Traditionally, medicine and engineering have been separate disciplines. Because of this divide, physicians and engineers increasingly have had to learn to work together as transformational technologies such as minimally invasive biomedical technologies, wearable devices and digital health continue to emerge.
Lou '85 and Mark Houser '83 are early supporters of the EnMed program. EnMed’s transformational approach is based on teaching the integration of medical science and engineering, a concept that has been emerging over the past 15 years, in order to prepare a new breed of medical professionals called “physicianeers.”
That approach is rapidly changing—and Texas A&M University is at the forefront of the revolution. In a groundbreaking partnership, Texas A&M’s College of Engineering and College of Medicine have teamed up with Houston Methodist Hospital to launch the nation’s first medical school track, EnMed (Engineering Medicine), which allows students to earn a fully-integrated medical degree and master’s degree in engineering over a four-year period while also being trained in innovation, problem-solving and entrepreneurship. A particularly unique feature is that all EnMed students are required to invent a solution to a health care challenge through their EnMed Innovation project.
Lou ’85 and Mark Houser ’83 are among EnMed’s earliest and most vocal supporters. Half of their $500,000 gift for the program was given through the Texas A&M Foundation to create scholarships to support future EnMed students. The remaining half, earmarked for the Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation, will endow one named student EnMed Innovation project and help launch a $20 million endowment initiative that will financially support awards for EnMed Innovation projects that have commercialization potential.
A Partnership Based on Common Values
The Housers are also mobilizing Houston-area Aggies to provide additional support for the EnMed program. Mark, who is CEO of University Lands, the organization that oversees the 2.1 million acres of West Texas lands set aside to benefit the Permanent University Fund, believes Aggies will resonate with how similar Houston Methodist is to Texas A&M.
“About eight or nine years ago, I was asked to serve on the board of Houston Methodist Hospital,” said Mark, who holds a degree in petroleum engineering. “As Lou and I got involved, we realized what a quality organization the hospital is. What really intrigued us about Houston Methodist and Texas A&M is that they’re both strongly driven by their values, which are very much aligned. The business opportunity for both sides working together is so great.”
EnMed’s transformational approach is based on teaching the integration of science and engineering, a concept that has been emerging over the past 15 years, in order to prepare a new breed of medical professionals called “physicianeers.” “We’re trying to develop a new kind of medical mind—that of an inventor, and problem-solving physician,” said Dr. Roderic I. Pettigrew, CEO of engineering health and executive dean for engineering medicine.
Pettigrew epitomizes the type of faculty member that EnMed would like to attract and the type of professional that the program hopes to produce. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Morehouse College, a Master of Science degree in nuclear science and engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Ph.D. in radiation physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.D. from the University of Miami in an accelerated two-year program for existing Ph.D.s. An internationally recognized leader in biomedical imaging and bioengineering, he was a pioneer of four-dimensional imaging of the cardiovascular system using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
As transformational technologies such as biomedical devices, wearable technologies and digital health continue to emerge, the fields of engineering and medicine are beginning to overlap. Texas A&M’s College of Medicine and College of Engineering have teamed up with Houston Methodist Hospital to launch the nation’s first EnMed (Engineering Medicine) program. This initiative allows students to earn a fully-integrated medical degree and master’s degree in engineering over a four-year period while also learning about innovation, problem-solving and entrepreneurship. Pictured here is the first cohort of students, along with EnMed administrators and faculty.
