The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at CCNY grew out of the New York Center for Biomedical Engineering (NYCBE) at CCNY, a consortium of New York City medical institutions established in 1994 to serve as a focal center for collaborative biomedical engineering research in the New York metropolitan area.
In 2002, a new Department of Biomedical Engineering was created, along with a new bachelors degree program in Biomedical Engineering. This was a culmination of an eight-year effort supported by three Special Opportunity Awards from the Whitaker Foundation and Educational Opportunity Grants for Minorities from the National Institutes of Health and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The construction of new office facilities and state-of-the-art laboratories for the Department of Biomedical Engineering were made possible by a generous grant from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.
A number of milestones marked the rapid growth of BME at CCNY:
- 1994: NYCBE research consortium was established
- 1995: Creation of a 15-credit undergraduate concentration in BME
- 1999: Establishment of a Ph.D. program in BME
- 2000: Creation of a Master's program in BME
- 2002: Creation of a Bachelor's program in BME and founding of the BME department
- 2004: Completion of renovated department and lab space in Steinman Hall
- 2016: Establishment of a Master's in Translational Medicine program
- 2024: Creation of a combined Bachelor's/Master's 4+1 degree program
As our department continues to grow and thrive, you can read more about the goals to which we strive in our original Strategic Plan. The major research themes on which our department were founded are cardiovascular engineering, musculoskeletal biomechanics, neural engineering & imaging, and biomaterials, biotechnology & tissue engineering. The Bachelor's degree program was initially ABET accredited in 2011, re-accredited in 2017, and again in 2023 -- each with no concerns.
Please visit our News page for current updates and Archived News. You can also view the history of our prestigious named lecture series, the Zweifach and SKT Lectures, here.
Funding
The CCNY Department of Biomedical Engineering has an excellent track-record in generating funding for basic research and translational research, and in support of its mission to increase diversity in medical research.
CCNY received three $1 million Special Opportunity Awards from the Whitaker Foundation to help build the biomedical engineering program. Funding from the Wallace Coulter Foundation helped to build state-of-the-art departmental laboratories and includes a $2.5 million challenge grant. The department also held a $2.2 million NIH education award that supported research scholarships for underrepresented undergraduate students.
In 2023, the department held almost $8 million in research grants, which is ~$670,000 per research-active faculty member.
Last Updated: 10/05/2025 20:06