Convergence: Engineering and Medicine – The Physicianeer

Convergence is the integration of historically distinct fields or disciplines that leads to the emergence of a new and unified whole to address need and create transformative impact. Generally associated with research output, this concept of convergence has taken hold and is provoking a new approach to medical education. The new convergence is creating new schools of knowledge such as a “School of Engineering-Medicine” wherein the science and practice of medicine and of engineering are merged to produce a “Physicianeer”. The principal pedagogy to enable such transformative impact is Team Based Learning (TBL). TBL enables principles, concepts and knowledge content from multiple disciplines to be focused into a new and emergent discipline.

Development and modeling of a minimally invasive penta-analyte biochip system, the Physiological Status Monitoring (PSM) BioChip™, designed for monitoring key biomarkers of physiological stress during hemorrhagic trauma and vascular allograft transplantation is presented. The biochip comprises five sensors that employ nano-enabled Sensing, Measuring, and Actively Responding Technical (SMART) hydrogels that may be electroconductive and bioactive. The work showcases how convergence in research, particularly at C3B®, leads to the development of innovative solutions with applications in healthcare, biotechnology, and related fields.