International Biomedical Engineering Education through collaborative Student Service-learning experiences

Bhatt, Jay, Dimiskovski, Marko, Lin, Vanessa, Brahmbhatt, Pareshkumar, Karsan, Shirin and Karkenny, Alexa. (2012). International Biomedical Engineering Education through collaborative Student Service-learning experiences. In Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas (US).In 2009, two students from Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems (BIOMED) initiated the weServe Program (weServe). weServe’s mission is to provide students with hands-on experiences to utilize biomedical engineering in underrepresented and under-served communities. Since then, student participation in the program has increased and weServe dedicates its efforts to both local and global initiatives, creating partnerships to develop life-saving and life-enhancing solutions through innovative service. With a focus on experiential learning, students are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in communities, learn to identify their needs, and apply their academic educational training in real world scenarios. On a global scale, the program is expanding and has developed working relationships with hospitals in The Gambia and Mozambique. The progress and efficacy of service projects that students participated in The Gambia and Mozambique will be analyzed. Additionally, the impact in gaps of service visits, due to academic schedules and lack of financial resources will be discussed and the status of biomedical engineering in The Gambia and Mozambique will be referenced