BME2006

BME2006 Biomedical Engineering Conference

The BME2006 Biomedical Engineering Conference has come to an end with appreciation paid towards biomedical engineering academic and research achievements, bringing plenty of inspirations and memories, as well as celebration for our biomedical engineering professionalism. The BME2006 Conference, organized by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Biomedical Division on 21st – 23rd September 2006, brought together local and international biomedical engineers, industrialists, scientists, academics, engineers, practitioners and healthcare professionals, facilitating the latest information exchange, promoting learning from overseas successes, stimulating industrial advancement.

Biomedical Engineering covers the application of any form of engineering to the fields of biology and medicine, from the sub-cellular level to the scale of hospital administration. Based on the previous successes of BME Conferences held in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002 & 2004, the three-day Conference included a two-day conference in Hong Kong and a day technical visit to Mainland China. The HKIE Biomedical Division has been promoting “Biomedical Engineering in Education, Research and Industry”, which became the theme of BME2006 Conference.

The Opening Ceremony for the BME2006 Conference was held at the Exhibition Hall of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, with important guests from difference sectors of the biomedical engineering field. We were privileged to have invited Mr Francis HO, JP, Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Communications and Technology Branch, Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau, as our Guest-of-Honor of the BME2006 Conference. Six Officiating Guests for Opening Ceremony were also invited to mark the significance of the biennial Conference, they include Ir WONG Kwok-lai, President, HKIE (Conference Organizer); Dr Stephen LEE, Executive Director (Acting), HKPC (Conference Co-Organizer); Ir Andros LM CHAN, Chairman, Biomedical Division, HKIE (Conference Organizer); Ir John MOK, Chairman, Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Manufacturers Association (Conference Key Supporting Organization); Ir Roger LAI, Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, HKSAR Government; Dr Monica WONG, Principal Medical and Health Officer, Office for Registration of Healthcare Institutions, Medical Device Control Office, Health Department, HKSAR Government.

Through the very diverse multi-national networks of our committee members, we had the pleasure to have invited five Keynote Speakers from overseas, as well as four Local Keynote Speakers and four Workshop Speakers. Prof James WEAR, Managing Director of Little Rock Employee Resource Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, USA, gave a keynote presentation on Clinical Engineering and Healthcare Technology Management; Mr Richard CLARK, Chief Executive of Medipex Ltd, NHS Innovation Hub Yorkshire & Humber, UK, presented on Profitable Partnerships in Health; Mr Don GERHARDT, President & CEO of LifeScience Alley, USA, showed us the Change and Impact from the Convergence of Medical Devices and Bioscience; Mr Albert LI, Manager and Senior Administrator at the Office of Medical Device Evaluation, Center for Measurement Standards, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan, discussed with us on the Development of Medical Device Evaluation Technology in ITRI; while Prof Yao-Xiong HUANG, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, JiNan University, PRC, shared on the Biomedical Engineering and the Third Generation of Medicine & Health care.

Our Local Keynote Speakers are global-recognized prestigious figures, including Prof Keith LUK from The University of Hong Kong, Prof Yuan-Ting ZHANG from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ir Prof Daniel CHOW from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Dr Ricky FU from The City University of Hong Kong. With further emphasis on technological applications and successful case studies, Ir Derek LOUIE from the Hong Kong Productivity Council illustrated on Micro Fabrication Technologies for Biomedical Applications; Mr Thomas YONG of Materialise Software introduced State of the Art in Medical Image Based Computer Assisted Engineering; Mr Mark LAU from the Medical Device Control Office, Department of Health, HKSAR Government, introduced Medical Device Regulation in Hong Kong; and Prof LI Yi of The Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, discussed on Biomedical Engineering on Textiles and Clothing.

Paper submissions have been enthusiastic. We have gladly received 50 paper submissions from worldwide, and they made their presentations during the eight Concurrent Sessions that we had on the Conference Day Two. Among the submissions, five papers won the Awards for the Best Young Engineer Paper Competition.

On Day Three of BME2006 Conference, we paid a technical visit to the famous Songshan Lake Northern Science & Technology Industry District, Guangdong, Mainland China, as received by Mr LI Hang, Deputy Director General.

Given all these successes at the BME2006 Conference, we must express our deepest gratitude to our honorable guests, keynote speakers, workshop speakers, advisory panel, organizing committee, technical programme committee, presenters and participants for their immense support and contribution.

Ribbon Cutting at the Opening Ceremony (from Left to Right): Dr Monica WONG (Department of Health), Ir Roger LAI (EMSD), Ir WONG Kwok-lai (HKIE), Mr Francis HO, JP (CITB, Guest-of-Honor), Mr Weiman CHU (HKPC), Ir John MOK (HKMHDMA), Ir Andros LM CHAN (HKIE-BMD).

Group photo taken at the Songshan Lake Northern Science & Technology Industry District, Guangdong, Mainland China. Mr LI Hang, Deputy Director General, is forth person from the left.