from sessions at recent Biomedical Engineering Education Summits, together with findings from literature over the past 5 years. A synthesis of perspectives revealed that certain professional competencies—namely communication, collaboration, leadership, and ethical understanding—were viewed as “difficult to teach,” yet critical to adapting to evolutions in the field and the growing need to work effectively in interdisciplinary contexts. Technical competencies were seen as expected outcomes of graduates’ educational training, yet there was strong emphasis on the importance of critical thinking and data science skills. Importantly, it is the interconnection between professional and technical competencies that enable future BME graduates to contribute in an ethical and socially responsible manner, especially in light of the field’s growing use of large patient-derived datasets and rapid advancements in technologies like Artificial Intelligence. From this, we propose three approaches for BME educational programs to better equip BME graduates: (1) enhancing engagement with industry and alumni to evolve the curriculum, (2) augmenting opportunities for interdisciplinary student collaboration, and (3) integrating data science and ethics training throughout the curriculum.