“Dr. Ming-Chien Chyu’s influential leadership, innovative contributions, and dedication to advancing healthcare through engineering collaboration have earned him a well-deserved place among the “World’s Most Influential Leaders Making an Impact in Healthcare, 2023.” His work has significantly shaped the landscape of healthcare engineering and improved healthcare outcomes through the application of smart engineering solutions.”
Dr. Ming-Chien Chyu is a renowned name in Healthcare Engineering, acknowledged as a (or the) pioneer in Healthcare Engineering or the “Father of Healthcare Engineering” by 17 US-based global magazines. As the Founding President of the Healthcare Engineering Alliance Society (HEALS), he has dedicated to advancing healthcare through engineering collaboration.
Throughout his career, Dr. Chyu has been a true pioneer in healthcare engineering, working to blend engineering methods with healthcare. He led 40 expert co-authors worldwide to first define Healthcare Engineering in a milestone white paper (2015) and also on Wikipedia.org. He has had big ideas that have helped make healthcare better using smart engineering. He has made a big difference by coming up with new ways to use engineering to improve healthcare. He has done a lot in his career that’s been really important.
He founded the Journal of Healthcare Engineering and a platform of huge collection of over 220,000 medical devices that are approved by the FDA. He has also made places for people to learn, get advice, take short classes, and find jobs in healthcare engineering. He had a big idea that led to a special graduate degree program at Texas Tech University where student can learn about healthcare engineering. These have all made a big impact on how healthcare engineering grows and thrives.
HEALS
The Healthcare Engineering Alliance Society (HEALS) stands as a global entity with a resolute focus on the advancement and enhancement of healthcare through the systematic application of engineering principles and methodologies. With a mission rooted in bridging the gap between the spheres of healthcare and engineering, HEALS seeks to synergize these disciplines for the betterment of healthcare practices worldwide. By preparing engineering students and professionals for roles within the healthcare landscape and aiding healthcare practitioners in leveraging engineering to tackle healthcare challenges, HEALS operates at the intersection of innovation and collaboration.
Guided by a visionary outlook, HEALS envisions a future where it emerges as a distinguished global leader in the field of Healthcare Engineering. By harnessing the collective expertise of engineering professionals and healthcare practitioners, the organization aims to spearhead the application of engineering knowledge to advance the realms of healthcare and medicine.
Its mission is to promote collaborative and innovative exchanges between engineering and healthcare, and to facilitate contribution of engineering to healthcare.
- Bridging the divide that exists between healthcare and engineering disciplines.
- Addressing the gaps among different engineering branches that intersect with healthcare and biomedical sectors.
- Addressing the gaps among various healthcare and medical disciplines that intersect with engineering and technology sectors.
- Fostering cohesion among the academic community of healthcare engineering, the healthcare industry, and government healthcare sectors.
- Serving as a resource hub for engineering professionals, researchers, educators, and students with an interest in healthcare engineering, as well as healthcare professionals seeking to engage with engineering principles.
Through its multifaceted approach and unwavering dedication, HEALS endeavors to revolutionize healthcare by cultivating a harmonious synergy between engineering and healthcare disciplines.
Empowering Healthcare Innovation
Dr. Ming-Chien Chyu has assumed a pivotal leadership role in spearheading and establishing the various service platforms within HEALS. Over the years, he has demonstrated unwavering commitment in aiding medical doctors and healthcare professionals who have progressed their inventions to a stage where collaboration with engineers, researchers, consultants, or companies is necessary for further advancement towards FDA approval, manufacturing, and commercialization.
Simultaneously, Dr. Chyu has facilitated connecting engineers, engineering professors, researchers, and companies with clinicians, ensuring that their innovations hold the potential to significantly enhance patient outcomes. Drawing from his extensive experience in this field, he has conceived and launched a platform that connects and catalyzes for collaboration (CoCaCo) between healthcare and engineering, aiming at fostering collaborative endeavors among healthcare professionals, engineers, inventors, consultants, investors, entrepreneurs, and companies, all converging on projects with the common goal of advancing new medical devices and technologies into the realm of commercial viability. Central to the operation of this platform is its function in compiling an array of technical projects that address prevailing unmet needs in patient care. Originating from clinicians, engineers, and medical device/technology companies, these projects encompass various stages ranging from conceptualization and research to design, prototyping, testing, clinical trials, regulation compliance, FDA clearance/approval, and eventual manufacturing. In addition to catering to established professionals, this platform provides a fertile ground for engineering students to gain practical experience by engaging with clinicians, engineers, and companies on tangible healthcare projects, thereby bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world application.
Dr. Chyu’s influence extends further through his creation of a robust and user-friendly medical device platform, known as Medical Device Net. This comprehensive resource serves as a powerful tool for inventors and developers of new medical devices, comprising an extensive database covering over 220,000 medical devices, including the latest offerings approved by the FDA.
Recognizing the challenges faced by engineering researchers and students in finding suitable publication avenues for their healthcare-oriented work, Dr. Chyu took a pioneering step by founding and assuming the role of founding editor-in-chief for the Journal of Healthcare Engineering. This groundbreaking publication serves as a platform for scientific articles at the intersection of healthcare and engineering, nurturing collaborative research that directly impacts patient outcomes.
Dr. Chyu has championed the creation of Healthcare Engineering Online Communities, which effectively unite the healthcare and engineering domains. These communities provide up-to-date information across a spectrum of topics, spanning from artificial intelligence and 3D printing for surgery to engineering applications in cancer diagnosis and nanomedicine. Through these initiatives, Dr. Ming- Chien Chyu’s transformative contributions continue to shape the landscape of healthcare engineering, fostering innovation, collaboration, and tangible advancements in patient care.
Bridging the Healthcare Engineering Gap
Dr. Chyu started a platform aiming at helping engineering students and young engineers succeed in the healthcare industry and helping the healthcare industry recruit qualified engineers. The healthcare industry needs more qualified engineers from various engineering disciplines in terms of both quantity and quality. However, as a major issue, most existing engineering curricula (particularly the undergraduate curricula) cover very little or no healthcare/biomedicine, except biomedical engineering. Still, the healthcare industry needs to hire far more engineers from other engineering disciplines than biomedical engineering, particularly computer, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineers. However, most engineering students are not familiar with the career opportunities existing in the healthcare industry.
To bridge this gap, Dr. Chyu initiated a program that invites medical doctors with expertise in healthcare engineering and medical technology innovation. Specifically, they target MDs with engineering degrees, who are rare but valuable. These doctors deliver lectures to engineering students, focusing on healthcare challenges that require engineering solutions to enhance patient outcomes. The program also welcomes leaders from the healthcare industry, particularly the medical device and technology sector, alongside medical school professors who hold engineering degrees. These guest speakers possess a unique dual expertise, making them exceptionally qualified to educate engineering students about healthcare-related subjects.
To better equip engineering students for careers in healthcare, Dr. Chyu introduced a healthcare engineering certificate program featuring “Cutting- Edge Courses Customized” (CeCoCu). This innovative program empowers individuals to tailor their learning experience by selecting course topics, objectives, and the extent of their learning. These choices are based on their individual backgrounds, interests, career goals, and the prevailing opportunities in the market.
This certificate initiative is not limited to just engineering students. It is also designed to assist practicing engineers in transitioning from other industries to healthcare. Moreover, it aids healthcare professionals—such as physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals—in applying engineering principles to their practices, thereby enhancing their problem-solving skills and contributing to the advancement of healthcare.
Dr. Chyu collaborates closely with healthcare engineering professionals and industry leaders to formulate strategies for more effectively preparing engineering students for roles in healthcare. Additionally, they provide support to university professors and administrators in refining their curricula to align with the demands of the healthcare industry.
Revolutionizing Healthcare Engineering Education
Dr. Chyu is the founder of one of the world’s first graduate healthcare engineering degree programs, at Texas Tech University. He also pioneered the first platform that assists engineers and engineering students to locate employment and internships in the healthcare industry, as well as a platform that assists healthcare industry firms in recruiting skilled engineers and engineering students.
The Healthcare Engineering Mentoring Program established by Dr. Chyu is a platform where healthcare engineering professionals and leaders volunteer to share their knowledge, skills, and experience to help engineering students prepare for occupations in the healthcare/medical technology industry, and to help young healthcare engineers thrive.
Excellence and Innovation Recognized Globally
It is unusual for Dr. Chyu as an engineering professor to have won the following prestigious awards in healthcare from three global professional magazines: “Most Influential Leaders in Healthcare in the US – 2022”, “10 Most Innovative Healthcare Leaders to Watch in the World – 2022”, and “Top 10 Eminent Leaders in the US Healthcare Industry 2023”.
Dr. Chyu boasts over 30 prestigious awards/recognitions, including titles like “Most Influential Leader in Engineering & Technology USA,” “World’s Visionary Leaders Making a Difference,” “Innovation Excellence Award,” and “10 Most Innovative Healthcare Leaders to Watch.” His accolades also feature designations such as “Most Visionary Education Leaders,” “Top 100 Innovators & Entrepreneurs,” and “Most Influential Leaders in Healthcare in the US” from US-based global professional magazines.
He has been honored with “Transformational Business Leaders of the Year,” “Best Inspiring Leaders of the Year,” “30 Most Inspiring Leaders to Watch in the US,” and “Outstanding Researcher” awards. His contributions have earned him titles like “Award of Excellence,” “Best Paper,” “Most Useful Paper,” “Excellence in Teaching,” “Professor of the Year,” “Most Influential Faculty Member,” and “Distinguished Achievement” from a diverse range of sources, including government entities, professional societies, foundations, industry partners, universities, and student organizations.
In line with his remarkable achievements, the Healthcare Engineering Alliance Society, which he established, has been recognized as one of the “Most Influential Companies & Organizations.”
“Dr. Chyu has been a pioneer in the field of healthcare engineering and was one of the early advocates for applying engineering practices to efforts to enhance the delivery of healthcare.” -James P. Bagian, MD, PE, US National Academy of Medicine, US National Academy of Engineering, former NASA Astronaut
“Dr. Chyu may have already secured a historical position in the development of healthcare engineering.” – Fazle Hussain, PhD, US National Academy of Engineering, The World Academy of Science.
Written by Steve Sanchez.
