IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), today announced the inaugural 2023 Women in Biomedical Engineering (WIBME) Forum taking place on July 27, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. The forum represents the launch of IEEE EMBS’ strategic initiative to promote diversity and inclusion within the biomedical engineering field and to provide women with the opportunity to network and share their perspectives with like-minded professionals, clinicians, and researchers.

EMBS was among the first societies within IEEE to promise gender-diversified workshops, conferences, and panels at its events in 2021. The 2023 WIBME forum is another step in this commitment and is a headline feature of the 45th Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBS in Sydney. The forum is structured as a full-day session with four keynote speakers – world-renowned women in biomedical engineering – and two panel discussions on key industry topics. Recordings of the session will be available at the dedicated event website after the forum.

“Since 1953, women have played a large part in EMBS’s scientific success,” said Metin Akay, past President of IEEE EMBS and Honorary Chair. “EMBS recognizes and values the role female scientists and engineers have played in our overall societal success, and we pledge to continue to promote them by encouraging their involvement in our conferences, publications, technical, and membership activities and committees. We will continue to actively invite women to fulfill leadership roles in our society.”

“Women have made substantial contributions to the field of biomedical engineering, and we believe their work should be recognized by our community,” commented Paul Sajda, Ph.D., President of the IEEE EMBS. “Our strategic initiative with regard to promoting women in biomedical engineering will be a cornerstone of our society’s mission of applying engineering and technology to advance medicine and biology – and promoting the profession and setting the standard for diversity and inclusion throughout the STEM field. We look forward to continuing to host such forums and expanding them in the future, celebrating the achievements of our colleagues, and encouraging other women to join our profession as well.”

Details of the 2023 WIBME forum are listed below:

Date and Time: Thursday, July 27, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. AST.

Location: International Convention Centre (ICC), Sydney, Australia

Keynote Speakers:

• Orna Berry, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Berry is the technical director in the office of the CTO at Google Cloud. She is an entrepreneur, computer scientist, industry executive and the former chief scientist in the Israeli government.
• Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Curtis is a fellow of AAAS, AIChE and ASEE. She is a recipient of a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar Award, the CACHE Award for Excellence in Computing in Chemical Engineering Education and myriad prestigious awards.
• Mei Tian, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Dr. Mei Tian is a distinguished professor at Fudan University with more than 20 years post M.D. training and practice in radiology, nuclear medicine, and molecular imaging. She is a distinguished professor of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, a position granted by the Ministry of Education of China.
• Erika Ross, Ph.D.
  • Dr. Ross is vice president, Global Clinical & Regulatory at ONWARD, a biotech developing therapies for spinal cord injuries. In this role, she assumes global leadership of ONWARD’s clinical and regulatory activities.

Panel Discussions

• Revolutionizing Healthcare: Unleashing the Power of Engineering Innovations
  • Orna Berry, Ph.D.
  • Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, Ph.D.
  • Mei Tian, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Erika Ross, Ph.D.
• Nurturing the Next Generation Workforce in Healthcare: Balancing Academics, Industry, and Life
  • Wei Chen, Ph.D., director of the Center for Intelligent Medical Electronics, Fudan University
  • Rosa H. M. Chan, Ph.D., associate professor and associate head (research and graduate programs), Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
  • Rose T. Faghih, Ph.D., associate professor of Biomedical Engineering at New York University

Forum Organizing Committee

M. Akay, P. Sajda, N. Mrachacz-Kersting, YM Akay, M. Wang, M. Chiappalone, M. Semprini, N. Caballero Canchanya, N. Zimmerman

For more details about the 45th Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBS or the 2023 WIBME forum, please visit embs.org and wibme.embs.org.

About IEEE

IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. Learn more.

About the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society

The IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) is the world's largest international society of Biomedical Engineers. With more than 9,500 members residing in some 97 countries around the world, it's a true global connection, providing access to the most fascinating people, practices, information, ideas, opinion and fellowship from one of science's fastest growing fields: biomedical engineering. From formalized mathematical theory through experimental science, from technological development to practical clinical applications, IEEE EMBS members support scientific, technological, and educational activities as they apply to the concepts and methods of the physical and engineering sciences in biology and medicine. By working together, we can transform and revolutionize the future of medicine and healthcare. For more information about the IEEE EMBS, please visit www.embs.org.

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