Biomedical Engineering: A bench-to-bedside experience at the UC Davis Health Campus
Who should take this experience?

Biomedical engineering undergraduate students who want to enhance their knowledge of engineering design and gain exposure to the clinical environment.
The courses align with the junior year BME major curriculum, offering practical exposure to both clinical settings and industry-relevant topics. This will serve as a solid foundation for the senior design course, and will be valuable for students planning to work in industry or pursue a higher degree in academia.
Offered Fall 2023
Applications Closed for Fall 2023
This experience offers biomedical engineering (BME) majors an opportunity to engage in an authentic clinical needs-finding experience. Students will receive in-depth instruction in the industry-relevant tools and methods used in the product design and development process. They will learn physiology in the context of clinical arenas that deploy biomedical technology, such as surgical suites, departmental clinics, and intensive care units. Additional emphasis will be placed on enhanced exposure to critical topics including clinical workflow, FDA and device regulation, standards, and entrepreneurial mindset in the clinical setting.
Curriculum
FACULTY
- Xianglong Wang, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Biomedical Engineering
- Jennifer Choi, Associate Professor of Teaching, Biomedical Engineering
- Steven George, Department Chair and Professor, Biomedical Engineering
- Scott Simon, Professor, Biomedical Engineering
- Aijun Wang, Associate Professor, Surgery and Biomedical Engineering
COURSES
- Clinical Needs in Healthcare Settings (5 units)
- Students will gain a deeper understanding of the role of needs finding in the engineering design process through the identification of strategic focus areas, observations in the needs exploration process, and analysis and development of relevant needs statements. Students will be applying these strategies through a practicum experience in which they will undergo clinical immersion through observations in Surgery and other clinical departments at the UC Davis Medical Center.
- Principles of Biomedical Device Innovation & Design (2 units)
- The class describes the product development lifecycle used in biomedical innovation and design from concept generation through post-market activities. Major topics include concept generation and screening, product development, product transfer, manufacturing, clinical studies, intellectual property strategies, and post-market activities.
- Quantitative Physiology (5 units)
- This course will leverage expertise in the Department of Surgery, Cardiovascular Sciences, and other clinical departments, and use an integrative approach to study organ systems, biochemistry and bioengineering with a focus on case studies and hospital workflow and technology.