History: The Department of Biomedical Engineering was established in 1985 as the Department of Medical Instruments Technology of the Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Greece. In 2018 the Department was included at the newly founded University of West Attica, Greece, the third biggest University in Greece with 26 Departments and more than 40,000 under- and post-graduate students. In 2020 the Department received its current form with 5-years undergraduate study program with an integrated master’s degree in the field of biomedical engineering.

It is the only Higher Education Department in Greece that organizes undergraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering.
Currently, the Department offers the following study programs:
Diploma (undergraduate studies): Title: “Biomedical Engineering”, 5-year study program with Integrated Master, 300 ECTS, full program in Greek
MSc (postgraduate studies): Title: “Advanced Systems and Methods in Biomedical Engineering”, 1.5 years duration (1st and 2nd semester lectures, 3rd semester diploma thesis), 90 ECTS, full program in Greek
MSc (postgraduate studies): Title: “Biomedical Engineering & Technology”, 1.5 years duration (1st and 2nd semester lectures, 3rd semester diploma thesis), 90 ECTS, full program in English
PhD (postgraduate studies), 3-6 years duration, full program in Greek and English

The profession of Biomedical Engineer: Biomedical Engineering is related to the profession of the Biomedical Engineer, which is practiced by the graduates of the Department called Biomedical Engineers (Medical Instruments Technology Engineers from 2013 to 2012). Biomedical Engineers are mainly employed in the biomedical technology sector, in companies, private clinics, public hospitals, research centers and educational institutions with work objects that cover the study, design, construction, control, maintenance and distribution of medical devices, scientific instruments and machinery as well as the development and use of software for any type of application in the Life Sciences and Health Sciences. The Biomedical Engineer must be aware of the specifications, rules and regulations of safety and quality in health care services. About 10% of the graduates of the Department carry out postgraduate and/or doctoral studies at Universities in Greece or abroad.

Undergraduate Studies: Undergraduate studies in the Department of Biomedical Engineering include courses in biomedical instrumentation, medical physics and biomedical informatics, as well as core engineering courses such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics engineering and informatics. The curriculum also includes courses in medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, business administration and economics.

Postgraduate Studies: The Department organizes two MSc Programs:
MSc “Advanced Systems and Methods in Biomedical Engineering”, 1.5 years duration, 90 ECTS, full program in Greek. The program provides in depth analysis of new advancements in Biomedical Engineering.
MSc “Biomedical Engineering & Technology”, 1.5 years duration, 90 ECTS, full program in English. This is a conversion program targeting graduates who wish for a career change in biomedical engineering. Link here for a video presentation.

Doctoral (PhD): PhD studies aim towards the production of new knowledge relating to the scientific field of biomedical engineering. The duration is 3-6 years. The program may be organized in Greek or English.

Research: The Department has implemented and currently implements a large number of funded Research Programs (over 60).
The Department’s publication record is high with more than 2200 research publications with about 25000 citations. This corresponds to about 75 publications and 850 citations for each member of the teaching staff of the Department.

The Department organizes scientific conferences (“International Conference on Bio-Medical Instrumentation and Related Engineering and Physical Sciences, BIOMEP”, “Advances in Biomedical Sciences, Engineering and Technology, ABSET“) and participates in the organization of other International Scientific Conferences.

The Department hosts four research laboratories:
Laboratory of Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging, AKTYBA
Laboratory of Medical Image and Signal Processing, MEDISP
Smart Hospital Research Laboratory, SHRL
Laboratory of Artificial-Computational Intelligence and Multidisciplinary Applications, ACIMA

European cooperation – Erasmus: The Department has signed bilateral Erasmus+ agreements with 10 different countries enabling mobility actions of students and staff. A significant number of the Department’s courses are offered in English, offering students from European Union institutions the opportunity to complete part of their study program at our Department.

Evaluation and Quality Policy of the Department: The Department takes care of its continuous evaluation following the rules of the Quality Assurance Authority.
According to the Department’s External Evaluation Report (March 2010) , by a committee consisting of four university professors from abroad (Great Britain, USA) (ref.):
“The Department aims to provide a complete and consistent educational program in the field of biomedical technology and organology and to promote research and development in the field.
The Department is unique in the country in offering a study program in the field of biomedical technology and organology” .

External Advisory Board (advisory board): According to the decision of the Department’s Assembly (4, 10/21-4-2023), an External Advisory Board has been appointed for the Department to provide advice and comments regarding the Department’s curriculum and the gives birth to its educational as well as research direction. The Advisory Committee consists of the following:
Dr. Georgios Stranjalis, Professor of Neurosurgery, Medical School of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)
Dr. Theodora Katsila, Researcher III, National Research Foundation (NHRF)
Dr Konstantinos Sidiropoulos, Senior Data & Analytics Engineer, AstraZeneca, London
Ms Chrysanna Pavlou, Account Manager for Allen Recruitment Consulting, an Irish recruitment solutions consultancy in Europe for IT, Finance, Technology, Telecommunications, Engineering and Life Sciences roles for clients in Ireland, Netherlands, UK, Greece , Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium