Thanh Van Phan (biomed 2015) - Icometrix

My training as biomedical engineer in medical imaging and computer science at ULB taught me the basics of programming in various computer languages, as well as the concepts of medical imaging, especially on MRI, shape recognition and statistical analysis of biomedical data.

I now work as a junior researcher at Icometrix, a young Belgian company that aims to help clinicians and researchers in the analysis of MRI and CT images of the brain. Knowledge in biomedical engineering, critical thinking and soft skills acquired during my training help me in my daily research and development work, which consists in developing and validating tool for automatic analysis of structural connectivity of the brain specifically dedicated to children.

It is very exciting to be able to respond to the technological challenges in the biomedical field and to be able to share the results of his research, hoping that the tools developed will help in diagnosis, clinical trials and research.

Simon Goldstein (biomed 2012) - Materialise

After working for two years as Medical Application Engineer for the design of custom-specific prostheses (in particular hip and shoulder), I moved to the non-technical side of the company and I am working, for a year and a half, as Sales Engineer on custom made prostheses.

In both cases, biomedical training provided me with sufficient knowledge of the medical world to be able to understand the clinical cases we are dealing with. Because each case is different, it is important to understand the specific clinical situation of each patient, with the aim of providing a proper solution and product adapted to the patient and to the surgeon. The training also allowed me to interact more easily with the surgeons, whether on the technical side or on the medical side.

The work I do every day is a very good example of what is expected of a biomedical engineer: to bridge the gap between the technical world of the engineer and the clinical world of the surgeon !

Benjamin De Leener (biomed 2012) – NeuroPoly, Polytechnique Montreal

I am a PhD student at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, in Canada. I work in the laboratory NeuroPoly on the development of new methods of analysis of MR images of the spinal cord. In particular, I develop the first MRI template of the spinal cord, as well as a framework to recalibrate any type of MRI image. This template will allow multicenter MRI scans of large groups of patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

My training at the ULB and the EPM in Computer Science and Biomedical Imaging enabled me to develop the bases necessary for the creation of image processing and analysis tools requiring a professional and medical level.

Fabian Vandemaele (biomed 2008) - St Jude Medical

I am an Account Manager for implantable pacemakers and defibrillators, both commercially and in terms of technical expertise and scientific support to my clients: the cardiologists. I have to generate both a certain turnover for my employer but also, and above all, guarantee the safety and the welfare of the patient. My training as a biomedical engineer helps me every day in my job. It allows me to understand the technological complexity of the various devices I deal with while understanding their medical applications. The combination of these skills allows me, as a biomedical engineer, to play an active role in helping patients to heal. Physicians can count on a reliable partner, speaking their language and helping them to master the technological tools available to them to optimize the treatment of their patients.

With a biomedical engineer training, there are many opportunities in the field. We have a real role to play as a link between complex products and the needs of physicians faced with a multiplicity of tools at their disposal for the treatment of their patients. When I learned the establishment of a Biomedical program in engineering, my choice was directly oriented in this direction as the life sciences attracted me and so the forecasts for an engineer are multiple and equally exciting. I have never regretted it.