News Release

New UC San Diego Master Degree Program Aims to Keep the Medical Device and Medical Diagnosis Workforce Competitive

San Diego, CA, July 26, 2011 -- Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are launching a new graduate degree program this fall that will help medical device and medical diagnosis engineers in Southern California, and their employers, innovate and remain competitive.

“The new master degree program will address an unmet need in San Diego – interdisciplinary graduate-level training for engineers and scientists who are already working in the medical device and diagnostic industries. The curriculum is focused on the interface between traditional disciplines, which is where the most exciting advances in medical device and diagnostic systems engineering are occurring,” said Juan C. Lasheras, a UC San Diego professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), and in the Department of Bioengineering – which the National Research Council (NRC) ranked as first in the country in 2010. Lasheras is also Director of the Center for Medical Devices and Instrumentation – part of the UC San Diego Institute of Engineering in Medicine.

Learn more about the Medical Device Engineering program. Attend the information roundtable on August 2 in San Diego.

“We will provide training in cutting-edge areas to the working engineers who innovate and create wealth and new jobs in Southern California’s medical device and instrumentation industries,” said Lasheras. Engineers entering the workforce can now expect to change the technical focus and management focus of their careers five to ten times due to the rapid waves of innovation that continually disrupt high-tech arenas, including medical device and diagnostic systems industries, Lasheras explained.

Design of modern medical device and diagnostic systems requires the integration and optimization of complex systems. Multidisciplinary training in essentially every area of engineering and biology is also important.

“Program participants have the opportunity to interact with life scientists, engineers, clinicians as well as business and regulatory experts. The program gives students the opportunity to integrate all this expertise into the design of a medical device prototype. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about user requirements and patient needs as well as focus on issues related to medical product launches, regulatory and payment issues, and healthcare economics,” said John Watson, a professor in the Department of Bioengineering, and Director of the Whitaker Center for Biomedical Engineering at UC San Diego.

The new Medical Device Engineering program is one of two new Master of Advanced Study programs for engineering professionals being launched by the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering this fall.

Medical Devices

Medical devices, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, encompass a broad class of instruments and other materials that are used for the diagnosis of diseases or other conditions, and in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. Medical devices are also used to modify or replace human anatomy or body function.

Modern medical devices rely on recent advances in bioengineering, biomaterials, genomics, computing, telecommunications and materials science – all covered in the Medical Device Engineering curriculum.

Medical Device Engineering Information Roundtable

On August 2, 2011, the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering will host an information roundtable for the Medical Device Engineering program.

When: August 2, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Where: BIOCOM  4510 Executive Drive, Plaza One, San Diego, CA 92121
Free Event – Free Parking
To RSVP or for more information contact Faye Kurpanek: jacobsmas@eng.ucsd.edu or 858-361-8160

Medical Device Engineering Graduate Degree Program

The UC San Diego Master of Advanced Study (MAS) program in Medical Device Engineering launches this fall, and classes will meet on alternate weeks on a Friday/Saturday schedule for two years. Graduates earn a Master of Advanced study degree from UC San Diego. The self-supporting program is tied to the UC San Diego Center for Medical Devices and Instrumentation, which fosters multidisciplinary collaborations among mechanical, electrical, chemical, and biomedical engineers, materials scientists, and biologist and clinicians. In summer 2012, the Center for Medical Devices and Instrumentation will move into the new Structural & Materials Engineering Building at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

Media Contacts

Daniel Kane
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-3262
dbkane@ucsd.edu