Abstract
Background: Biomedical engineering combines engineering principles and life sciences to solve medical and biological challenges. Despite its potential, a gap exists in biomedical engineering education between the fields of health and engineering, often resulting in limited interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration.
Methods: This paper explores current challenges in biomedical engineering education and reviews approaches to integrate health and engineering through a local-context framework. This framework emphasizes situating biomedical engineering education within the specific regulatory, cultural, and clinical environments of the students’ region.
Results: Findings indicate that integrating local context into biomedical engineering curricula enables students to better understand the practical intersection between medicine and engineering in their communities. This integration enhances students’ ability to design healthcare solutions that are culturally relevant, sustainable, and better aligned with local regulatory and clinical standards.
Conclusion: Addressing the health-engineering gap in biomedical engineering education by incorporating local context fosters the development of effective healthcare solutions, instills social responsibility, and promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration.