3 credits
Fall 2025 Lecture Upper DivisionDesigned to expose students to state-of-the-art medical technologies being utilized in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases, the course emphasizes the role of the biomedical engineer in the design, development and implementation of these technologies for therapeutic impact. Students completing this course will have an understanding of the role of biomedical engineers in clinical engineering and clinical research. The three components of the course, didactic presentations and discussions, laboratory dissections, and clinical shadowing are integrated throughout to teach concepts such as cardiovascular physiology, heart failure and vascular disease, treatments and treatment complications, and future directions. Clinical experts in cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment are frequent guest lecturers.
Learning Outcomes1Identify key anatomical and physiological features of the cardiovascular system. They will learn this by dissecting mice and pig hearts, viewing illustrations, and both reading research articles and the textbook focused on EKGs.
2Identify unmet clinical needs and practice brainstorming possible solutions by writing an in depth report and giving an oral presentation based on both the course material and their clinical experiences.
3Recognize fundamental engineering concepts used to design and utilize cardiovascular medical devices by writing shadow reports based on their immersion within a clinical setting.
4Describe and diagnose various cardiac and vascular diseases by completing a mid semester and final examination covering the course material.
5Explain the role of a biomedical engineer in the development and implementation of cardiovascular disease treatment in healthcare by interacting with multiple health care professionals during and after their guest lectures.