Letter From the Chair
Welcome to the Department of Biomedical Engineering at
Columbia
University. Biomedical engineering, or bioengineering, is an exciting new discipline that applies the rigorous methods of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering to solve important and urgent biological and biomedical problems. At Columbia, bioengineering studies have been ongoing since 1962, one of the oldest programs in
America, steadily building a solid foundation for the new Department. Yet the Department is the newest academic department at
Columbia, thus capturing all the excitement of a newly forming field of study. In 1995, the University decided that it was propitious to start a new permanent academic department in the School of Engineering in the belief that this new department will be vital for the University, and the new discipline will be vital for the welfare of the nation in the 21st century. This new Biomedical Engineering Department was officially established on January 1, 2000. With a top-rated medical school and an excellent engineering school, the University provides a fertile environment for biomedical engineers to develop innovative and outstanding opportunities to pursue some of the most important biomedical problems facing our society. In order to develop depth in our program, we have focused our attention on three important avenues of studies: biomechanics (orthopaedics and cardiac), biomedical imaging, and cell and tissue engineering.
I hope that you will take some time to peruse our Web site. It offers a wealth of information about us, as faculty members, and about our program. I look forward to personally hearing from prospective undergraduate or graduate students, or post-doctoral fellows, or even faculty members.
Sincerely,
Stanley Dicker Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Bioengineering
Chairman, Department of Biomedical Engineering