Special session - biomedical engineering ethics and standards in the developing world

Engineering educators and students are at the interface between biomedical engineering technology and the developing world. Through service learning efforts and organizations like Engineers Without Borders and Engineering World Health, engineers find themselves asking questions about ethics and standards as they relate to the developing world. The goal of this session is to begin a dialogue about ethics and standards for biomedical engineers working with people in the developing world and to start the process of developing guidelines that will inform their practice. This session will use a case-based and education-focused strategy to begin this dialogue. The session will utilize facilitators with expertise in these areas to discuss various case studies. They will attempt to address questions about biomedical engineering ethics and standards in the context of economic and logistical constraints. The output of this dialogue will be direct input to a workshop on biomedical engineering ethics and standards in the developing world and will be the foundation for a consensus for guidelines for engineers practicing in the developing world.