Biomedical Engineering Division 'Meet & Greet' event on engineering in healthcare

Students from the NHS Scientist Training Program (STP) and universities across the UK gathered in our London HQ on 1 November for an evening of talks on the importance of engineering in healthcare and especially in the NHS. The event, which was funded by IMechE, was organised by the Biomedical Engineering Division (BmED). Samuel Vennin, Chair of the event reports.

As 2018 marks the 70^th anniversary of the NHS and was branded by the Government the year of Engineering, there is a good opportunity to highlight the contribution of engineering to healthcare. To this effect, the IMechE’s BmED organised a networking event gathering students from the NHS STP course - the NHS programme for clinical engineering - and other biomedical engineering programmes around London. This provided the next generation of biomedical engineers a platform to share and learn some key insights about engineering within the NHS.

The evening was highlighted by two stimulating keynote talks. First, Dr Lawrence Petalidis, Head of Innovation and Impact at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, talked about digital innovation. Using examples from his Trust, he highlighted the many hurdles that hinder innovation such as complex governance structures or the difficulties in defining impact generated by research.

The second keynote was delivered by Dr Isabelle van De Keere, Founder and CEO of Immersive Rehab. Her talk illustrated how virtual reality could transform and improve neurorehabilitation while delivering advices on how to navigate regulations.

The wrap up debate focused on turning research into clinical application used by practitioners and NHS Trusts. A networking cocktail brought the evening to a close.