The following preamble and working definition of bioengineering were developed by the Bioengineering Definition Committee (BDC) and released on July 24, 1997. The BDC was chaired by Dr. John Watson of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and consisted of the following members:

Bioengineering Definition Committee

BECON Members        Expert Members

John Watson (Chair)        Alan Berson
Dov Jaron                        Dennis Askwith
Warren Jones                   Miriam Gershfeld
Walter Goldschmidts        Carolyn Tolbert
Jeffery Schloss                 Belinda Seto
Michael Huerta                Dorrette Worrell

Preamble

Bioengineering is rooted in physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and the life sciences. It is the application of a systematic, quantitative, and integrative way of thinking about and approaching the solutions of problems important to biology, medical research, clinical proactive, and population studies. The NIH Bioengineering Consortium agreed on the following definition for bioengineering research on biology, medicine, behavior, or health recognizing that no definition could completely eliminate overlap with other research disciplines or preclude variations in interpretation by different individuals and organizations.

Definition

Bioengineering integrates physical, chemical, or mathematical sciences and engineering principles for the study of biology, medicine, behavior, or health. It advances fundamental concepts, creates knowledge for the molecular to the organ systems levels, and develops innovative biologics, materials, processes, implants, devices, and informatics approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, for patient rehabilitation, and for improving health.