BioMedical Engineering Department

Welcome to the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Department of International University - Ho Chi Minh City (IU). IU was created 6 years ago as a new model to modernize the higher education in Vietnam and is the first and only public university in Vietnam that teaches all courses in English. It, therefore, has received good support from the government, and has a wide degree of autonomy to take decisions for its operations. IU belongs to Vietnam National Universities of Ho Chi Minh City, one of the two most prestigious university networks in Vietnam.

The BME Department was created in March 2009 as a platform for students and faculty to excel this model by establishing a synergetic interface between Research, Education and Entrepreneurship. The Department motto is: High Quality, Sustainability and Usefulness. Our long term goal is to transform the BME Department into a Center of Excellence in Biomedical Engineering for South-East Asia. It will be built from the Vietnamese roots and utilizing Western approaches to address the urgent needs of the country and prepare new generations of graduates, capable of contributing to global research in the life sciences. We are concentrating on building an infrastructure and operating system that will stimulate students to perform well beyond the academic requirements and faculty to investigate issues that exist only in Vietnam. We aim to establish our reputation for excellence and attract well-renowned entrepreneurs and researchers, especially among the ranks of the Vietnamese and other of South-East Asia Diaspora postdoctoral graduates.

For the moment, the Department is focused on two orientations: Design and Applications of Medical Instrumentation, and Regenerative Medicine. At the undergraduate level of education (which is the current core activity) we educate students to become (1) clinical engineers who are well versed in the principles and operations of the medical equipment used in the hospitals to help physicians in clinical treatments as well as in research works, or (2) entrepreneurs capable of developing and putting on the market new medical devices suitable for Vietnam, or (3) well prepared young scientists ready to pursue higher education in Vietnam and abroad. At the graduate level and in research, we concentrate on (1) using the Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy to investigate the hemodynamic activities of the brain and muscles, (2) developing new medical devices for out-patients that are suitable for Vietnam, and (3) studying the influences of electromagnetic fields on stem cells for cancer research.

The Department has developed strong relationship with local professional schools (Medical, Pharmacy and Dental), hospitals and the medical device industry, and has received good support from education leadership. Beside the generous and constant resources provided by IU to establish the foundation of the Department, we have recently received a grant of VND 17 billion (an equivalent of US$ 1 million) from the Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City to enhance the capacity building of our faculty, and a medical equipment donation from Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of medical center Medic, for teaching. We have submitted numerous proposals for research projects and have also received support from faculty of our counterparts in the U.S. to reinforce our teaching.

The Department is hiring more faculty and is actively seeking more international collaborations. If you have graduated with a Ph.D. degree from a renowned Vietnamese or overseas institution and are interested in BME, please join us either as a full time or a part time faculty. If you are affiliated with a university abroad and desire to teach or conduct research in BME, you are cordially invited to be a Visiting Faculty or Scholar in our Department. This is a great time for the development of BME in Vietnam. Within a young and energetic environment in our Department your collaborations will be greatly appreciated and you will quickly be able to make a visible impact here.

We would also like to make an appeal to generous donors. We are establishing a Professorship Endowment Fund to attract first class faculty and a Students Scholarship Fund to reward outstanding students. Your donations will be put to good use, and will produce multiple and have long term benefits.

We would like to extend our invitation to prospective students, Vietnamese and international, to join us. You will discover a friendly and exciting environment that aims toward excellence and stability. You will have opportunities to study an emerging field and learn to solve real world issues. You will be nurtured to develop your dreams, transform your dreams into visions and make your visions into concrete actions.

The next important activity on our agenda is the organization of the Fourth International Conference on the Development of Biomedical Engineering in Vietnam which will occur  from Jan. 4 to 7, 2012 at our University. You are cordially invited to participate in its organization including proposing keynote speakers, topics, sponsors, etc. In the mean time, please peruse the webpage of the 3^rd Conference that occurred from Jan 11-14, 2010. In the spirit of sharing knowledge, we posted some PowerPoint presentations. Feel free to use them and please clearly acknowledge their authors and the source.

Thank you and I am looking forward to hearing from you soon,

Vo Van Toi

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The vision of the Biomedical Engineering Department is to promote integrative research, education and entrepreneurship at the forefront of biomedical science and engineering. We will jealously maintain the following characteristics of our activities: high quality, sustainability and usefulness...