Engineering Medicine (EnMed

The Nation’s First Training Program at the Convergence of Medicine and Engineering

In August of 2019, Texas A&M University and Houston Methodist launched the EnMed program to instill a new generation of “physicianeers” with the skills to create innovative technological solutions that can transform patient care.

The EnMed program integrates medical education and research focused on innovation and entrepreneurship to empower future professionals with the clinical skills needed to diagnose and treat patients along with the engineering mindset to solve problems, invent new technologies and rapidly move these innovative ideas to practice inpatient care.

The EnMed program is housed in an 18-story office building acquired and renovated by Texas A&M. The building will be the focal point of the future Texas A&M Innovation Plaza, a 5-acre campus currently being constructed. The students have access to a simulation center, which occupies an entire floor, a makerspace so students can print 3D models for prototypes. Most of their didactic training will be in this building, but all wet anatomy labs happen at the Houston Methodist campus. The 34 students who entered the EnMed program in 2020 came from a variety of educational backgrounds, including biological systems engineering, chemical engineering, material physics, mechanical engineering and mathematics. Many of these students are ready to embark on capstone projects, which are two-year mentored projects involving innovative research and technology development that directly address clinical or biomedical challenges. These projects will be conducted at Houston Methodist.