Biomedical Engineering for Global Health

Can technology solve health problems across the world? Cutting-edge biomedical engineering meets human health crises for non-science majors and biomedical engineers.

Rebecca Richards-Kortum (Author)

9780521877978, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 October 2009

418 pages, 114 b/w illus. 60 tables
22.8 x 15.3 x 2.1 cm, 0.71 kg

'This outstanding book by Professor Rebecca Richards-Kortum on bioengineering and world health is based on her years of pioneering work and superb teaching on this topic at the University of Texas and Rice University. This pace-setting book focuses on the application of engineering methods and technological advances to medical technologies, with an emphasis on improving human health in the world. With the increasing globalization of science, technology and healthcare, the publication of this book is extremely timely to meet the urgent demand today. This book addresses the important questions of how to use science and technology to solve healthcare problems and how to translate these new healthcare technologies to the bedside. It also considers the important economical, legal and ethical issues associated with developing new medical technologies to improve world health. This is a very valuable book not only for teaching in fields such as bioengineering, but also for reading by the general public. It will have major positive impacts on bioengineering and world health for years to come.' Shu Chien, President of the Biomedical Engineering Society, Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, San Diego

Can technology and innovation transform world health? Connecting undergraduate students with global problems, Rebecca Richards-Kortum examines the interplay between biomedical technology design and the medical, regulatory, economic, social and ethical issues surrounding global health. Driven by case studies, including cancer screening, imaging technologies, implantable devices and vaccines, students learn how the complexities and variation across the globe affect the design of devices and therapies. A wealth of learning features, including classroom activities, project assignments, homework problems and weblinks within the book and online, provide a full teaching package. For visionary general science and biomedical engineering courses, this book will inspire students to engage in solving global issues that face us all.

Preface
1. Emerging medical technologies: high stakes science and the need for technology assessment
2. Bioengineering and technology assessment
3. Health and economic data: a global comparison
4. World health and global health challenges
5. Healthcare systems: a global comparison
6. Healthcare costs vs time: trends and drivers
7. The evolution of technology: scientific method, engineering design, and translational research
8. Prevention of infectious disease
9. Ethics of clinical research
10. Technologies for early detection and prevention of cancer
11. Cost-effectiveness of screening for disease
12. Technologies for treatment of heart disease
13. Clinical trial design and sample size calculation
14. Technology diffusion
15. Regulation of health care technologies
16. Future of bioengineering and world health
Index.

Subject Areas: Biotechnology [TCB], Biochemical engineering [TC], Medicine: general issues [MB]