Brief Background and History

How We Began

In 1958, representatives from the College of Engineering, Zablocki VA Hospital, and the Medical College of Wisconsin taught the first courses in biomedical engineering. As this relationship expanded and collabortive research projects were initiated, the move towards a formal program in biomedical engineering grew organically and culminated in the 1967 formal creation of the Biomedical Engineering/Bioinstrumentation program in the College of Engineering.

Where We Are Now

Given the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical engineering, it is axiomatic that our bridge building efforts continue. With notable funding from the Whitaker Foundtion, we have expanded our program to include a new undergraduate major in biocomputing. An Orthopaedic Rehabilitation and Engineering Center was created. Ties have been expanded to involve healthcare facilities throughout the Midwest.

We have nearly 300 students in our highly regarded undergraduate program, which is one of 24 that are accredited in biomedical engineering by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone: (410) 347-7700. We serve an additional 76 students through our graduate programs, 24 of which are in degree programs that are offered jointly with the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Approximately, 45% of our Biomedical Engineering students are women.

Where We're Headed

We continue to systematically expand our biomedical engineering program while preserving the high quality standards we have established. More precisely, we will further intertwine the educational and training activities among Marquette, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the biomedical industry. Our current efforts concentrate on building our research and instructional efforts in the areas of Functional Imaging, Orthopaedic Rehabilitation and Rehabilitative Bioengineering.