This five-year plan lays out the strategic priorities we will pursue to meet the critical moment we as a society are facing to help people live longer while feeling better. We will consider this plan a success if we are able to drive the growth and evolution of the health care and life sciences ecosystem at The University of Texas at Austin.
Examples of this success include but are not limited to:
- Expanding Educational Impact: Growing the number of students and trainees who receive their education through our department.
- Enhancing Research Infrastructure: Increasing the availability and capabilities of biomedical research core facilities.
- Fostering Innovation: Boosting the number of patents and invention disclosures emerging from our research.
- Securing Funding Excellence: Increasing the volume of grants that support impactful training and research programs.
- Advancing Experiential Learning: Raising the number of students completing valuable internships or externships.
Pioneering Progress
Founded in 2001, The Department of Biomedical Engineering marked a significant milestone as the first new department in the Cockrell School of Engineering in six decades.
The launch was another leap forward in the tradition of innovation and excellence that brings the brightest minds to the Forty Acres.
Continued Growth
We welcomed our inaugural class of 120 undergraduate students in 2002. Since then our department has evolved to educate more than 500 undergraduate students annually, with a rich program history to boot.
Our commitment to high-quality education is matched by our pursuit of cutting-edge research and innovation. Our journey began with a relocation from a single-floor space in the engineering sciences building to the biomedical engineering building in 2008. This facility is not just a structure but a catalyst of modernization.
It features world-class laboratories and equipment that propel our understanding of human health, improving health care delivery and enhancing our capacity for groundbreaking research. We expanded our faculty to more than 25 dedicated scholars that are some of the most renowned experts in their field, fueling unprecedented growth across our research portfolio from four to eight areas of excellence.
This growth is not just in size but in impact—creating smarter solutions for the most challenging medical conditions while addressing inequities in access to health care. We have a convergence of extraordinary students, faculty and staff talent across the Cockrell School of Engineering along with researcher-physician partnerships in the Dell Medical School and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Health care technology companies are eager to commercialize our translational research along with passionate and competitive donors ready and willing to fund our innovative work.
As we approach our 25th anniversary as a department, we set our sights on the future. We strive to pioneer the transfer of new discoveries and innovations into applications and training that will advance, improve, and expand access to health care throughout Texas and the world. The strategic plan outlined in this document will guide the investment of capital, talent and resources into academic and research initiatives inspired by our overarching vision.
The plan consists of the following strategic objectives:
- Expand the department’s research portfolio
We must continue to push the boundaries in discovery and innovation to have the greatest impact on the practice of and access to medicine. This can be achieved by hiring scholars in emerging areas of biomedical and healthcare research, accruing and committing resources to support new research ventures, and establishing funded centers/institutes that empower multidisciplinary teams working on solutions for the grandest challenges in the biological sciences and health care.
- Build new and strengthen existing relationships with medical institutions, industry, and government agencies
These strategic partnerships will fuel new areas of research and pave the way for clinical translation and commercialization of technologies and methodologies originating in the department.
- Diversify course offerings and expand training opportunities within the department
Providing more academic and training opportunities will better prepare our students to advance medicine and pioneer new and transformational medical technologies.
- Amplify the capacity to support high quality interdisciplinary research, education, and training programs
The acquisition of financial, human, and technical resources and expertise will enable the department to implement interdisciplinary training programs, broaden our academic curriculum, and establish cross-disciplinary research centers.
It is up to YOU to seize these opportunities now and help us reach our potential.
As we continue to advance the frontiers of biomedical engineering, we invite you to join us on our exciting journey. Your support can help us shape the future of health care, cultivating advancements that help people live longer while feeling better.
