Abel Nicolau, a researcher at the Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS@RISE), is a member of the Installation Committee of the new Biomedical Engineering Specialty College of the Order of Engineers.
The inauguration ceremony took place on February 8, at the national headquarters of the Order of Engineers, in a ceremony presided over by its President Fernando de Almeida Santos.
By joining this Commission, Abel Nicolau becomes part of a group of members of the Order of Engineers who will promote the new specialty, which thus joins the 12 existing Colleges of Specialty.
His goal on the Installation Committee will be to “meet all the demands and requirements for defining the new College of Biomedical Engineering, namely by clearly defining the Engineering Acts, promoting the accession of more colleagues to the Order of Engineers, constant interaction with students and ensuring initiatives aimed at dignifying the profession.
The new College will enable the Order of Engineers to “play a new leading role in the area of Health, in Portugal and the world. From influencing the development and validation of medical devices, through the regulation of health data (including privacy and cybersecurity), to the management of health units, there are several areas of intervention where the Order can be taken into consideration.”
According to Abel Nicolau, “the areas of specialization of Biomedical Engineering include “Clinical Engineering and Management”, “Imaging and Medical Physics”, “Robotics and Biomedical Instrumentation”, “Medical Informatics and Digital Health”, “Biotechnology, Biomaterials and Genetic Engineering” and “Rehabilitation and Biomechanics”. This multidisciplinary approach allows the Biomedical Engineer to work in hospitals and clinics (hospital administration and clinical engineering), industries and companies in the medical field (design and development of new equipment) and universities and laboratories (research)”.
With a degree in Bioengineering – Biomedical Engineering, Abel Nicolau has been an integrated researcher at the Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS@RISE) since 2018. He is also the coordinator and simulation technician of the Simulation Center of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), as well as a PhD student at FMUP, in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Research and Health Services (PDICSS).