Impact

Biomedical engineering (BME) technologies have improved and extended lives, with the best of disciplines coming together to unravel today’s most pressing health challenges and questions for the betterment of society. The School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) at The University of British Columbia (UBC) aims to lead Canada in BME research, education, and translation, and be the place to watch, internationally, for the next wave of technologies that will transform medicine.

Who We Are

Created in 2017 through a partnership between the Faculties of Applied Science and Medicine, and enabled by the leadership of British Columbia’s provincial government, the SBME is unique as UBC’s first inter‑faculty school and as Canada’s living laboratory for new models of convergent research and education. With access to world-leading research infrastructure, and with close partnerships with our research-intensive hospitals and local industry, the School aims to provide a clear route from the discovery of new fundamental biomedical technologies to their innovative application and development to benefit human health.

The Biomedical Research Centre

When the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) was inaugurated in 1988, the building foreshadowed the rise of a biomedical engineering field that has since become the next place to look for world-changing advances in medicine.

In the intervening four decades of science and exploration, the BRC has been a focal point for the advancement of Life Science at UBC, and on March 31, 2021, it was decommissioned as a research centre under the Faculty of Medicine and became a part of the School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME).

Read A Legacy of Innovation: Saying Farewell to UBC’s Biomedical Research Centre

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Education

For students, building on UBC’s long-standing Biomedical Engineering Program, we are broadening access to graduate education opportunities and offering a comprehensive undergraduate program. Our curriculum is based on the philosophy that future leaders in BME will benefit from a rigorous grounding in fundamental biology combined with in-depth engineering design and computational foundations. As a flagship program at UBC we are attracting the best and brightest students, and providing them with innovative programs (such as Engineers-in-Scrubs, research rotations, and study-abroad). SBME will prepare students for successful careers in a broad array of life science‑related jobs in industry, academia, and beyond by providing an outstanding and unique education at the convergence of biology, medicine and engineering.

Our Stakeholders: SBME in the Community

The School also aims to be an important catalyst in helping innovative technology reach application in our local communities, and as a foundation for the development of a broad range of biomedical technologies that we hope will underpin the industry leaders of tomorrow. The discoveries made will be incubated, developed into health biotechnologies, and applied in an inventive and accessible manner to improve human health. Our involvement in programs such as the Creative Destruction Lab Health stream and e@UBC will help to ensure our students and faculty have the resources and expertise available to accomplish this goal.

Join Us

Vancouver is consistently ranked among the top cities in the world to live and work. We welcome you to come and visit, and to stay to be part of the excitement and opportunity! Learn more about UBC.

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